Dez’s eyes met hers, his thoughts written clearly across his face. He thought she would let him die. Thought she would leave him here. Thought she would choose Shade.
He opened his mouth to say something. Like the words crawled up his throat and choked him, but died on his tongue. He took a step toward her. Another.
The guards didn’t move as Destonne seized Emmery in his arms and held her so tightly she feared she may actually shatter.But their wordless exchange was cut short by the demon’s impatient voice.
Senka tapped her foot. “Destonne O’Daire, it’s your turn.”
The King faced the demon, determination set on his face as he held his hand behind his back to hide the secret Emmery had slipped him.
“Now you must choose.”
A guard grabbed Emmery once more and pinned her arms behind her back. The steel of a blade nicked her throat as her head tilted back.
Destonne’s eyes widened as they dragged her, kicking and screaming, to the far corner of the room. “You will receive passage to the Hollow,” Senka said to Dez, “but, if you choose to pass…” She giggled, an awful, bone-chilling noise. “Your pretty, little fire girl belongs tome.”
CHAPTER FORTY-ONE
VESPER
Vesper sat slumped against the cavern wall, his eyelids and chest equally heavy. He scrubbed a hand down his face and willed himself to get it together. It had been a week—the longest fucking week of his life. And even though the bloodlace had gradually retreated after only seven days, the weight on his heart wasn’t from his struggles with Kaida, nor the lack of answers from Thorrin.
“Ready for training, pretty boy?”
Vesper peered up as Kyrith entered the cavern. Her burgundy locks flowed behind her in some phantom breeze and she appeared freshly bathed, and there Vesper sat, a bloody, sweatymess. He had been on Kaida all day while Kyrith was off with Thorrin doing gods only knew what. It wasn’t his business on how they found answers for the prophecy, cure for the bloodlace, or any of it. Just that they did. And quickly.
It had already been a week and each day, his heart rose in his throat. Especially after today.
“What special torture do you have planned for me?” he asked but couldn’t reach his usual sarcastic lilt. “You should know my veins are already parched from today’s bloodletting.” Kaida and him had bickered all day as they scorched bloodlace. The endless battle of wills between them never ceased, nor did hisShadowheart’spiss-poor attitude.
Kyrith’s eyes glimmered in the low light that streamed from between the vines above. “Maybe some slight waterboarding. Quality time with some metal spikes. Nothing too terrible.”
Vesper huffed a laugh he didn’t feel and stared at his hands. He hadn’t worn his gloves today and, as usual, he’d anxiously picked at them until they were a hot, bloody mess. As both the pactum with Destonne and the other with Thorrin stared at him, he drowned in such unending self-loathing he wished he could sink into the floor. Disappear entirely.
“Don’t look too excited,” she shot back. She yanked her mask over her face and placed a hand on her hip.
A bitter taste flooded his mouth. “Did you get any answers today?”
“Not yet.” Kyrith strode toward him. “We did get a bit of a lead, but when we followed it, it went dead. At least Rainna, Gaelen, and Dimitri were able to find some good supplies while scavenging.”
Anxious energy rose within him and he couldn’t swallow it. “But that doesn’t fucking help us, does it?”
Kyrith’s top lip curled. “What crawled up your ass and died?”
“What are we actually doing today? So I can mentally prepare myself before you rip into me.” With a groan, he shoved himself up and tried to ignore his sore muscles. He drew his knife from his belt and placed it over his sore hand.
Kyrith’s eyes widened as she fixated on his arm. “What happened?” The slight shake in her voice almost tricked him into thinking she actually cared.
“Nothing. Let’s get this done.” He braced himself for the blade's bite, but to his absolute bloody surprise, Kyrith caught his wrist. His gaze snapped up to hers and found her studying the chunk missing from his forearm.
“Gods have mercy, did shebiteyou?”
“Go ahead and laugh,” he said, his voice low.
“That’s—I…” she started, but clearly didn’t know what to say.
So, Vesper said it for her. “You were right. I don’t know what I’m doing. I’d never really summoned her before coming here. And I can’t control her. You saw right through me. I’m a fucking fraud.” He stared down at the bite mark imprinted in his flesh. “Looks like you’re all doomed if you’re counting on a bloody moron like me.”
Kyrith’s brows pulled together but it was impossible to see her expression beneath her mask. She released his wrist. “Whoa, back up. What spurred the pity party? Was it the bite? Because it seems like—”