“Gods, not creatures,” Orion snapped.
“You are no gods,” I said, smiling at the way he flinched against my words. “You’re locusts called Lamiae and nothing more.”
Andromeda’s face screwed up in rage. She took a step toward me, reaching for the sword at her back, but then she stopped. After a moment, she burst out into laughter. “You have no idea just how ridiculous that sounds.”
“We don’t have the gemstones,” Tessa suddenly said. “They’re hidden away, and no, they’re not in Endir. Killing everyone inside the city will do nothing but paint more blood on your hands. Oh, and by the way.” She quickly flicked her eyes toward Perseus before dealing Andromeda a keen, wicked smile. “Bellicent Denare is dead. And without an anchor, you’re fucked when we banish you from this world again. Checkmate, Andromeda.”
I smiled.That’s my wife.
Andromeda moved in a flash. One moment, she was a few feet away. The next, she had Tessa’s leathers gripped in her hands, and she was lifting my mate from the ground. I grabbed the hilt of my sword. Steel hissed against my neck as Orion got there first. He looked into my eyes with his blade pressed against my throat and said, “Careful.”
I swallowed, and the sharp edge cut my skin. A trickle of blood danced down my neck.
Andromeda spat into Tessa’s face. My vision went black, and rage burned the back of my throat.
“Get your fucking hands off my mate,” I growled.
“Here is the deal,daughter,” Andromeda whispered into Tessa’s face. “We want our brethren back. Give them to us by dawn, or we will attack this city. I don’t care if the gemstones are inside Endir or not. We will kill every living soul you’re trying to protect. You can consider it your punishment for murdering my beloved Bellicent.”
She released her hold on the leathers. Tessa thumped to the ground, and her knees buckled beneath her. I flinched and tried to reach out for her, but Orion’s blade kept me pinned in place.
Tessa brushed herself off and stood. She threw back her shoulders. “You’re inside the Kingdom of Shadow now, Andromeda. Dawn will never come.”
“You best believe it will.” Her smile was animalistic. “Look to the east in five hours’ time. I think you’ll find that the gods control more than you think.”
Andromeda took several steps back to join the silent Sirius and Perseus. Mist engulfed her form. “Five hours, Tessa Baran. Meet us here with the gemstones, or your people will meet our swords. And we will bring death, fear, pestilence, and famine upon you.”
Orion laughed. “Famine is already there, of course.”
“What?” I cut my eyes toward him.
He lowered his sword and sketched an exaggerated bow. “I’m surprised you aren’t the one she infected, to be honest. Does she not touch you the way you yearn to be touched? Or does she save that touch for another? Either way, I infected her with famine. As Andromeda’s daughter, she’s immune to it and can only spread it to one person, but…” He grinned wickedly. “If she touched anyone recently, she passed it on to them.”
But who…?
Tessa gasped. “Ruari.”
“Fuck,” I muttered, rushing toward my waiting horse. If Ruari was infected with famine, it was only a matter of time before he spread it to the rest of the city. I’d been too distracted, too focused on Tessa’s sudden change of heart about the gods’ powers. I should have seen it. I should have known.
We hadn’t faced a single battle yet, but Endir was doomed.
Twenty-Four
Niamh
“Wait, he’s doing it now?” Val ran a comb through her burnished red hair and sighed. She dropped the comb onto her cot and stood, her stomach growling. “It’s time for dinner in the mess hall.”
“You know what Alastair is like.” I shrugged and leaned against the doorframe. Val’s gaze swept down the length of me, back up, then down again. She blushed.
“You look very intimidating when you stand like that,” said Val.
“The last thing I want is to intimidate you.”
She stepped a little closer, smiling. “It’s not a bad thing. In fact, I—”
Heavy footsteps thundered down the corridor in a unique canter that could only belong to one person in the whole fucking world.
“Now?” I whirled toward him, no longer caring about hiding my feelings. I’d been holding them back for so long, they were spilling out of my eyeballs. And Val was looking at me like she might see it, too, and she wasn’t running away from it.
