AllFreeNovel
Share Us
She had Jeremy.
79
“Mind if we join your little party?” Ash Nevra purred, her full crimson lips curling in a viscous sneer.
I could barely hear what she was saying. All I could see was Jeremy. She had him suspended in the air, his mouth was gagged with a dirty cloth and his hands were bound behind his back. He didn’t appear to be hurt, but his eyes were so wide that it was clear he was in a state of shock. My gaze fell to his throat, where a triquetra had been placed, and my blood went cold. This is why I hadn’t been able to see him through the trace. They had captured him. I couldn’t school my expression. How long had they had him for?
‘Fuck!’ Rycon cursed in my mind, recognizing Jeremy immediately from his position at the door. The rest of the team froze. Not one person moved.
Ash Nevra stalked around him, her blood red lips turning up at the corners. She stroked a hand down my father’s chest, leaning in to kiss him sensuously on the jaw, from where he hung suspended in the air. He winced and tried to pull away from her, and my blood turned to fire.
Without warning, my aura exploded, I would wipe her off the fucking face of the planet right now. As my power reared and raced toward her, she gave me a cocky little smirk, and slipped a blade out of thin air.
She held it against Jeremy’s throat, pressing hard enough to draw a thin line of dark blood. I forced my power to freeze. I was vibrating with unrestrained rage.
“Ah, ah, ah,” Ash Nevra crooned. “Do you really want to be orphaned twice, Raven?” She pouted, pressing the knife into his throat harder. I watched in horror as another bead of blood welled.
“You’re fucking dead,” I snarled at her. She sneered. Turning away from me, she looked up at Jeremy and pressed into him, rubbing her fingers through his salt and pepper hair with the hand that wasn’t holding the blade to his throat.
“Are you sure about that Raven? Humans are so fragile. Are you sure that it is not…. What was your name? Jeremy? Right. Are you sure it’s not Jeremy, who is dead?” She cuddled into him, turning back to me, peering up at me through her lashes.
“What is it that you want, Ash,” Amon drawled next to me. The nickname startled me, I glanced over at him, to find he had fallen into his usual mask of boredom mixed with a mild dose of amusement. He had stepped away from Kieran, releasing him from his shadowy grip as soon as Ash Nevra had put the knife to Jeremy’s throat. Her beautiful face contorted at the question into an ugly mask of rage. I winced, as she pressed the blade into Jeremy’s throat harder. If she kept doing that, I was worried she would nick an artery. Blood was already slipping down his front, staining his t-shirt.
“What do I want? How dare you ask that question? I want loyalty! You dare to plot against me and invade my palace, then stand before me and ask what I want?” She snarled. Kieran had stood up and was brushing himself off, as if he had not just been moments from being disemboweled by Amon’s shadows. He looked positively excited at Ash Nevra’s rage. The Siren was stony and emotionless, her eyes darting back and forth between her Queen and Amon.
I couldn’t take my eyes off Jeremy. His gaze had met mine, and I felt like he was trying to stay composed and calm. Even humans had auras, but I could barely feel his beneath the triquetra. I suddenly understood why Amon had been so frustrated with me when I had refused to take mine off.
“What is it that you want, in exchange for the safety of the mortal?” Amon clarified; his voice was calm.
“The Flute,” Kieran smirked, answering for his Queen. “Give us The Flute, and we will give you the mortal. No further harm will come to him.”
Ash Nevra’s smile widened, and I glanced at Amon. I couldn’t give them The Flute. I knew I couldn’t. They would use it against us. However, the longer I waited to respond, the harder she pressed the knife against Jeremy’s throat. The whites of Jeremy’s eyes were much too visible. He looked at me, unable to speak behind the gag in his mouth, but he shook his head, dragging his own throat against her blade. Don’t give it to her. I knew what he was trying to tell me, and I knew he didn’t understand why it was important that we didn’t give her The Flute. He was still telling me no. But I knew she would kill him; and she would enjoy doing it.
‘We have to,’ I whispered across Amon’s mind. He glanced at me; his face tight.
‘Raven…’ He replied. His tone implied that we could not yield. We couldn’t give them The Flute. All would be lost.
‘What if it was me up there?’ I asked softly. He looked at me for a moment longer, then gave me a minute nod. I could see it in his eyes that he understood that if we sacrificed Jeremy and came out of this alive, I would never be the same again. I would never forgive myself. I would never recover. I couldn’t watch both of my parents be murdered in front of me and come out of this in one piece. If she killed Jeremy now, I would die tonight, avenging him.
“Fine,” Amon agreed out loud, his voice stony. A look of glee spread across Ash Nevra’s face at our surrender.
“Nytara, take the human to them,” Kieran barked. The Siren slid her gaze to him, regarding Kieran with a mild look of distaste, before stalking forward and grabbing Jeremy’s arm. For a moment, I wondered if I had enough time to play the notes on The Flute that I knew would freeze our enemies in their tracks, but Nytara pulled her rapier from her hip and held the tip to Jeremy’s temple as she approached. I would never make it.
“Give me The Flute, and I will give you the human.” Nytara said calmly. Her emotionless mask was impenetrable. However, I didn’t need to be able to read her to know that if Ash Nevra ordered her to drive her sword into Jeremy’s skull, she wouldn’t blink.
I reached out and grabbed Jeremy’s free arm. His flesh was warm and solid. He was alive. He was real. I was going to make sure he stayed that way. I handed The Flute to the Siren in the same motion as I pulled my father away from her.
The moment the exchange was made, the magick that held Jeremy up dissolved and he fell into me. I reflexively used my own power to hold him up, immediately ripping the triquetra from his neck and the gag from his mouth.
“Dad,” I gasped, my eyes welling with tears.
“Raven,” he croaked, his own eyes going glassy. “I knew you were alive.” The slash on his throat where Ash Nevra had dug her blade continued to bleed. He looked so pale. I wondered if she had nicked an artery. Was he bleeding out, right before my eyes? Panic took hold of me, and I could feel my heart slamming against my ribs. Jeremy tugged at his hands, and with a glance Amon, severed the binds around his wrists.
“We don’t have time,” Amon growled. With a twitch of his head, he sent Jeremy careening through the air to Dossidian, who caught him effortlessly.
“Get him back to Court. Kill anyone who tries to stop you.” Amon ordered. His head whipped to Meredith. “Go with them, he needs medical attention immediately.” The blood drained from Meredith’s face.
“I don’t know if that’s a good idea,” she said, eyeing us. The Siren was handing The Flute to Ash Nevra as we spoke, and my anxiety peaked. I turned toward her.
