Page 116 of Vardaesia
Relief filled Alex, relief that only grew when Niida went on to say, “I’ve known ever since I realised what he’s been doing— what he’s become—what he’s been…eating.”
The look on Niida’s face was so stricken that Alex couldn’t bring herself to ask how the queen had made the discovery. Instead, she sheathed her dagger and, in a quiet, careful voice, said, “Astophe told me to come to you.”
When the queen’s eyes jumped back to hers in shock, Alex explained what the king had said inside the Gate of Lost Souls, what he’d suggested Alex do.
“I’m the leverage,” Niida whispered, but instead of looking appalled by her late husband’s proposal, she appeared to be steeling herself for it—just as Alex had hoped. The Niida who had once been her friend, the Niida who had once considered Alex like a daughter, was still in there, regardless of the queen she had let herself become after her beloved son’s exile.
“It wasn’t supposed to be like this,” Alex said, “but you’re now the best chance for us all to get out of here.”
Holding her gaze for a long moment, Niida straightened her spine and said, “Do it.”
Before she could lose her nerve, Alex drew in a deep breathand summoned A’enara. With an apology in her eyes, she reached for Niida’s hand—a hand that was offered willingly and wasn’t pulled back, not even when the sharp blade sliced straight across the fleshy part of her palm.
Having the slightest moment of hesitation, Niida whispered, “I sure hope you know what you’re doing.”
As Alex slashed A’enara along her own palm, she whispered back, “So do I.”
And then she joined their palms together.
When Alex and Niida arrived in the library, it became evident that things hadn’t improved—but theyhadworsened.
Exponentially so.
While Hunter was waiting as planned behind the bookcase with Grimm unconscious at his feet, Kaiden wasn’t with him. And that was because, after a quick, panicked glance out into the middle space of the library, Alex found him bound and tied up where D.C. had previously been hanging. One side of his face was bloody, but otherwise he appeared unharmed. Likewise, Jordan seemed to have avoided further injury in the time since Alex last saw him, but he was in a bad shape. Held upright by only his wrist bindings, he’d fallen unconscious from his wounds—but hewasjust unconscious, despite the crippling fear Alex experienced before she saw the movement of his chest taking alarmingly shallow breaths.
Unlike Kaiden and Jordan, Bear hadn’t been left alone. As Alex watched, Gerald Togen, who had joined them in the time she’d been gone, waved his hand in the air. A streak of a black tattoo whipped out from his skin and lashed against Bear’s torso, cutting through his already-tattered shirt, the flesh of his chest bleeding freely as he loosed a hoarse cry.
A quiet gasp had Alex reaching across to silence Niida, who was watching the scene with horror clear in her features, enough that Alex feared the queen would either pass out or throw up. But aside from her gasp, Niida managed to contain her reaction, and Alex turned back in time to watch as Gerald leaned towards Bear and spoke.
“How does it feel, knowing this was the last thing your father felt before he died?”
And with another blur of movement, Gerald’s whip-tattoos lashed out again, causing another gash and prompting another cry of pain that trailed off into an anguished moan.
“He didn’t last long,” Gerald went on, his eyes glinting maliciously. “I’ll make sure to take my time with you.”
After one final lashing, his tattoos retreated back into his skin and he sauntered over to sit at the table beside Calista, who was blankly watching from her position, just as she’d been ordered.
Somehow Alex forced her eyes away from her friends— away from Bear’s slumped position, Jordan’s unconscious form, Kaiden’s bleeding but defiant face, and D.C.’s stock-still body still holding the Myrox dagger—and cast her gaze over the rest of the room. Her heart fell when she realised that her parents hadn’t arrived. That meant they couldn’t leave yet, even if now was the best chance they had, since despite the threeZeltoraguards watching alongside Gerald, Calista and Lena Morrow—who had also joined them— Aven hadn’t returned, either. Now was the time to act, and yet, they couldn’t do anything until Alex’s mother and father appeared.
Moving her eyes to Hunter, who was eyeing the queen warily until Alex nodded with reassurance, she tried to mime out a question, asking if he’d heard anything about her parents. He shook his head, a clear ‘no’, but before she could follow upand try and find out how Kaiden had been captured—and if Hunter had any escape ideas—she was interrupted.
“Has anyone ever told you how beautiful you are?”
Alex’s head whipped around at Kaiden’s honeyed words— words that most definitely weren’t said to her. Instead, they were said to Lena, who was standing only a few paces away from him.
She didn’t speak, but Kaiden didn’t stop.
“I’ve always loved red-heads,” he said, looking at her fiery ginger hair. “My girlfriend’s a brunette, but she’s told me she’s going to dye hers red just for me. You and I could save her the trouble, you know. If you’re…interested.”
Alex scrunched her nose, wondering what the hell he was doing, what the hell he wassaying. But as she watched, she saw Lena’s attention focus on him.
“Is that so?” the woman said, one red brow arched as she moved a step closer. Then another. “This girlfriend of yours—is it serious?”
Kaiden snorted. “Hardly.”
The grin he sent Lena had Alex fisting her hands even as she began to realise what game he was playing. And more importantly,why.
“I’ve never met anyone more high maintenance,” he went on. “There’s no way it’s going to last. But you…” He paused, licked his lips and huskily lowered his voice. “We’d be something else.”
