Page 83 of Maleen

I smile mischievously at him before moving the flame closer to her face. She pants, her eyes darting around frantically as she looks for any sign of help. Too bad she won’t find anyone here that would bother.

She panics. “Screw you, stupid bitch! I’m surrounded by idiots. Cresida’s father should have sent better fucking assassins who would have actually finished the job!” She screams as the flames lick her cheek. The sickening sweet scent of burnt flesh and hair fill the small space before I ease off a bit.

“Cresida’s father, huh?” I confirm. I didn’t see that coming, considering the first asshole to try to kill me was before I even reached Phixmery. “Now why would he want me dead?”

I feel my mates tense up, their anger pushing at the seams of their control.

She doesn’t answer, so using the strength I’ve trained to master, I lift my foot and kick her knee in as hard as I can. The bone-crunching echoes and her screams ring, piercing our ears.

I give her a moment to catch her breath and she spits at my feet. “Because you stupid bitch, Lord Craven never lost track of you. He used you at that village to keep the Queen under control. Cresida’s father was to make sure you never left. That you had no friends and that you were punished severely however, whenever he wanted. You were never meant to leave Shalo,” she hisses. “You are nothing and no one. No better off than a Null.”

“That doesn’t answer the question about why he would want me dead.” My magick flares and shadows pulse around the room. Best guess, he wanted to undo the mistake of me escaping Shalo, but I want to know for sure. “Nero. Do you reckon she can still speak without an eyeball?”

His excitement bursts. “Yes, I believe she can,” he croaks out loud for everyone to hear.

I grin, my eyes never leaving Evera’s. “Well if that’s the case… Nero, fetch!”

He darts off my shoulder, diving right at Evera’s face talons-first. She screams and thrashes as she attempts to escape my familiar but there’s no use. Nero always gets what he wants.

Within moments I feel his victory as he scoops up the blood-red eyeball and lands back on my shoulder. Jesper is already at my side with a container for him to keep it protected.

Evera screams and shakes, and blood spills down her face and body.

“Now are you ready to tell us more about the red stone your father has? Why doesn’t Craven just take it?”

“Fuck you, bitch.”

I sigh and drive the blade into the joint that connects her shoulder and arm. “Answer the question,” I say with boredom lacing my tone.

“No, I—”

I twist the blade and she screams again.

Jesper laughs. “Isn’t she beautiful when she’s covered in the blood of our enemies?” he sighs and I hear Talyn murmur his agreements.

I notice the bucket in the corner and sense the water within it, and grin as I pull the water out of the bucket and form a ball of piss-tainted water around her head, inspired by what she did to Nero during the second trial.

As I see her begin to lose consciousness I let her have oxygen again, just in time for her to barely catch her breath before I do it all over again. “Why won’t Craven just take the stone from your father?”

She sputters, exhausted. “Because it’s hidden somewhere, somewhere even my father can’t get it under coercion, somewhere so well protected that even Craven won’t fetch it himself, and anyone he has sent has perished.” She coughs. “Said it’s easier to get his dimwitted son to marry and give me a fledgling than it would be to safely retrieve the Stone.” She laughs dryly. “You might as well kill me, because that’s all I know.”

I glance at Jesper who’s practically bouncing with excitement—he’s also realised this can only mean the Naridian Woods. I know he’s always wanted to venture deep within that mysterious forest, and it looks like we will be going in there for two reasons now: the being my mother talked to, and now the last piece of the Soul Stone.

“Well then. I hope you suffer in the afterlife,” I spit before slowly dragging my blade along her neck and watching as the light drains from her remaining eye.

Talyn takes the flame from the sconce and sets her alight before pulling me close as we watch her body crumble into ash and dust.

Evera Gannon is dead.

CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX

SOMETHING SETTLES IN ME AS we climb out of the dungeon into the main part of the castle. Some small part of me relishes in the revenge I got for my mate and for myself. It’s one less danger I need to worry about, but unfortunately her death was only a small cog in a much bigger machine.

Talyn grabs my hand and spins me toward him. “Are you okay? I should have asked if you were comfortable with what happened.”

I shake my head, gripping his hand tightly. “I’m fine. Good, even. It’s just a relief to have her wiped from the realm.”

Jesper laughs, kissing my cheek as he skips by. “We still have plenty of enemies to dispose of!” He spins around and sandwiches me between my two males. “And you looked so magnificent! Like a Queen of Death!” He sighs and mumbles something about being excited for next time.