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She cackled, a madness in her stare that was intensified under the bright lights of the kitchen. “Seems I’m right on time.”
I stared, slack-jawed, at my brilliant, taller-than-me, beautiful sister. Her eyes welled with tears. “Ellie.” Only she ever called me that.
“How did you find her?” I asked, a tear falling down my cheek.
“It wasn’t hard once I knew where to look.”
I moved my gaze back to my sister. “Are you okay? Did she hurt you?”
Tears fell down Mona’s cheeks. “Ellie, she… she…” She shook her head, looking down. “She killed my mentor and my friend.”
Goose bumps covered my skin. “I’m sorry, Mona. I…”
Maddox panted, rushing to the doorway behind me. Naomi joined him, and I heard her gasp when she saw Freya.
Freya scowled. “Raiden thinks he can kill me, but he can’t because I have something more precious to him than his mortality.”
My stomach twisted. “I would rather die than go with you.”
“Oh, lovey, no. You’re not coming with me. You see, I have your sister, and you will do anything for her, according to Alexander.” She smiled. “And we both know Raiden will do anything for you. That’s how leverage works.”
I wished I hadn’t told Alexander about Mona, but I hadn’t thought anything of it at the time. I had been trying to make him understand why they were hunting Freya—why family was so important. If I’d known it would lead to this, I would have kept my mouth shut. “Alexander was wrong.”
“Alexander, darling. Come here,” she called, and he stepped through the door. His ash-blond hair had been swept into a braid, his wide, dreamy eyes brighter than before.
“My love.” He kissed her cheek.
I inhaled sharply. “Alexander took Thalia’s place.”
“He did. Did you really think I would leave him dead? He’d do anything for me. I waited in the shadows until you all left. You were stupid enough to leave her body without taking her essence with you, so I took it for my Alexander.” She brushed her fingers along his.
“That doesn’t sound like love,” I snapped, praying he would see through her, but his far-off stare remained on her.
“Love only gets you killed. See what it did to Raiden?” She looked me up and down. “What it’ll do to you?”
“Mona.” I swallowed hard, trying to remove the lump in my throat. “I’m going to fix this.”
“Like you promised to come back for me?” she asked, and my stomach dipped.
Freya laughed. “I love a good family drama.”
I fumbled my fingers. “It wasn’t as easy as that.”
Freya’s eyes brightened. “Yes, it was. She’s a keeper. She has access to all manners of magical items that could have got her back to you.”
Gods, I hated her. “I wasn’t a keeper until recently.”
Freya tapped Mona’s shoulder. “She had access to them before that.”
“I wasn’t able to.” I was seething. “Please, Mona, understand. I wanted to come back for you. I really couldn’t.” Another tear trickled out. “I was afraid you wouldn’t want to see me.”
Mona looked down for a few seconds, then brought her gaze back to meet mine, and for a heart-stopping moment, I was ten again. “I always wanted you to come back. You’re my sister. I never stopped loving you.”
Everything in me shattered. Every misbelief, every fear, was gone. She loved me. No matter what. I wanted to hug her, to hold her, and cry with her, but she was in the grip of a monster.
“Wasn’t that a happy ending? Now we’re all reunited.” Freya tilted her head. “Eleanor, you will come with us or watch your sister die, along with your coven. Your choice.”
My breath hitched. “Where are we going?”
