“She loves you something fierce,” Gil says, laying a hand on my shoulder. “Magnus can’t change that.”
“No.” I nod, sparing a glance behind me. “But it will not stop him from trying, will it?”
“I wish you luck, my friend,” Gil says. “Your little firecracker will burn that whole place down if he doesn’t come to his senses.”
“Wouldn’t that be something?” I say, thinking of the way she flickers. Watching her turn him to ash might be even more satisfying than if I were to do it myself…
Gil steps back as Rosie, Pepper, Holly and I take another step toward the portal.
“Ready?” Pepper asks.
I draw in a deep breath letting thoughts of Heather guide me.I am coming, my flame.
13.
Heather
“
Y
ou’re still here…” Magnus stands in my doorway; I can’t bear to look at him from my place by the window. The shadows have shifted into countryside, with rolling mountains that span into a black fog. There’s still no sunlight, and I wonder how the people in the castle get used to the way the scenery changes throughout the day. How will Moth ever find me?
Whatever the case, I don’t know why Magnus would be surprised to see me here. Where else would I go? I shake my head, unwilling to look at him, not after the way he attacked Gil. It was silly to let my guard down. He’s a stranger and as sad and pathetic as he seemed, maybe that’s what makes him dangerous. The vampire king is fixated on me, and if he’s willing to beat up his oldest friend just to keep me here, then I’m done playing this little game.
“Ah, not speaking to me now?”
Nope.
Gil’s order to “make his life hell” bounces around my head. I’ll need to come up with something—running won’t work, neither will fighting. So, boring him with silence is my best bet. It felt different when I was only biding my time to escape. Now that I know what’s going on, I can practically feel the invisible chains wrapped around me.
The thought makes a cold chill shoot through me. Moth is the only person I want my life intertwined with—but even our vows and rings would never have this kind of effect. When it comes to my cryptid fiancé, I’m his and he’s mine, but Moth would never keep me against my will. Despite the rumors about the things he’s done, that handsome brooding man would never, ever hurt me. He is no monster.
Which is more than I can say for Magnus.
“If I would have known you were going to run, I would not have let you out of my sight,” the vampire asshole says, his voice closer now. “Despite what you may believe; I don’t do this often.”
I look up and watch his face change when our eyes meet. It’s not longing, not even lust; there’s something like a storm cloud brewing at the edge of his face, and I wish I could understand.
“I am sorry for the pain the deal caused you,” he says, and it’s terrible that I think he means it. I just wish he was sorry enough to let me go. He seems so far removed from the boyish image that Gil shared with me. It seems that Magnus is too far gone to reach, because I’m pretty sure blunt force trauma is more than brotherly sparring.
No, the darkness in his eyes is too deep—lost and searching before the anger returns.
“Tomorrow, when the moon rises, we will dine with my court.” He nods to himself. “Considering your waterlogged device is no longer operational, you will be the match I swipe right on.”
I bite my tongue. If he’s trying to bait me into an argument, it’s not going to work. There’s no way I’m going to marry him—not now, not ever.
He waits, and waits, and the room fills with his frustration. The tension between us is as thick and uncomfortable as the darkness outside the window.
“You will make an impression on the nobles here. The silent treatment ends before our meal, do you understand?” Magnus’svoice is as cold as ice. It’s an order; it takes every inch of my self-control not to roll my eyes.
“Do you really want to test the bounds of our deal again?” he asks, a little sharper this time. My blood goes cold. What exactly was implied in the promise I made him? So far, we’ve bantered and bickered, but apart from me running away, I haven’t really disobeyed an order. Though, something deeper tells me this is an empty threat. The guy can’t decide if he wants to be good cop or bad cop and is failing both roles.
“Goodnight to you too.” He closes the door, sealing me inside; once again, I’m alone with my feelings.
I’ve gotten pretty good at not being on a screen before bed. Moth is an easy enough distraction, but damn, could I use an easy way to disassociate right about now. If Magnus turned out to be this fickle, what is the rest of the court going to be like? My fingers itch to scroll, to find some distraction to keep my mind off this ridiculous situation. God, I wish I had my phone…
I wish I could sneak another call to Moth—give him updates or look at his pictures. Like the one of him sipping tea in our new garden last fall, surrounded by the world’s worst pumpkin patch. They refused to grow, and that’s probably because Sprout napped on the garden bed every day.
