Bodies can die, but souls are eternal.
And souls can easily be tortured, especially when one has access to death magic. Which my clan obviously does, and thanks to our arranged mating, the Doyle Clan and the O’Neely Clan are very much aligned again.
I finish my third glass of water and sigh.Has Ayla found anything that can help me counter the mating spell?I ask Issy.
I already know the answer, but I can’t stop myself from voicing it anyway. It’s the one thing we’ve been trying to figure out since Klas’s imprisonment.
If I can break the spell, I’ll be free. At least from him. The rest… well, that’s another situation entirely, as I have no idea what I need to do to convince King Kaspian to release me from his watchful guards.
I could try to run.
But he owns a House of mercenaries. So my chances are not great. Especially when one of those mercenaries is Nolan—an archangel tracker with deadly aim.
I rub at my shoulder, frowning as Issy says,No. The recent Earth and Emerald trials took a lot out of her, too. She’s not been herself lately.
I nod, understanding that feeling.I’m glad she’s able to visit you; that’ll help.
Only when Father allows it,Issy grumbles.Sometimes he forgets that she’s our cousin.
He doesn’t forget. He just likes control.And controlling who Issy can interact with is one of his favorite activities.
She can’t speak to Ayla like she can to me, our twin bond being the reason we can communicate telepathically. But Ayla knows sign language, making her capable of understanding Issy.
It relieves me to know Issy still has someone… in case I don’t survive the coming days.
We’ve been separated before—for three very long years—which was when Ayla and Issy grew closer. That means Issy will go on without me, and Ayla will take over protecting her.
You may not be speaking to me, but I can feel the direction of your thoughts, Fallon Doyle, and I do not approve,Issy snaps.First of all, I can protect myself with a few choice words. Second of all, you’re the one who needs protecting right now. And third of all—
I wait, my eyebrow arched.And third of all…?I prompt, amused by her rant.
Father is here,she whispers back, sending a chill down my spine. He rarely visits Issy, and it’s never for anything good.
I feel her apprehension through our bond, her fear causing me to physically shake in front of the mirror.
I don’t dare to interrupt her, aware that she needs her full range of mental faculties to deal with our sperm donor.
My fingers curl into fists while I wait, hatred consuming me. Parents are meant to care for and protect their children. But ours never did that. They treated us like property to be traded and discarded.
Or that was my perception, anyway.
Issy is different. She’s the family burden in their eyes, a broken princess unworthy of her last name.
I feel her desire to fight, her need to remind our father of her true power. But she doesn’t. She’s too afraid of what will happen after her explosion.
There’s nowhere for her to go. He’s the only one ensuring her survival in this harsh world.
My twin falls silent, her emotions seeming to disappear. I have to stop myself from calling her name, knowing she’ll reach back out when our father is done doing whatever it is he’s doing.
Issy’s fine,I tell myself.I would sense it if she weren’t.
I stare at myself in the mirror again, my pale cheeks suddenly flush with color.
One day, I’ll kill him.
Unless I’m dead. Then I’ll just haunt him until he dies.
Worrying about my father and Issy is pointless. There’s nothing I can do from here.
