I gave a furious sigh. I knew the only reason Gabby hadn’t opened her fat mouth and landed Ethan in jail was because she asked me to do shit for her. She didn’t have a hold on me without that bargaining chip.
“Before I agree to do this, you need to tell me something,” I began.
“You’re not in a position to be making demands,” Gabby reminded me with a cold stare.
“Hear me out.” I took a breath. How was I going to ask Gabby this without giving everything away? “The Black Claw wants my blood. They... need to use it for something.”
“Because you’re the Worldweaver?” Gabby asked. I felt the blood drain from my face. Gabby gave a cruel laugh and said, “The Black Claw’s told me everything, Sosna. They want your blood, so they can raise Droga and bring the Unseelie descendants back to power.”
Gabby huffed. “They’re fucking stupid. Anyone who looks at you knows you’re the weakest fae to ever walk the earth. There’s no power in your blood.”
I felt my skin boil with heat as she said that. She was a liar. I’d defeated her in our duel in the King’s Contest, without using dark magic.
That’s why she was so scared of me. And why she was going to such great lengths to keep me in line. I was a threat to her.
“But,” Gabby continued. “The Black Claw agreed to follow Elijah and I, because I told them I’d hand you over at the proper time for the invoking ceremony. I don’t believe you have the ability to raise Droga, but if you do, that’s all the better for us. We’ve sworn ourselves to the dark god. Droga will help us retain power.”
“When is it?” I snapped. “Why haven’t they done it already?”
“Droga can only be raised on a certain day, on a certain time. It’s still a long way off.” Gabby waved her hand. “Don’t worry your pretty little red head about it.”
Gabby wasn’t going to give me specifics about the invoking ceremony, to prevent me from finding a way out of it. At least I knew I was safe from being killed— until then. “So you’re going to wait for this day just so you can hand me over?”
“I don’t know the details,” Gabby said with a yawn. “In the meantime, the Black Claw has promised to let you be. You’re under my protection. That is...ifyou do as you’re told.”
My fingernails dug into the books against my chest. “Fine. I’ll keep Ethan busy.”
“Good girl,” Gabby cooed. “This little arrangement might work after all.”
I should kill her.The thought came sharply into my mind as I watched Gabby’s perfect curls bounce on her shoulders, her ass swinging in an arrogant way as she left me behind.
As I mulled the thought over to kill Gabby, I realized that wasn’t an option. If I tried to hurt Gabby and failed, I was royally fucked. If I managed to succeed, I was still fucked. I wouldn’t get away with it. My reputation was tarnished now that I’d cheated in the Contest, and as Gabby’s rival, I’d be the first person the Arcanea Alliance would suspect. I’d be thrown in jail and scheduled for execution without a fair trial.
Even if I made it look like an accident, people would find out the truth. She was to be the future queen. The Arcanea wouldn’t let her death go.
As I headed on my way to the dormitory hall, my insides felt constricted. How could I have agreed to this deal? I was going against my own mate.
All sorts of emotions came up when I thought of Ethan. Pain. Loss. Sorrow.
Undying passion. Feverish love. And a need to protect and defend what was mine.
There was no denying it. I loved Ethan. And though I still didn’t understand that love, I knew it was something worth dying for. Ethan was kind, and good, and sweet. He’d never do anything to hurt me. He cared for me, no matter how much he tried to hide it.
And yet there was one thing I still held against him.
Ethan was the Phantom. And he’d never told me. He’d never uttered a damn word. We took a sacred vow at our Choosing ceremony last year to be mates forever, and he was still keeping it a secret he was a vigilante in disguise. I had to find out fromGabbyhe was more than he claimed to be.
He was also hiding the fact he knew we were fated mates. Ethan wasn’t stupid. Shifters knew when they bonded, and I damn well was certain he’d figured out we were destined to be together long before I did. But he’d played it off last semester like we didn’t have a magical bond, as if agreeing to be my mate was a last option, an arrangement of convenience instead of one of love.
It had to do with him hiding that he was the Phantom. But that he felt he couldn’t tell me something this crucial hurt. I didn’t know if he trusted me. But how could he, after what I did?
I squared my shoulders.What’s done is done. I had to forgive myself for my choices in the Contest. Feeling guilty about it wasn’t going to help me now. And it certainly wouldn’t stop Elijah and Gabby.
My dorm felt like a safe and familiar refuge from Gabby’s harsh stare. I tossed my books on the desk and flopped down on the four-poster bed in relief.
My stomach growled. I was hungry. I hadn’t eaten this morning, and class was in half an hour. There was no time to run to the cafeteria to grab something.
I changed into my uniform before I groaned and walked to the mini-fridge. I didn’t expect there to be anything inside except my plasma medication. I’d cleaned it out before break. But still, maybe there was a smoothie or something I’d forgotten about last semester that could ease the hunger pains.
