Page 42

I glanced at Axel, who gave me the slightest dip of his head. He let his eyelids drop with his chin, and I didn’t think he’d have the energy to lift them again, so I turned and faced the darkness.

That recoil persisted as I stepped into the hall. As Soren’s power surrounded me, like wind at my back, the shadows prodded me forward, deeper. Their presence was almost tangible as the darkness swelled at my side, flanking me like floating bodyguards.

“This power,” I started, “with the shadows—what can they do?”

He laughed. “They? Oh, lovely, this is all me. There’s nobody else here.”

I shook my head. “You’re as cocky as Drak.”

“We were friends my entire childhood.”

“Does that mean you were friends with Silver, too?”

“Goddamn, fucking psychotic Silver?” His voice was lower now, not as playful, and I didn’t blame him for calling her names. “Yeah, we were friends.”

Shock stopped me mid-step. “That’s…not what I expected you to say.”

“Because I called her psychotic?”

“And maybe because admitting you were friends with a mass murderer isn’t pleasant?”

Soren blew out a breath and then released a low whistle. “Mass murderer, huh?” A chuckle followed. “She’d like that title.”

“What do you mean?” Pushing deeper into the shadows, we finally emerged where the darkness fell away. Another weak lantern hung on the wall in exactly the same spot as Axel’s cell. The absence of any breeze down here caused the flame to burn with a low, unhurried intensity for extended periods. When they finally faded, I knew servants likely came to relight them in case anyone from court needed to come down here. Fires were lit in all the bedrooms, including those that were barely occupied.

Soren spun on his heel to face me, his green eyes bright again. “All she talked about when we were kids was killing all the executioners. That and her wild stories.”

My heart skipped. “She did?”

“Fuck yeah, she did. They dragged her from her home and locked her up for most of her life. She hated their guts. It’s wild to think she’s using them now instead of just demanding the removal of their heads from their shoulders, but I also get it. They’re tools and she’s the artist.”

“The artist? Killing isn’t art.”

He winked. “I beg to differ.”

“So you’re a killer too?”

“Never. I don’t have the highest morals, but stealing is as far as I go and only to fuck with monsters.”

“What else can you tell me about Silver?”

“Look, I didn’t really spend any intimate time with your sister.” He smirked at that. “Not that she’s not intriguing as all Hel.” He blinked, focusing on me again. “We had a childhood friendship, that’s all. When Drak told me to fuck off, I fucked off, and I haven’t spoken to Silver since I was a lad.”

I nodded, signaling that I had heard him as I eyed the cell. I pulled the soul from my pocket and waited to see if it’d warm. If Drak would reach out to me.

Holding my breath, I gripped the crystal tighter.

“You’re sure this is where she turned him?”

“Watched it happen.”

I blinked and whipped my attention to him. “You watched it? You saw the pieces of his soul leave his body then?”

He folded his arms and shook his head. “Yeah, sure, if only this could be so easy. Unlike a vampire turning another vampire, where soul fragments exit through veins and solidify into crystals, this was different. There was no bleeding involved at all. I have fuck all clue where the Hel the pieces went, and trust me, watching a witch create a vampire is traumatizing.” He shrugged, which was apparently his signature move. “I may have closed my eyes once or twice.”

“Fine.” I drew a deep breath and scanned the cell again. Without looking at him, I extended my hand. “Give me your dagger.”

“What makes you think⁠—”