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“Have you learned your lesson?” he asks with a smirk.
In response, I swivel my hips, relishing in the zing of pleasure that shoots up my spine. “I might need another one, just to be sure I really understand the assignment,” I tease. Drystan throws his head back and laughs before flipping me through the air, his cock still buried deep within me, as he shows me just how many lessons he can teach me—in more ways than one.
Stepping out of the steamy shower, I hum a cheerful tune as I towel off my damp skin. The warm water has left me feeling rejuvenated and ready for the night ahead. I slip on a simple pair of leggings and a soft T-shirt. Nothing fancy, but comfortable enough for lounging in. Asher promised to watch a movie with me in the cinema room tonight, and I’m eager to see what it’s like. It’s been weeks since I arrived here, and nobody bothered to mention this hidden gem until now. It would have been nice to know there was something other than gazing out the window or reading books to pass the time. Not that I don’t enjoy those things, but a girl likes to have options.
As I towel dry my hair, I weave it into a loose braid and slide on a pair of cozy socks. It’s only seven o’clock, and Asher mentioned he’d be in a meeting with Drystan and Weylen until at least eight. But maybe I can surprise him a little earlier. They’ve been including me in some of their meetings over the past week, trying to make me feel more involved in the plan. After all, I’m the one who has to kill a vampire.
I bite my lower lip as I kneel in front of my dresser, reaching underneath the drawer where I’ve hidden my brother’s cell phone for safekeeping. He’s been texting me every day, asking for updates on my progress. But I haven’t given him much information. Certainly nothing he could use against the Kings. Sometimes he’s excitedly taking in every detail, while other times he’s shouting at me in all caps for being incompetent and not getting him the information he needs.
But I refuse to give him any important information. The only reason I’ve been feeding him minor details is to keep up appearances and prevent him from becoming suspicious. He still believes he can rescue me from the Kings, but I have no intention of ever going back. Not now. Not ever.
I glance at my phone as another text from him pops up, asking about the underground Elysium fights. How did he even find out about those? They’re supposed to be a closely guarded secret within the vampire community. It’s considered treason to reveal their existence. Maybe I should tell Drystan and the others about it. Tapping my nails against the phone, I make my decision.
With determination, I pocket the phone and head downstairs toward Drystan’s office. The murmur of voices grows louder as I approach, indicating they’re deeply engrossed in conversation. Normally, they would have heard me coming from down the hall, but then I remember that my brother’s phone has a feature that prevents people from hearing things within a certain radius when activated. And I currently have it unlocked in my pocket.
Resolving to tell them about my brother, even if it means facing punishment for not revealing his intentions sooner, I go to push open the cracked door, but I pause at the sound of Weylen’s voice.
The tense atmosphere is palpable as Weylen’s upset voice echoes off the walls of the room.
“This can’t go on any longer, Drystan,” he snarls. “We can’t keep playing this charade with her. It’s gone too far.”
Horror grips my heart at his words, as if a vise has closed around it.
“You were aware of the plan from the beginning,” Drystan growls in response, the sound of his fist slamming against his desk punctuating his words. “In order to defeat Jedidiah, she must be sacrificed. That’s how it works.”
The sound of my heart shattering into a million pieces reverberates around the world.
Not once did they mention that using the amulet would lead to my death. Was that their ultimate plan all along? To feign affection and manipulate me into sacrificing myself for their vendetta? And is that vendetta even real?
“We shouldn’t have been pretending in the first place,” Asher murmurs, his voice filled with remorse. “It’s not worth it.”
Not worth it.
I’ve spent my entire life feeling worthless, never being enough for anyone. And now I see just how foolish I’ve been to believe their false displays of care and love. Like Rose clinging to that door in Titanic, I held on to their gestures desperately, only to realize it was all a facade.
I refuse to stay and listen to any more of their twisted plans or confront them about their deceit. The anger inside me simmers and bubbles as I realize that they played me for a fool. Two can play this game, or rather four, since there are three of them. It doesn’t matter. What matters is that I don’t need them. Fuck, am I really so disposable to them? That they would so easily sacrifice my life for their own gain?
My mind races with frustration and fury as I recall how easily they manipulated me. Was I really such an easy target for their schemes? I curse myself for ever believing that I could have something more than what was given to me. No one has ever truly cared for me, and no one ever will. The only person I can rely on is myself.
As I sprint back toward my prison tower, a plan begins to form in my head. They think they can use me? Well, I will use them right back. The fights are just days away, and if I play my cards carefully, I can ruin their plans and escape from under the control of my brother all at once.
Fumbling with my phone, I send a text to my brother, feeling a surge of icy fire coursing through my veins. They wanted a witch willing to kill? Well, now they’ve got one. If they didn’t want me to turn against them, then they shouldn’t have shattered what little remained of my heart. They shouldn’t have shown me how to unlock my dormant abilities.
In a burst of rage, I glance at the candle sitting on the nightstand next to my desk. With a flick of my finger, it ignites in a blaze of flames, mirroring the inferno raging within me.
Chapter 35
Drystan
The beast inside me is clawing under my skin to claim the witch in front of me. Over the last few days, she’s been aloof, reserved. We haven’t taken her body again because of the drain the magic is having on her. We don’t want to stretch her too thin. Not when we need her to be focused on the task at hand.
We opened up to her about what her mother’s heirloom does and why we took her, conveniently leaving out that the amulet demands a sacrifice. A life for a life. When we first took her, I was ready to lay her out on the altar for the greater good, but now, having gotten to know her, having spent time with her, I’m not so sure I can.
My brothers have been fervently against the idea, saying that we can find another way. I’ve stood strong, and they would never go against me. But I can see the defiance written in their eyes like the stars in the sky on a cloudless night. They’ve fallen for her. They want her, even if it goes against all the rules.
Thalia is a witch, and we are vampires. A union between us would put us in the crosshairs of the council. A council that is currently under Jedidiah’s control. If we don’t rid the world of him, it won’t matter if we choose her. He’d come for us with everything he has. I can’t let that happen.
I won’t let that happen.
