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The guys herded me behind them, each one coiled and ready to spring. “What do you want?” Alaric demanded in a low and dangerous growl.
Mimic-Margo rolled her eyes. “Her, you idiot.” Her gaze slid past him to fix on me. “You should feel lucky, little vessel. You got more time than the others.”
Confusion and dread swirled in my gut like a noxious poison. More time? Who are the others? Vessel for what? My magic bristled in response.
Oh. Vessel for that.
The fairy lights suddenly seemed sinister rather than enchanting, casting strange shadows that writhed and twisted at the edges of my vision. The darkness beyond the garden path rippled like the surface of a pond, disturbed by something moving underneath.
They materialized from the shadows surrounding us, six more mimics that had once been human but now moved like puppets with invisible strings. My magic continued to crackle under my skin, but I still didn’t know how to intentionally use it. Even my empathic gift was useless—these creatures didn’t have emotions for me to manipulate.
Just as I was about to suggest that this might be a job for their gryphons, a new presence stepped out of the darkness. A woman with skin the color of porcelain and eyes like black holes. She moved with inhuman grace, and the fairy lights dimmed as she passed, like they were too scared to defy her shadows.
But it was Lucian’s reaction that terrified me most. My fierce angel stumbled back a step, his face draining of color. Our heartstring pulled tight with the force of his shock and rage and pain. With a single word, he shattered the silence with the weight of a thousand nightmares.
“Alice.”
61
CORDELIA
The otherworldly woman glided closer, bearing sharp teeth in a predator’s smile.
“My sweet pet,” she crooned at Lucian with an expression that almost looked fond. “Look at how you’ve grown.”
Lucian’s heartstring jerked like a wounded animal as fear, raw and visceral, bled into me through our connection. It hit me like a fist to the sternum, knocking the air from my lungs. This was her. The woman who seduced and betrayed him. The woman who chained and tortured him.
The woman who got away.
“You shut your filthy mouth.” Fury coursed through me in a wave. “You don’t speak to him.”
Her eyes shifted to focus on me, and the guys pressed closer like they could form a living shield between me and the threat. But I was too livid to be sidelined. I shoved through them, not caring where my elbows landed. Her bottomless eyes flashed with amusement.
“This is a fantastic twist, isn’t it?” Her good humor turned deadly with a blink. “Sister.”
Sister?
Confusion tangled with denial, but beneath it all, recognition surged inside me, followed by unbridled rage. Whatever divine essence was born inside me, it was clear she shared a dark history with this woman. There was ancient hatred there, thick and thorny as a blackened briar.
“Who are you?” I steeled my spine, refusing to show fear.
She laughed, and the sound made me cringe. “How long have we been playing this game, my darling? One millennium? Two? Even the Fates have gotten bored, it seems.”
“Leave her alone.” Lucian’s strangled words were brittle as they cut through the air. “Please, Alice—”
“Not Alice, pet,” she corrected and turned her sharp smile back on him. “Eris.” Harsh curses echoed around me and the woman almost preened at the recognition. “Yes, you would know that name, wouldn’t you, sons of Kratos.”
“I don’t care who you are,” I snarled. “I’m going to kill you.”
“Don’t be stupid, girl.” Eris rolled her empty eyes, unfazed by the threat. “You can’t kill me. I’m a goddess.” Her look turned hungry then, gleaming with anticipation. “You are the fiercest one yet, though. Perhaps I should let you try.”
She raised her hand and the shadowy figures that had been skulking in the background moved in to surround us. With a flick of her wrist, chaos erupted.
“Cordelia, run!” Alaric grabbed my arm and roughly shoved me back. “Get out of here.”
I should’ve listened. I was useless in this fight, an untrained liability. My magic churned within me like a maelstrom, crashing against my ribs, but when I reached for it, it just slipped away like smoke.
“Do something!” I begged, trying to drag it back.
