I picked it up, sniffing the tea cautiously. Normally, I wasn’t a superstitious person, but given my new reputation as a traitor and murderer, I figured it was best to check for poison. She observed me as I brought it to my lips, not sensing anything amiss. A coppery tang coated my tongue, reminiscent of blood as soon as the liquid spilled into my mouth. I felt sick, looking up in horror.
I searched for the woman, but she was no longer old and haggard. She was beautiful. I recognized her from somewhere, but my mind was so godsdamn fuzzy, I couldn’t think straight. Then she lifted a black tipped finger that held a nail so long and pointed, I was sure she would slit my throat right here.
Her mouth changed before my eyes. Rows of razor-sharp teeth peeked out from behind her full lips. The woman took a step forward, raking the nail along my arm. “I’ve been waiting for this day since I left you in the throne room,” she hissed. Her eyes clouded over, a foggy haze spreading across her irises. “You played your part so well for Lachlan, but it is time toremember.”
I couldn’t move, my body immobilized as invisible manacles snapped to my wrists and neck. Strained grunts rose from my throat, but there was no one around to hear me cry out. Even if there was, would anyone come?
“He does not know I am here, and he would be angry if he knew, but I’ve grown tired of being his puppet. I know not a moment of rest. He is working me until I bleed, but that is not the way of my people—not the reason we were created.”
Think, think, think, I urged myself, but my mind was utterly blank as I watched the witch approach.
She leaned forward, a soft cedar scent clinging to her. “He does not deserve to win this war. He deserves to die. To be buried under the rubble of his own making.” Her voice was hard, cutting through the tension-filled air like a blade. “Because of him, I lost everything. Serving him was a means to an end, but I only hope for the day someone plunges a blade into his black heart.”
I groaned as her dagger-tipped nail dug into my skin, beads of blood surfacing and spilling over. I wasn’t sure if she was supposed to be my savior or not. This scene was familiar, and she said she’d been in the throne room, but why the fuck couldn’t I think?
“If I release the hold on you, would you do it?” she asked, her eyes burning. “Would you do anything to stop him, even if it meant forfeiting your life?” I couldn’t answer, couldn’t form words. The poisonous blood coating my tongue burned. “Because that is what it could take. The outcome is unclear, but the fates have shown that a sacrifice will need to be made. It could beyou, traitor prince. Would you give your life for them?”
I didn’t even have to think about the answer to that because I already knew I would in a heartbeat. I’d made peace with the fact I would die before this war was over, and there was no better reason than to protect those I cared about.
It was my fault we were here. My fault that Erina was dead and Eva had been tortured. Every single thing fell back on me.
“Yes,” I gritted out, barely able to form the word. “I would.”
“Excellent,” she purred. Without warning, she reared back and bit into my shoulder. I couldn’t move, couldn’t scream as my blood drained into her mouth. With each pull, memories became less fuzzy until I saw everything with startling clarity.
I was standing above Eva, a whip in my hand as I raked it across her flesh. Her back arched as I delivered blow after blow, skin peeling away with each strike. She screamed, tears falling, but I did not stop.
Another flash and I was in her bedroom, watching her body curl in on itself at my feet. The thoughts in my head were vile, wanting to claim her against her will as if that would stop the love she had for her mate.
And finally, I held Erina’s body close. Eva’s gaze met mine, and she knew what was going to happen before I did. Taking the dagger she had given me, something I cherished, I plunged the blade into Erina’s heart. I could feel her blood coating my fingers until the compulsion had been lifted from my mind and her body slumped to the ground.
One after another, each memory was more clear than the last. Finally, the witch pulled back. She licked her lips, ensuring not a drop of my essence was wasted. “Remember,” she whispered into my ear. “Wake up and remember.”
* * *
I woke up with a start,my hand drifting to my shoulder where I could still feel the sharp bite of teeth. There was nothing. The skin unmarred, as if it had all been a dream.
Was that all it was? Or perhaps a nightmare might have been a more appropriate description. But I remembered the woman, her rows of razor-sharp teeth, and the way I somehow felt lighter after she had done whatever it was to me. A weight I did not know lifted from my shoulders.
But there was nothing there. No proof it was real.
And with each second that passed, my mind seemed to forget the specifics of what she’d said. Something about Lachlan, about the war and sacrifice. But all war required sacrifice, didn’t it? It was full of spilt blood and half-assed treaties that would disappear as soon as they no longer fit someone’s agenda.
The door to my room opened and Renai stuck her head in. Her hair was pulled back in a loose braid that hung around her face. “Hey,” she said, slinking in and closing the door behind her. Her body was flush against the wall, hands tucked behind her back. “How are you?”
There was something different about her than normal. Her shoulders sagged forward, exhaustion written across her face. “Are you okay?” I asked, surprising even myself.
She blinked, pale green eyes going wide. “Yeah. Yeah, I’m fine,” Renai said, waving her hand. “Nothing I can’t handle.”
We stared in silence, studying the other as if we were opponents in a game. I supposed that wasn’t too far from the truth. No matter how much I wanted us to be, she was never meant to be my friend. Renai was assigned to break into my mind by any means necessary.
My hand reached up, rubbing the spot on my shoulder once more. Renai tracked the movement. “What’re you doing?”
“What?” I pulled my hand back. “Oh. It’s nothing. Bad dream, that’s all.”
She walked forward, sitting at the edge of the bed. “Anything you want to talk about? What was it about?”
If I told her, would she think I was crazy? Perhaps I’d finally lost my mind. But it had felt so real, the pain still lingering from a phantom wound that never existed.
