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“Stardust,” Lore confirmed with bite.
Azar had already marked her. The dread tightened its hold, cutting off Neeka’s airway. There was no way the Astra would harm her now. Not for any reason.
“Don’t worry,” the goddess said, adopting a breezy tone. “I’m not here to kill you. It’s much more fun to make others do my dirty work, then watch them agonize over their actions. I’m merely here to check on our king.”
“My king,” Neeka grated.All mine.
“Possessive of him, I see.” Her uninvited guest sauntered about the room, trailing her fingertips over this and that. “Well, one woman’s trash is another’s treasure, I suppose.”
She ran her tongue over her teeth. “Why are you like this? Shouldn’t you be sweet? Aren’t you the epitome of desire?”
“I am indeed. But if you’re not careful, your desires can turn against you.”
It sucked that the incubator of evil wasn’t wrong. “I suggest you say what you came to say and go,” she snapped. “Being a spirit saved you from my wrath. But you aren’t a spirit anymore. We can throw down.” Though she would have to abandon her post at Rathbone’s side to fight. Should she?
“I hope you do attack me,” Lore said with a grin, as if she recognized something Neeka did not. “After our little Q and A session. You do have questions for me, do you not?”
Oh, she had questions all right. “How did you open the orb without Rathbone?” What had she missed?
“Oh. That. Daisy is on my payroll. Erebus predicted you would utilize her and we acted. I’m surprised you didn’t realize the truth from the start.”
“Me too,” she admitted. No wonder Daisy had bargained to stay with them. How better to spy? But whyhadn’tNeeka realized the truth? She’d experienced zero twinges of warning. “How did you enslave Azar?”
“Easily. I convinced him we were life mates, the same way I convinced Rathbone and Styx and each male before them. The Astra was such delectable putty in my hands, willing to do anything I suggested. Even perform an ancient ritual to join our lives. But, oops, that isn’t what I taught him to do. I tricked him into binding his will to mine.”
So evil! And kind of brilliant. “Okay, you can go now.” Giving the monster-spawner other opportunities to brag wasn’t on today’s to do list. “I have no more questions.”
“Well, then. Before I head off to prepare for the arrival of my dearlings,” Lore said, making her way to the wet bar, where she poured two glasses of whiskey, “let’s toast to my victory.”
“No!” Oh, no, no, no. The elixir! The concoction able to create a bond so strong it eclipsed that of fated ones. Days ago, instinct had led Neeka to pour the stuff into the decanter. “Don’t drink that.” She had no idea how the concoction worked, what side effects she would unleash upon herself, or what it would do to her connection with Rathbone.
As she rushed over, an extra smug Lore downed her glass, emptying the contents. “Mmm. Tasty.” The goddess licked a final droplet from the rim.
Neeka’s stomach sank. Why, why, why had instinct led her to partake? Now the elixir had a grip on them both.
How soon would the bond kick in?
She grew stiffer as seconds bled together and nothing happened. Not to Neeka, and not to her companion. Confusion set in. Had she missed an ingredient? Was the recipe a dud?
Wait. The recipe said to drink and bake. But for how long? Days? Weeks? Months? When would a connection to the goddess attempt to override her connection to Rathbone?
“The dominos are in place,” she muttered. What was done was done, and there was no reversing time and changing it. But maybe this didn’t have to be a bad thing. Lore would experience an unshakable bond, too. What if Neeka convinced her to accept a second death, without birthing the horde. Azar would win his task—not that he deserved it—and no one would become dinner.
Heart thudding, she swiped up the second glass and saluted the goddess. “Here’s to your downfall.” She drained the concoction. Two doses. Perhaps her side of the bond would prove stronger than Lore’s, allowing her to better control the goddess.
Lore snorted. “Whatever strategy you think you’ve conjured will fail. I’ve thought of everything.”
A panting Rathbone jolted upright. His gaze landed on them without preamble, as if he’d tracked them while sleeping. Flash. He materialized between them, his big body a tower of menace as he captured Lore by the throat. He stood in profile, allowing Neeka to (mostly) read his lips. “I’ll meal with you wind the time combs,” he spat at the goddess.
Or maybe he’d said, “I’ll deal with you when the time comes.” Possibly?
Lore laughed, even as her skin turned blue and blood leaked from the corners of her mouth. “Enjoy the next few days. They are your last,” she said before flashing away.
Rathbone spun, facing Neeka fully. His entire countenance transformed from wrathful to sensual in a blink. “I believe you mentioned something about sexing me once I awoke. Yes, I heard you.”
“I did mention sexing. But I should probably tell you what happened.” With a baker’s clock ticking in the back of her mind, she wound her arms around her male and tried to forget the coming battle, if only for a little while. If there were anything left for her to do, she wouldn’t remember while stressing. But. She had a confession to make. She’d promised him honesty, and she intended to deliver. “Do you recall the elixir I told you about? The one meant to override your bond with your mate?”
“Yes.” He cupped her backside and brushed the tip of his nose against hers. “Why?”
