Instantly, my full powers surged back, though the stone maintained a slight tug on my magic, greedy for what it had taken.
“What an interesting turn of events,” Semphrys mused, still stroking me with those horrible tendrils that felt nothing like Kaden’s shadows. “I always thought my son would be the one who tried to kill me, but he’s sent his little bitch instead.”
Those wicked black eyes narrowed in reproach, his gaze snagging on my dagger. “A witchwood blade. I must say, Iam impressed. He has turned the very witch I ordered him to hunt into his own personal assassin. How unfortunate that she —”
Just then, the huge double doors banged open, and a horde of demons swarmed into the chamber. Semphrys’s soldiers held Kaden and Sorsha between them, and my heart sank to my knees.
Kaden was struggling against four demons, his wings splayed at a painful-looking angle with rowan-wood spikes piercing the delicate membranes. Sorsha thrashed just as fiercely against her captors, the end of her golden braid stained with blood.
That would explain why my glamour had faltered. The princess had been fighting to evade capture.
As I watched, Sorsha gave a particularly violent thrust, and one of the demons turned and punched her in the face. I sucked in a gasp, searching the tangle of bodies crowded into the chamber for Adriel, but the royal guard was noticeably absent.
A horrible sense of knowing made my stomach clench, but I turned back to the demon king and lifted my chin in defiance.
“How wonderful,” Semphrys crooned to Sorsha and his son. “I’m delighted that you both could join us.”
I didn’t think. I just lunged for the demon king — bringing my blade down in a deadly arc toward the center of his chest.
Quick as a flash, one of those long tendrils of shadow shot out to capture my wrist, yanking my arm behind my back and wrenching a cry from my throat. A second dark ribbon unfurled to capture my other arm, holding me immobile.
Kaden’s growl reverberated through the chamber, and there was a loud scuffling sound as he fought against his captors’ hold. Fresh blood dribbled from the places where the spikes pierced his beautiful wings, and I shook my head, begging him not to do any more damage.
“Was this your plan all along, my son?” Semphrys asked. “If so, I must admit that I am underwhelmed.”
Kaden stopped thrashing long enough to shoot his father a filthy look.
“I had hoped your mate would be more . . . intelligent.”
A pulse of ominous magic fanned out across the chamber, signaling Kaden’s wrath. But the familiar hum across my skin dissipated almost instantly, which meant the rowan-wood spikes lancing his wings were quickly sapping his power.
“Fated to a half-huntress, half-witch.” The demon king tutted, sending out another thick rope of shadow. “Disappointing. Though I would expect no better from the half-Drathen whelp.”
Quick as a striking serpent, the black band of shadow looped around my neck. My whole body clenched as the ribbon tightened around my throat, cutting off my air supply.
The tendons in Kaden’s neck bulged as he lurched forward, but his demon captors held him immobile.
“There is no bond more powerful,” Semphrys continued. “Apart from the sire bond, of course.”
Black spots danced in my vision, but I was aware of my mate’s jerky movements as he fought to reach me. A howl of agony ripped from his throat, and I felt a tremor of pain slice down the bond as he tore his beautiful wings.
“Our kind was cursed by the gods,” the king went on. “Fearedby the gods. They believed us too powerful to bear full-blooded offspring. It was only by rutting with that Drathen bitch that I was able to secure my line.”
A howl of rage reverberated through the king’s chambers, but I couldn’t see Kaden through the shadows threatening to pull me under.
“Though I found a loophole, I did not evade this curse. Everything in nature must find a balance. My offspring only exists becauseIexist.”
Suddenly, the pressure on my windpipe abated as Semphrys’s shadows released their hold. I fell to my knees, nearly face-planting on the cold obsidian as I heaved in air.
“So, kill me, witch. Every choice has a price. To kill me, you must also kill your beloved.”
My lungs were full of cold fire, spasming after being deprived of oxygen. As the fog in my mind cleared, I met Kaden’s gaze, and I felt a pulse of devastation down the bond.
Devastation and . . . guilt.
That one look said it all. Kaden had known the effects of the sire bond. He’d known when he’d pressed me to make the bargain.
I swallowed around the lump that had formed in my throat.
