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Emotion shuttered in his eyes, and he stood. Nova thought he wouldn’t answer for a moment, but he stared out the window and said, “Crimson heard whispers from the Well. Some of these whispers became prophecies. The Well can control certain things like whether to preserve a human from the old world and when to let them thaw. But the Well can’t control certain events, like free choice, or love and hate. That’s where we come in. It’s given us what our heart desires, and even if we fight it at first, inevitably, we all find our lives enriched by this relationship. It’s only right that in return, we fight for what it needs to survive.”
Her eyes watered. “You think I enrich your life?”
“Not just me. Everyone’s life.”
He lifted her from the bed and pulled her into his embrace. “The Well is just like all of us. It wants a happy ending.”
ChapterThirty
Aleksandra lay in agony on the cold slate floor of Maebh’s private chambers. Steel rods pierced and enveloped her wrists like manacles, cutting off her connection to the Well. But that wasn’t what hurt the most; it was Maebh’s betrayal. After all they’d shared, how could she do this?
She glanced around the royal apartments. Books were in tattered pieces and lying in ash or crumpled paper piles. Dried blood from rampaging, murderous feeds painted the walls. The demogorgon prowled, clicking deep in its throat, pacing alongside Aleksandra as though just waiting for permission to pounce.
Maebh wandered into the room, covered from head to toe in black, and blinked at Aleksandra with bloodshot eyes. Sometimes she rambled, sometimes she spat obscenities and threats, but most of all, she promised retribution.
Aleksandra wished she could muster empathy, but from the moment Leaf had shouted those words as she was stolen in the air, her heart had only one thought:She might be alive.
For centuries she had known this day would come, that her fate was sealed when Leaf found his mate. She’d planned her exit from this world with meticulous care, right down to her wake. She’d packed and tidied as much of her house as she could without making it obvious that she was leaving and never returning. The Well would assign a new Prime, so naming a successor was unnecessary. As each dawn arrived, Aleksandra’s heart hardened into stone.
The wake had crumbled and cracked that stone, giving her a taste of what it felt like to be human again. And then… she couldn’t risk it. She couldn’t risk facing the possibility that the daughter they thought dead in the Fallout was alive. And the man who fathered her was the enemy waiting at their gates. If only her memory stretched far enough to gather the details, to arm herself with ammunition and fight back.
She watched through the swollen slits of her eyes as Maebh paced by the doors and gave directions to her generals.
“The time has come,” Maebh said, voice a hissed rasp. “We have the Prime.”
“And the battleground?” a rough, high-pitched male voice.
Maebh paused, then glanced at Aleksandra through the archway. Although her face was hidden behind a veil, Aleksandra sensed her ex-partner’s wicked smile as she said, “Send that rabid wolf king an invitation to meet us at the Cornucopia when the moon is highest during Samhain.”
“But… I thought you said it was somewhere else?”
“It is, fool.” There was a hissing snap from behind Maebh’s veils. “He will go there, and we will go to the Order. We will send decoys. Even if the portals don’t work, we will have time before they realize their mistake. We will take the Order, raze it to the ground, and then while his people are in Cornucopia or racing to the aid of the Order, we’ll move onto the Seelie Kingdoms. They’ll be chasing our tails.”
“We tried to attack the Order and… suffered casualties.”
“We learned their weaknesses. And now, with the taint, most of their new power is null,” corrected another male voice. This one sounded more seasoned. “What’s more pressing, as I’ve mentioned to Our Illustrious Queen, is how a Guardian massacred an entire troop of our soldiers in one fell swoop. Do we risk the answer being the taint or wait to do our due diligence?”
Maebh took deep, raspy breaths. “I have the Prime. I have the demogorgon. And very soon, I’ll have Wild Hunt at my command. Nothing else matters.”
ChapterThirty-One
Leaf kept a protective hand on Nova’s back as they walked down the creaking stairs and into the living room. Clarke and Rush waited on the sofa by a window that revealed the Twelve’s training lawn. Thorne sat on an armchair with Laurel in his lap, his legs sprawled out and his face tipped to the ceiling in boredom.
On the other sofa, Forrest’s auburn hair was notable next to Melody’s pale blond curls. Leaf had spoken with Cloud, Shade, and other Councilors last night at the temple. Clarke and Rush were also there. They seemed to think they were honorary council members these days, but no one complained. The two worked hard at keeping things running here at the Order.
Part of their lengthy discussions revolved around whether they should rescue the Prime, but Preceptress Dawn warned against it. Not because she’d seen something with her second sight, but because she said Aleksandra knew this day would come. She left a sealed letter for Leaf. He’d not read it. She obviously knew he was Crimson, so she treated him differently than the other Guardians, grooming him to take back leadership of the Order.
But the Prime was still alive. The Well hadn’t chosen him yet. He would deal with that problem if or when it arose.
This meeting served as an official introduction for Nova, and an opportunity for anyone to gain answers to questions that might be bothering them. There would be more meetings, he was sure. Given the circumstances, Rush pounding down his door was unnecessary. He was about to tell him so when Nova’s anxiety surged. Coupled with the cautious hope on her face, he bit back his retort.
He didn’t want to ruin this for her with his temper. So he clenched his jaw and made the introductions.
“Everyone, this is Nova—my mate. I believe a few of you saw us arrive last night.”
“About time,” growled Thorne. He looked ready to say more, but Laurel must have pinched him because he yipped like a dog and scowled at her. But she only glared back before giving Nova a friendly smile.
“Nice to meet you,” she said. “I’m Laurel, and this bonehead is Thorne.”
