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“Fine,” I mutter, but it doesn’t sit well with me. I care for my people, unlike Rami, and having them dig in the caves for rubies, it’ll be endless. They’ll grow to hate me, and the men’s families will wish me dead. It’s no better than sending them off to war. I’ll have to come up with a solution that doesn’t put my people in danger but still gets those bloody Rippies paid.
“Very good,” says Calista, and Vassilis puts on a shit-eating grin. My fingers ache for my gun.
“Anything else?” I ask.
“Yes, actually, there is one more thing.” Calista plucks an iceberry from the tray, a gray fruit I’m not fond of.“We know you’ve been trying to shield your thoughts about your Tether. You want to keep that part of your life sacred, but you forget we know everything that goes on in Vakeeli, whether we interfere or not.”
“What does my Tether have to do with this?”
“Your Tether, believe it or not, is our link to setting Selah free.”
“Elaborate.”
“Your kind–the ones who carry the Cold Tether–are constantly recreated. Every couple of years, there is a new version of you that is born, most times through different parents, and there has not been a version quite like you. You have the combination of a Monarch, a hybrid Mythic, and the Cold Tether from the Regals, and what a rare mixture that is.”
I sit back in my seat, waiting for her to elaborate further.
“With your gifts–yourblood–it can help us find Selah. However, there’s something out there trying to stop that from happening.”
A chill runs down my spine. “You’re talking about Mournwrath.”
“Decius, yes.”
“Why can’t you defeat him yourselves?”
“Unfortunately, we were created only to defend the commoners and the gilded. Decius is a being created before our time. He can’t harm us, and we can’t harm him. In fact, it’s impossible for us to even be in the same room as him.”
“Why?”
“It weakens our energy,” Vassilis states. “And his, so he purposely avoids us. We can thank Selah for that.”
“Some Council you are,” Killian huffs.
“Anyway, we’ve had the location of Selah for a very long time, and she can only be awakened with your blood. You, I’m afraid, are the cure to her awakening. Right now, she rests in the tombs of an island, far off the Vanorian coast, Inferno Isle. We believe Decius has put a spell on her that weakened her, caused her to fall into a sleep that lasts forever, and took her there to hide the body. We’ve tried everything in our power to wake her fromwhere we are, nothing has worked, and after doing our studies, we realized it was neveruswho could do it. She can only be awakened with the blood of the three most powerful individuals of Vakeeli. And that’s where you come in.”
“Every man knows if you even make it through the treacherous waters, it’s impossible to survive Inferno Isle. You can forget it,” I tell her. “It’ll kill me.”
“Death is a possibility.” Calista examines her silver nails. “But we are willing to do everything we can to protect you. We’ll give you fireproof armor and other things to withstand the heat and flames. And to get there, we’ll have a boat built, made with the finest Vakeeli iron and Vanorian gold.”
“And if it still sinks?”
Calista smirks. “Then we hope another version like you is born with the blood you have now in the near future.”
“Highly unlikely,” Arie mutters.
“’Tis true,” Calista sighs. “We’ve waited centuries for you.”
“And why come to me now? Mournwrath has attacked us more than once. Who’s to say he won’t kill us the next time?”
“Well, you had to mate first. The Tether had to be in full effect, which is why we opened the portal for your tether and brought her here.”
“Youdid that?” I grimace. “You put her whole life in jeopardy, and for what? To get me to bond with her so you can awake Selah?”
“Exactly. It took a while, actually. We couldn’t get it right the first time—Arie was too drunk and stupid to stay awake.” Calista side eyes her brother just as he takes a sip of wine. “We managed, though. And don’t be so glum about it. You can’t deny that she’s the best thing that’s ever happened to you. You should be thanking us.”
Fucking bitch.
“We knew you’d look after her,” Calista goes on. “It’s what you do. You protect the ones you love and eliminate anyone who comes after them, and that’s why we’re gladyouare the chosen one. You should be elated! This is an honor. Not even we can awake a Regal. Now that you’ve mated, it’s all come full circle. Your blood is charged.”
