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“Take the boy.” He kept his gaze on Neeka, projecting a single thought.Don’t step within my strike zone.Lore had given the order, and Azar would obey it. The outcome depended on the oracle. “He’s yours.”
“Hello, Neeka.” Lore offered the other female a finger wave. “How wonderful. You’ve recovered from playtime with my boys.”
Neeka smiled sweetly. “I’ve seen you die.”
Lore made a pft sound, and Azar held his breath. Had she spoken true?
Maximus struggled in his seat, rattling his chains. The gag in his mouth muffled his words, but he clearly attempted to convey a message.
Rathbone flashed over, discarding the gag and chains one after the other, leaving the oracle a perfect target.
“—hurt Neeka,” the boy erupted the moment his mouth was free.
Too late. Azar was already in motion. He tossed a toxin-laced dagger at Neeka. She was fast, but not fast enough. Especially because she’d frozen, her gaze faraway, as if she were stuck in a vision.
Rathbone appeared directly in front of her, taking the blade in his chest.
The king was powerful, amazingly so, but the toxin proved stronger. His knees buckled. He collapsed against Neeka, who snapped into the present. She struggled under the royal’s weight while baring her fangs at the goddess.
“Well?” Lore prompted, giving Azar a little push. “Finish him off, then obey my previous order.”
Azar fought the command with his considerable strength...but still he stepped forward, intending to deliver the final blow to both the red king and the oracle.
Maximus appeared behind the oracle, wrapped his arms around both her and the king, then flashed the pair away.
More guilt and shame barreled through Azar. There was a chance Rathbone might recover since he’d received the antidote not too long ago. There was also a chance he would not.
“Don’t follow them,” Lore said, and the compulsion to kill the oracle died. “The ceremony kicks off in three days. They’ll be dead soon enough.” She rubbed her hands together. “Show me the orb.”
He ground his molars and held out his hand. “No one but Rathbone can lift the protective barrier.”
“That’s not true. Long ago, Erebus paid the barrier’s creator to bind the orb to me, not Rathbone. The protective layer disappears when my spirit reconnects with my bones.” A smile lifted the corners of her mouth. “Flash me to a large, abandoned location.”
Though confused, he obeyed. They landed in a small, private world he’d created centuries ago. A lush paradise without inhabitants. The sunlit jungle teeming with flowers surrounded them.
She was too absorbed with the orb to notice. Lore waved her hand through its center and jolted. “Oh, yeah. We’re in business.”
The orb brightened until there was an explosion of light, blinding in its intensity. Birds took flight. A strong gust of wind hit him, and he stumbled back. When his eyes readjusted, he saw the golden throne set in a sea of marble title, with Lore’s bones positioned on it.
“Do it,” she said, excitement dripping from her voice. “Bring me to life.”
Don’t. Do not!But his feet drove him forward of their own accord. He knelt and removed the remaining pieces from the sheath. Reached out. Trembling, he set two of the bones in their proper place.Click. Click.
He shook as he withdrew the last. Shook harder as he joined it to the others...
Click.
The entire skeleton jerked. Soft, haunting music rose from each piece, blending together to create a breathtaking melody he heard deep in his marrow. The symbols turned bloodred and glowed almost as bright as the orb. Muscle and tendons began to grow. Veins wove together. Organs formed, and flesh melded like a woven tapestry until a dark-haired beauty sat naked upon the throne.
Moaning, Lore stretched. Her lids closed as she cupped her breasts. Sunlight paid her great homage. “This is magnificent.” Giddy, she kicked her legs and shook her arms. “It’s everything I remember and more.”
A growl thundered in his chest. How was she so beautiful? How could Azar long for a female like her? A seductress he despised. And yet, he did long for her. Greatly. “You let yourself die for Erebus.” He stepped forward, drawn closer. “Would he have done the same for you?”
“Tsk-tsk. Trying to sow dissent in myrelationship.” She air quoted the final word, quirking her lips in a smile and utterly unafraid. “Ah. I get it. Does the Astra still believe I’m fated to be his?” She faked a pout. “I didn’t meet Erebus until after I died.”
“Are you using him, too?” he asked, taking another step in her direction. Inner shake. What was he doing? Urging her on?
He eased backward.
