Page 97

Seeing her with magic snaked around her sent dread throughout my entire body, but this Donn creature seemed more interested in studying her than killing her.

And damn me, but I had to agree with him about Moira’s mother. If a villain could disagree with the woman’s choices, Minka was a grade-A asshole.

Donn relinquished his magic enough to allow Moira’s arms to spread out. Silver flowed through her eyes and mouth, into her fingertips and her heart.

If the power didn’t feel so alien and cold to me, I might have thought it looked cleansing in a way. That’s exactly what it was doing to her—undoing the damage her mother had done to her so long ago.

I was beginning to think I’d made a mistake. Now that Moira and I were together, I wondered—no, hoped there might be a chance for us. The disgusted look when she watched me was slowly fading. Moira was beginning to realize there was more to me than she thought.

But I wasn’t doing a great job at showing her too much, and I wasn’t sure I should. No one wanted a trauma dumper, did they?

I skulked through the brush, silent and concealed, keeping downwind of Moira and the others. There was no way Donn would free her when this was over. He seemed far too interested in Moira to let her go.

I had to wait for the perfect time to strike. But should it be against Donn or Minka?

The antler tattoo began to pulse.

I pressed against it with my palm. “Stop spying, you prick,” I snarled quietly. He wanted to know exactly what was going on all the time, the nosy bastard.

If Moira’s mother was playing the long game, Cernunnos was the long game. He pulled on threads I didn’t even know existed. For some reason, he was using me and the other Lords to—do what?

Fuck. I had no idea.

The bastard cared about Moira. Anyone with two eyes could see that. But could he love her like she needed to be loved?

Doubtful.

Could I love her like she needed?

Fuck. I couldn’t even manage to love myself.

Concentrate, I told myself, shaking off those self-defeating thoughts.

Moira’s body lifted in the air, her entire being encased in a silver glow.

Magic built. Donn’s and Moira’s. Her power had always smelled a little odd to me. Like Donn, I thought there might be something off about it, but I chalked it up to being in such close proximity to Evie and her Chimera magic.

Evie smelled off to me, too, though not as much anymore since she’d fully embraced her fae heritage.

Moira wasn’t fae that I knew of. But she was something I’d never seen before.

Power punched through the air, and with it a sweet, clean scent, reminding me of fresh chopped herbs and honey.

“Ah,” Donn said in satisfaction. “Hello, Moira. Nice to meet you.”

Moira’s body floated to the ground. She landed on her knees, her head bowed, one hand on the ground to steady herself.

Moira stayed there for a full minute until she shook off the magic remnants and lifted her head.

Where there were once dark brown eyes, now bright green ones glowed like emeralds.

Moira rose with preternatural grace and smiled at the god.

Chapter

Thirty-Seven

Thirty seconds ago, I thought I was dying. Now, my magic hummed inside me like fairy bells. Strength and energy rushed through my veins; my witch magic melded with my vampire powers seamlessly.