Guilt burned through me so hotly, and words tumbled from my lips instantly of their own accord. “I apologize, Uncle. I truly don’t want to offend you.” The remorseful statement left my lips before I even knew what I was saying, and strangely, I actuallyfeltremorse, even though a second ago I’d felt nothing but burning frustration and roiling anger. But now... I felt bad that I’d upset him. But I didn’t evenlikehim.
I barely had time to process that before we were at the bottom of the stairs and entering the dungeon. My eyes widened. Six males and Tylen were there.
The males all stood to attention when my uncle entered, their gazes reverent, their auras filled with awe. But Tylen stared at him with hatred that rivaled my own.
My uncle stopped in front of them and clasped his hands behind his back. “Primelle, seize Tylen’s mind and erase all memories he has of me, my home, what he did here, and what he did to you. After that, make him sleep until you’ve taken him back to the sea.”
The second my uncle’s request left his lips, my magic rose, and it hit me just as fast that my magic no longer felt likemine.
Magic speared out of my body and shot straight for Tylen. It flowed like a river from me, shredding right through the Lochen fairy’s Shield as though it were tissue paper.
Tylen’s eyes widened briefly, alarm skating over his features, but I was already inside his head, already undoing every encounter he’d ever had with my uncle and me, and it didn’t even matter that I didn’twantto do this.
I rifled through his thoughts so easily, not even slowing.
Erase, erase, erase.
My uncle’s command held me in a chokehold, and shame washed through me that I was doing exactly what I’d always been taught not to do. It didn’t even matter what Tylen had done to me. Tylen might have assisted my uncle in turning me into a vampire, but the Lochen fairy was just as much a pawn in my uncle’s game as I was.
Every thought I erased from Tylen’s mind revealed my uncle’s coercion. Every memory showed that Tylen had been forced to use his magic just as I was being forced right now. All because Arnel had captured his young son and was holding him captive, only willing to release him if Tylen did as he instructed.
And with every second that passed, Tylen’s expression grew less and less aware.
He had no idea what I was doing to him.
Agony ripped apart whatever soul I had left. I was using my forbidden magic so easily, so carelessly. Before my eyes, the Lochen fairy’s eyes dimmed. Recognition no longer filled them. Nothing filled them at all as my immense magic ate away every part of him that recalled what my uncle had done.
And it didn’t even matter that I wanted to stop. Arnel had commanded me, and apparently, because he was my Maker, I couldn’t have stopped if my dead heart depended on it.
It wasn’t until everything in Tylen’s mind that involved me and Arnel was entirely gone that I receded. It was laughable how easy it was. Within minutes, I’d erasedeverything, and I’d done it as easily as breathing had once been.
My magic sucked back inside me, and Tylen slumped to the floor. As commanded, I’d rendered him unconscious, similar to what I’d done to the would-be murderers the night Kole had saved the wildling mother and her babies all of those weeks ago when I’d been hunting the Wishing Stone. And thinking of Kole, thinking of how he would react if he saw me now...
Shame flowed through me so hotly that it felt like a river of fire.
“I hate you,” I whispered, relief flowing through me that I could at least get those words out despite Arnel’s control of me and the vile urge I had inside me to please him.
But my uncle didn’t even glance my way, and I knew he didn’t care how much I despised him.
Because his attention had turned elsewhere.
I followed his line of sight and froze.
Royden stood tall and strong, his hands gripped around the cell caging him, his expression that of shock and anger as he and my uncle engaged in a staring match.
But while relief hit me that the Imperial Warrior was awake and appeared unharmed, my uncle’s next words had coldness flowing through me like an icy river.
Arnel waved a hand toward the Imperial Warrior. “Primelle, your warrior’s next. Erase his memories of what truly happened here and create new memories that show his time here being nothing but boring and uneventful. But leave him with a positive outlook on me. He’s to do nothing but sing my praises.”
Come nightfall,I’d done everything my uncle had commanded of me. I’d mistphased Tylen and his young son back to the sea, only after I’d also taken away the toddler’s memories too. Eventhough I’d tried with everything I had not to harm the young child, I hadn’t been able to fight Arnel’s control. I’d perhaps delayed my uncle’s commands by a few seconds, but that was it. No matter how much willpower I put into not being his puppet, the puppet master so far had always won.
And when I’d stood on the Nelive Sea, a place that had previously brought me solitude with Kole at my side, bitter frustration and fury had filled me.
Even worse, as I’d stood alone and unguarded on the beach, and the opportunity to flee had been right in front of me, I hadn’t been able to escape. I’d tried with everything I had to mistphase back to Whiteolf, but Arnel’s command to return to his castle the second I finished with the Lochen fae had fired inside me like a raging wildfire.
I’d let it burn. Fighting it. Hating it.
It’d given me a few more precious seconds to stand as rigidly as a stone wall while watching Tylen holding the hand of his young son as they transformed into their fish-like bodies, their legs morphing into a single, powerful tail. Stars had shone in the sky, and moonlight had reflected off the water. Tylen and his son splashed into the sea, swimming away. They never once looked back at me because to both of them, I didn’t exist.
