AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“He’ll do nothing,” she assures me. “Once he goes into that room, he’s never coming out. And even if he managed to escape, as long as the ritual is complete, we can put a bullet through his head before he causes any trouble. If that happens, you’ll begin to age faster, but you’ll still lead a much longer than average life and have all the power of the sword on your side. We need him to start this fire, that’s all.”
Him and my baby.
My baby…
There is no baby. The spark in my womb is tinder and that’s all it will ever be. It’s a power source I’ll hold inside me, my perpetually swollen belly a testimony to what I’ve sacrificed for my people.
For power.
And for the knowledge that no one will ever put me on my knees again.
I release Elsbeth’s fingers and stand, accepting the long-sleeved black gown she’s brought for me to wear. The mourning dress will hide my bruises and the baby bump that will begin to grow quickly once the ritual starts tonight.
Once I’m dressed, I let her comb my hair and arrange it to hide the ear that’s still red and angry from Bane’s fist. I still can’t hear from that side as well, either. Elsbeth has to repeat herself twice before I finally understand that she’s asking about Willow.
Will I be able to do what needs to be done?
Will I be able to kill my sister and her mate to appease the bloodlust of my people? They won’t settle for Bane’s murderers being banished or locked away.
They will want blood. And I will be obliged to supply it.
Unless…
“Reach out to Victor,” I tell Elsbeth. “My old Alpha. Tell him I have a proposition for him.”
There may still be a way to save Willow, and if there is, I mean to find it.
I will keep her alive if I can.
Even if she comes to hate me for it.
