He smiles. “Thank you.”
“I really, really did not mean that as a compliment. But… I think I can trust you. I can, right?” I ask.
He takes a deep breath and saunters toward me. “The only thing in this worldI truly want—the only thing that has remained eternally beyond my reach—is the swift”—he pauses—“or drawn-out and gruesome, death of my brother.” His voice is almost careless as he finishes, but his eyes tell another story. “I want him wiped out of existence. You do not stand in the way of that goal, Sturmfrost.”
I roll my eyes. “It was a yes-or-no question.”
He smiles, and it’s somehow both reassuring and predatory. “Yes, you can trust me.”
“Then…” My heart aches. I close my eyes and say, “Take Venna back to Astreona. Please. Protect her.”
Venna is still unconscious atop Anassa. Her arm is hanging down over my wolf’s side. Her face is pale and starting to get sweaty.
The constant half smirk drops off Lucien’s face. “And Alistair?”
My head drops, and I sigh. “Lucien, I know you don’t want me going after him alone. You’ve made that perfectly clear. To be honest, it’s not my first choice, either. But Venna needs to be kept safe, and we cannot take her with us where we’re going. You know that, right?”
His eyes dart between Venna and the bag strapped around me, the one that holds my crown, the necklace, and the two other Tears.
My cheeks burn. “You’re not seriously going to risk her because you’re worried about our power imbalance right now, are you?”
“Normally, I love a good power imbalance…” he starts.
“Lucien.”
Lucien sighs, looking wearier than I’ve ever seen. “No, I suppose I’m not. But you better finish the job.”
“I promise,” I tell him. “And I’ll make sure to give Alistair your regards while I twist the knife, okay? How are you going to get back to the boat?”
“We’ll travel on foot. Inconvenient not to have a horse for our packs, but as you know, speed is among a Siphon’s arsenal. We’ll find safe places to rest and recover between stretches of travel. I’ll carry her until she wakes and can move on her own.”
I press my lips together. “Try to make it as easy as possible for her.Please.And… don’t let her kill anyone.”
It would break her, doing something like that. Senseless murder. Driven by desperation and inhuman hunger.
She can’t take any more loss.
Lucien lets out a vaguely offended sound and rolls his eyes. “I’ve eased new Siphons through their transitions many times. She will be fine.”
I lower my voice and step very close to him. Close enough that his spine straightens.
“I don’t know if she’s going to befine,” I whisper.
She’s been through immeasurable trauma, her very nature has changed, and she’s lost her wolf on top of it all. Skaia, the one constant, steadying presence in her life. A part of her, just as Izabel was.
Even though she ultimately chose this transformation, I’m terrified she’ll wake and regret that she’s still alive.
That she’ll be convinced there’s nothing left of herself that deserves to keep on living.
Lucien’s pale brows draw together. “Meryn,” he says seriously. My lips part. I’m not sure I’ve ever heard him use my first name like that. “I’ll protect her.”
I swallow. Then I force out, “Okay. You should go, then.” And I back away.
But he puts a hand on my arm, stopping me. His expression is still intense. The air between us is heavy. He doesn’t let go of me.
“If the Tears really are our chance to take down Alistair… Killian. Well. I want you to be as strong as absolutely possible when you take on that piece of shit.”
I watch in stunned paralysis as the hand that gripped me reaches up and lifts the opal necklace from around his neck, then withdraws his crown from his pack.
