Nadia strained on her toes while Drystan bent back awkwardly. I could hardly see straight with my violence climbing to unhinged levels.
“What the fuck are you doing?” I said, so cold and dark it was like the remnants of Nightsdeath surfaced within me. Or perhaps that part of me had never truly died. It could resurrect, grow stronger and deadlier as it was fed betrayal, violence, and despair.
“You two are such an idiotic pair,” she said, as if angry with us about that opinion.
“Let him go before I make you, little rogue,” I warned.
“You welcomed me so easily,” she went on.
I understood what was happening, and she was right: I was a damned fool not to have seen this coming.
“That’s debatable,” I said calmly, though inside I was simmering with wrath.
“You accepted my story about how I found out about the bond. Me, the only fucking person to know,” she hissed, more to Drystan now. My brother’s face lined with anger but he didn’t try to free himself, and I knew he had to feel just as betrayed as I did. Perhaps more so.
Her tone turned so hushed. “I was livid when your father told me about it. He offered me my full freedom from that cave, a place by his side when he would rule. I’ve never had a place or purpose, so I was lured in by that prospect. I had nothing to lose after having what little shred of myself I had in this world ripped apart and forged into this bloodthirsty monster. He found out all the transitioned vampires were compelled to obey Drystan, and he predicted you would run back to your brother’s side eventually. He couldn’t allow you to have those kinds of numbers as an army against him that would have no choice but to side with you. It was my mission to sever your power over the transitioned vampires, and you all made it too. Fucking. Easy.”
It all made sense. Our father once again being cunning enough to rally the alliances he needed. He was smart, elusive, and so fuckingdead.
“Bravo,” Drystan said at last, but there was something broken in that word. Defeated. “You almost had me.”
I realized then… despite their bickering and violence, Drystan had begun to fall for her.
“Why do you think he chose me?” she said resentfully. “For how easy males fall to pretty things.”
Drystan’s laugh was more like a bitter breath. “Trust I would have killed you despite your pretty face long ago if I’d had my way. You have my brother to thank that you made it this far.”
Since Nadia had breached my trust, I had no guilt shattering hers. I wanted to see her betrayal for myself; I just needed to get her out of this damned temple to break into her mind.
“It’s not too late to choose again,” I reasoned with her. I was unfamiliar with this method of negotiation, which would usually be a lot bloodier by now.
“As if you would ever let me live after this,” she accused.
“You’re right; I’ll kill you the moment I get a chance, but I’ll make it painless.”
“Kind of you.”
We were pulled from our standoff by choking sounds from Aquilo. The metallic essence had consumed him, and he knelt there like a statue of solid armor. It reached his mouth, spilling down his throat now, and it was horrifying, even for me, to watch.
Katerina still knelt beside him, trembling and wide-eyed. She’d gone into shock, unable to move.
I took one step toward her…
A silver hand lashed out of the mirror, gripping Katerina’s throat.
“No—!”
“You can’t save her,” Drystan yelled to stop me from getting any closer. “The gods’ ascension is too far along to stop now.”
To both our surprise, Nadia’s blades dropped and she pushed Drystan away. He spun around as she held the point of the blade to his heart.
“Idiots. Fuckingrun, will you?” she hissed.
We both stalled in our conflict. I still wanted to rip out her throat, but Drystan backed away from her, closer to me.
“Best we can do is report back and prepare for what this could mean,” Drystan said, not taking his eyes off Nadia.
“We’re just letting her go?” I said, not in the least pleased with that mercy, given her long betrayal.
