“The creator of the witches and Goddess of the Underworld. Your goddess’s sister,” Levana explains.
The Sister is coming.
“End this, Mae,” Levana says—no, commands. “Thera will destroy this kingdom if Cora isn’t destroyed first.”
I push Asmo aside. “How?”
Levana shakes her head. “Cora is at her most powerful right now because of the amount of witches she has. If you take that away, you can buy some time. Focus your energy there,” she says, now addressing the hybrids. “The only ways to kill a creature made of dark magic are beheading, fire, and ice. That includes the witches.”
I knew ice worked on the cambions and the Cursed, but not the witches.
“What of Thera?” I ask.
“She can’t interfere. To do so would be a direct violation of the treaty. Ignore her. For now, at least. Focus on the witches. That’s the key to winning this.”
The treaty?I glance at Asmo, but he doesn’t meet my gaze.
“Why are you doing this?” Asmo’s voice is gruff.
Levana looks to me. “The witches will take until every inch of the kingdom is blackened and turned to rot. They do not belong in this kingdom. They belong in the underworld.”
“Are you not a witch?” I ask.
Her golden eyes turn luminescent. A chill spreads through me. “I am something other. As I was a friend to the Fae Court and to your mother, I am also a friend to you.”
All truth, as bizarre as it is.
“Your aura…” Basil says, head tilted as he stares at Levana. “It’s not black.”
“She’s telling the truth,” I whisper to Asmo.
He turns to Basil. “Go get the rest of the hybrids. Reconvene at the front. We’ll march as one,” Asmo orders.
Basil gives Levana a final look, then shifts into his owl form and soars back down the hallway. Last night, Asmo shared the dark mark with all the shifters that would keep them clothed.
“You should know I’m not the only one,” Levena says. “There are others that are friendly to the High Crown.”
“How many of you are there?” Asmo asks Levana as he walks toward her.
“Not many,” she admits. “At least not here. We’re spread throughout the kingdom right now, trying to do damage control in the other courts.” She motions to a red ribbon tied around her wrist. “This is how you can find us.”
“Thank you,” I say.
She turns to me, glowing eyes looking me up and down. “I tried to tell the red-haired one. I tried to tell her she wasn’t alone, that there were two pairs of mates, two sets of twins.”
The words make no sense to me, but I don’t have time to puzzle over them. Basil’s owl form glides through the air, then shifts into his human form. “They’re coming.” The hybrids stir at his words. It’s almost time.
Asmo grabs my hand and leads me away from the group. He spots a hidden alcove and pulls me inside, pressing me against the wall and cupping my cheeks. I wrap my arms around his neck and memorize the feel of his lipsagainst mine.
This is it. This is going to be the biggest battle we’ve had so far. But we’re going into this one together. He pulls away, and the light green of his eyes captivates me. The first time I saw these eyes, I couldn’t look away. Even now, I can’t seem to turn away from them.
His hand travels down to my chest, to the mating tattoo, to my beating heart. “Mine.” His voice is low, gruff, full of emotion.
I lean toward him, rising on my toes. “Yours,” I murmur against his lips.
Someone clears their throat behind us. I pull away and peer over Asmo’s shoulders. August’s icy blue eyes stare back at me, eyebrows raised. “Pardon the interruption, but we do have a battle to attend to whenever you two are done.”
Asmo presses a final kiss to the inside of my wrist, then he turns back to the small army. Hybrids stand shoulder-to-shoulder down the wide hallways. My mate stands tall and proud, his chest puffed and face solemn. He is a leader through and through. He was born to fill this role. He was born to sit on a throne.
