She blinks; once, twice. “A pity.”
That’s it. No ‘how’, no ‘why’; just a cluck of her tongue, and he ceases to exist in her mind. I hated that man, more than I can say, but he died giving me a chance, showing me that everything wasn’t as it appeared.
He may have been an asshole, but even he doesn’t deserve her callous brush off. I’ll remember, the four of us always will, that the jackass did the best he could in a shitty situation, but wasn’t wholly evil like I’d once thought. Yet I bite my tongue, because going on a tangent to defend a dead man will only land the four of us in a worse position than we already are.
Faint shouts ring out and I tense, as does Lucien beside me.Fuck, did Azazel get loose? Atlas, Dorian; they have to be okay. We can’t have only just found each other to be torn apart again.My heart stutters in my chest as a more horrific thought rears its ugly head.Maybe this was all a distraction so that Achlys could imprisonthemto ensure that I continued to work for her, to protect her.
And as I focus my attention on Achlys, to see her not panicking despite the shouts outside, just a small bit of confusion, rage like I’ve never known courses through my veins. This hatred...it’s all mine. There isn’t a trace of Lucien’s power caressing my screaming nerve endings. I barely even hear the words coming out of his mouth. I simply rise to my feet and glare down at a queen, noting how small she suddenly seems.
She sees it too, and there’s a flicker of panic in her dark eyes that she’s unable to conceal. The awareness that she’s grossly miscalculated, that she fucked up beyond repair. She gambled and lost, and all of the riches of the shadow court can’t buy her way out of whatever mess she’s created.
“What did you do?” My words are cold, devoid of the emotions I can barely contain.
Her guards flank her as she stands, but even her full height does little to expand her presence. And as soon as I feel that desperate brush of power against my mental shields, frantically searching for a way in, I curl my lips. The phantom tendrils go up in smoke and her eyes widen.
“What. Did. You. Do?”
As she swallows, one of her guards steps up behind us and I turn long enough to pin him with a warning glare. Fates help me, if he thinks putting a blade to either of our throats to ensure compliance will end well, I will suck every bit of his life force before he can so much as blink.
He stills, gaze flicking to his queen for orders. Achlys turns to one of her guards with a silent command and a tilt of her head, tattoos shimmering as she draws on her unknown power. “What I had to in order to ensure the safety of my people.” The guard hastily departs, summoning others as she goes.
More shouts, and soon, the sound of screams split the air. Another small flash of confusion overtakes the queen’s features, but there’s no mistaking it. She expected something to happen, but not this.
“Deals with the fae are always a bitch, aren’t they?” I taunt, carefully scanning the room for the best chance of getting out of here without losing an arm. “Got to get that wording juuuuussst right.”
Her face morphs into one of fury and the guards around her react, advancing on us. But they stop just before attacking, hesitating, because even Achlys’ compulsion can’t completely overrule their survival instincts.
“You wanted me to protect you, and you thought it would be wise to, what?”
More screams, more chaos, while we’re trapped in our little bubble. Them, unsure if making a move is the right choice, knowing what I’m capable of, and me, fucking pissed, but willing to wait in hopes of a damn good reason.
“Make sure you would actually honor your word without a formal deal in place,” she hisses, jerking her chin at another one of the guards who rushes out the door to join the others.
My gaze rakes over her, the magic churning over her skin in a clear display of power, showcasing her might to any who may lay eyes on her, and I just...shut down. Everything I hoped possible, the joy at finding a safe haven, of someone who respected me. It all shrivels up and dies a swift death as I give her my back, striding from the room.
“What are you going to do?” Her voice is quiet, knowing full well she massively fucked up.
I pause, but don’t turn around. “What’s right. Whatever the hell you did, it isn’t those people’s fault.” I walk right out of the room, Lucien on my heels, and not one person tries to stop us.
Because they finally see that they can’t, and the only thing that’s been keeping me in any room, was my permission allowing it to happen.
