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“She doesn’t want this,” I argued. “She wants to be free. Why does that seem fucking impossible? The second she thinks she is actually free from Theia’s poisonous grasp, she’s pulled right back in. I feel so…” I ran my hands through my hair, looking for the right word.
“Powerless?” Asmond suggested, raising his glass.
It wasn’t an insult. It was entirely accurate. And the way his voice softened told me that he felt it, too.
We were powerless when it came to her.
We should have killed Theia when she was weak. We should have taken her out altogether, Lyra’s mother or not. Lyra would be safer with her gone. With her out of the picture, Lyra could have a chance at the peace she always wanted.
“I need to fix this,” I muttered. “I’ve fucked everything up.”
“Yeah,” Asmond said, pulling his whiskey to his lips. “I know the feeling.”
CHAPTER 18
Lyra
Of course, I wasn’t excited. That pounding in my chest, the sweat forming on the back of my neck even in the cool air, all of it was from nerves. From anticipation of whatever mess we were about to get ourselves into.
Not excitement.
I didn't think about Alek at all. At least, I tried not to. But everything about this place threatened to shove those memories to the front of my mind, memories of the first time he brought me here.
Memories of him saving my life, of him showing me a side of him I never knew existed.
Natalie handed me a drink, giving me a wink. Right. I was here with Nat. We were supposed to be having a good time, were supposed to be taking our mind off whatever happened with the veil and with Theia.
I was supposed to be normal.
In a house full of demons.
How ironic.
I took a very long, very dramatic gulp of whatever liquid Nat filled the cup with. It was sweet, but held a very strong aftertaste that made me cringe right after I swallowed.
No wonder Natalie winked at me. She really wanted me to forget everything that was about to happen tonight.
She was a good friend.
I took three more big gulps before Natalie finished filling her own cup.
“This place is so cool!” she whispered, just loud enough for me to hear. “I can’t believe I’m drinking in the infamous demon lake house.”
“I would hardly call this infamous. And don’t forget that you’re partying with a group full of people who could kill you.” I raised a brow.
“Oh, please.” She scoffed, flipping her blonde hair over her shoulder. “I’d like to see them try.”
Wrath was the first to greet us. He made his way through the crowded living area, finding us in the kitchen. “You actually came,” he announced.
Nat’s face instantly lit up. “Of course we came! Did you really think I was going to miss a good party?”
The three of us turned to look at the crowd. Honestly, I was surprised at the amount of demons drinking and mingling and… well, acting so normal.
Wrath did explain that tonight was a night of peace and building trust with the neighboring demons. Maybe this party would be mild. Maybe nobody would get hurt or randomly drowned in the lake in the middle of the night.
One could hope, right?
“So, when does the real fun start?” Natalie chimed eagerly.
