But she refused to mourn him now, because she refused to let him stay there in torment, in her stead.
We’re coming for you, Kalder. Hold on.…
Hell or high water. Ain’t none what’ll have you on our watch.
***
Vine attacked the Dark Seraph as soon as she returned to the cell that made up their vile cage of a home. “Why did you call me back? I had them!”
Clad in her ancient bloodred armor, Gadreyal laughed in her face. Her wings flared out to punctuate the anger in her eyes as she towered over Vine with a twisted expression that said she was imagining the taste of Vine’s blood on her lips. “He was kicking yourscrawny arse, Deruvian whore. Make no mistake about it. Another minute and all that would have been left of you was a stain upon the floor. You should be thanking me for saving your putrid life, such as it is.”
“I had it under control.”
“Until you let your arrogance take over, and outed yourself to him. Why did you tell him you live when we were planning to use that to our advantage?Why?”
“To rattle him.”
“Rattlehim? Are you insane? Nothing rattles that beast. He feels nothing. Of all creatures, you should know this.”
Those words struck their mark and brought a wave of unexpected pain to Vine’s heart. Damn the worthless trollop for it! And for the reminder that for all the years of her marriage to that black-hearted bastard she’d never once been able to make Bane love her. No matter how hard she’d tried or what spell she’d used, the beast was forever devoted to her sister.
Her sister!
Never her.
His wife. She was the one who was his equal in brutality and cunning.
And beauty.
Not Mara, the milksop. Duel should have loved her more than any other.
Instead, Mara-the-hag had ranked first in his affections.
Damn them both for it!
It’d never been fair that, in spite of her greater beauty, grace,and intelligence, Vine had never been able to win him over. That he’d pined for Mara even while he’d been in her bed and body. And the last thing Vine wanted was a reminder of her failings. In her past life.
And especiallythisone!
Shrieking, she blasted the Irin and knocked her back.
Gadreyal returned the blow with one of her own that caught Vine across the face and left her on the ground with her entire cheek stinging. Her eyes watered until she could scarcely see.
“Care to continue?” she taunted, arms akimbo.
Not really. Especially given how much the blow burned and ached through her entire being. More than that, Vine wanted to wipe the smirk off the Irin bitch’s face. But Gadreyal had made her point. She was the warrior who had spent centuries battling the Sarim and the Light Seraphs of the Kalosum army they fought against.
Vine wasn’t.
She’d never been a fighter of any kind. It was why she’d married Bane. He’d been her attack dog that she’d unleashed on others whenever they displeased her. And before him, she’d relied upon her first husband and her sister for such unpleasantries, as they were far more vicious and accomplished in a fight than she was.
Nay, she preferred a much more elegant means of vengeance.
Deception and betrayal.
Treachery.
Poison.
