He lifts his shaking hand, hovering it over the gash in Miranda’s throat. But the blood won’t stop spilling. His face is amask of concentration, and the hard clench of his jaw tells me he’s giving everything he’s got, but it might not be enough.
“She’s gone, my son. Let it go.” Queen Maewe appears out of nowhere, and instantly, I tighten the hold on my sword, the corner of my lips curling up into a snarl. This female killed my mother, ruined our lives. She tortured her own children. She deserves nothing but a painful death. And yet, she’s standing here, serene, as if Miranda’s life force isn’t waning away.
“She’s not dead yet. I can feel her heartbeat,” Rikkon argues.
The queen links her fingers together. “It’s only a matter of minutes now.”
Aurora jumps to her feet, shaking with fury. “If you can save her, why are you just standing there?”
“Because my mother is a heinous bitch who cares about no one,” Vivi snaps.
Queen Maewe ignores her daughter in favor of answering Rikkon. “Miranda has served her purpose. She freed you from the bond with Princess Eriel, and indirectly, she killed her. She was never meant to be your consort, Rikkon.”
“I don’t care about what she was meant to be. I love her! I’m begging you. Save her!” Rikkon cries.
I’m all too familiar with that type of despair. I almost lost Vivi thanks to her mother’s capriciousness.
“Oh, for fuck’s sake, Maewe. Enough with the petty games.” A male with shoulder-length strawberry blond hair walks over, unfazed by the shadowbeasts around him. As a matter of fact, the monsters aren’t paying him any attention, and they stopped attacking our group as soon as we got near Rikkon and Miranda. What the hell is going on?
“This is not a game, Ruel. I’m not about to lose my son again to someone who is not good enough for him,” Queen Maewe grits out.
“Not good enough for me?” Rikkon’s voice rises. “Have you stopped to consider that maybe I’m not good enough for her?”
The male, who I see now has an uncanny resemblance to Rikkon, spares Queen Maewe a scathing look. “Well, too fucking bad.” He crouches next to Rikkon and touches the side of Miranda’s neck.
“What do you think you’re doing, Ruel?” Queen Maewe’s eyes bug out.
My jaw drops when the gash on Miranda’s neck knits back together and her ashen face becomes rosier again.
With a loud gasp, she opens her eyes. “Rik? What happened?”
Rikkon pushes the male out of the way and pulls Miranda tight against his chest, kissing her forehead. “It doesn’t matter now, Mir. You’re back with me. You’re back with me.”
“I can’t believe you flouted my wishes!” Queen Maewe shrieks.
The tall Nightingale stands to his full height and faces her, sporting a grin. “Oh, I did more than that, my dear. I made her immortal.”
“Holy shit,” Saxon mumbles.
Queen Maewe’s face turns scarlet. She’s going to retaliate, so I get my sword ready and gently push Vivi back. Rikkon jumps to his feet, carrying Miranda in his arms, and steps away.
“How dare you? I’m the queen, and you went against my desires. I ought to have you killed for treason!”
“And who’s going to take care of that for you? Selor? Isn’t he dead?” Ruel raises a brow. He’s enjoying this too much. He must have a trump card hidden up his sleeve.
“You won’t do anything, because you can’t,” he continues calmly. “I might not have political power in your court, but you need allies more than ever now that King Titus has shown his hand. Kill me and you lose the support of the Vega Kingdom.”
“Your sister cares about you as much as I do.”
“She might not like me much, but she hates you more. Besides, technically, I didn’t go against your wishes. You never told me not to heal the witch girl or make her immortal. Like you never told me not to restore Vryenn’s powers.” He extends his arm, pointing at Vivienne.
Shimmery magic shoots out from his index finger and hits Vivi right in the middle of her chest before I can move a muscle. Her back arches forward, and then she gasps loudly as her entire body begins to glow from within. Her hair twists wildly as a gust of wind envelops her, lifting her off the ground for a moment.
“Vivi!” I reach for her, not caring that I might get electrocuted again. But when I touch her hand, there’s no pain. She falls into my arms, and I clutch her tightly against my chest. “Vivi, talk to me.”
She looks up and smiles. “I’m okay.”
A choke gets stuck in my throat. The beautiful sapphire-blue eyes staring at me are the same, and yet different. I can almost see Vivi’s Nightingale magic swirling in her gaze.
