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“They will.” Kelley touches soft fingers to my arm, the gesture so warm and familiar it sends an ache of longing across my skin.
If only we were being reunited under different circumstances.
But we aren’t, and I have no interest in battling my sister for a crown. Maggie made it pretty clear this wasn’t going to be a peaceful revolution.
Maggie…
A vision of her frothing, twitching, and dying on the carpet in the North Star Pack’s library flashes on my mental screen, reminding me of another of my sister’s sins.
I jerk my arm away from her touch and take a step back. “You have Maggie’s granddaughter. You threatened to kill her if Maggie didn’t help you. It’s the last thing she said before she killed herself.”
Kelley’s eyes go wide, and her jaw loosens. “What? Maggie’s dead?”
“Yeah, because of you, and what about the bomb in the theater?” I challenge. “And the boy who was burned alive after? From what I’ve heard, your mate likes to set things on fire.”
Kelley winces. “All of that… All of that is awful and I’m so sorry for it. I didn’t want any of those things to happen, I swear, and I’ll do my best to explain the part I’ve played in everything so far. But first you have to know that my only priority from here on out is making sure no one else dies.” Her jaw tightens. “And I believe we can make that happen, as long as we work together. I swear to you, Willow, Elsbeth and I don’t want to hurt anyone. We just want to change the world for the better. Aren’t you tired of living like this? At the mercy of bullies and monsters like Victor, Pax, and Maxim?”
“Yes, but I’m tired of being lied to, too,” I say. “And you’re lying to me Kelley. I watched Maggie die. I knew her, and I believe she was telling the truth about you threatening to kill her granddaughter.”
“But you know me, too,” she whispers in a hurt voice.
I shake my head. “No, I don’t. Not anymore. And I don’t think you kidnapped me to protect me. I think you want something, something you know I won’t want to give, and that you’re prepared to take it if this little persuasive intervention fails.”
Kelley blinks and pulls in a deep breath, doing a decent impression of being flummoxed by my challenge
But she always was a good liar.
Back when we were kids, her lies were relatively innocent falsehoods to cover a missed curfew or a bad test grade, but I was always impressed with how lightly lies floated from her lips. I lied about those sorts of things, too, of course, but never as easily or as successfully as my sister.
I’m braced to greet every word that comes out of her mouth with a high degree of skepticism.
Even if she believes what she’s saying, she’s in a relationship with a monster—one look at Bane was enough to convince me of that.
And you know what they say about lying down with monsters…
You rise up with horns and a belly full of bad intentions.
Still, I’m not prepared for her next announcement. “I just want to help you rule, sis,” she says. “I want you to be my queen, because stars know you’re far better suited for it than I’ll ever be.”
“You’re the one we’ve been waiting for,” Elsbeth agrees, “And the pieces have fallen beautifully into place. All that’s left is for you to embrace your role and take your vows to the sword and to our people at the next full moon.” She winks. “Which is the day after tomorrow, so we have our persuasive work cut out for us. But I think you’ll come around. The stars tell me so anyway.” She points a pale, gnarled finger toward the ceiling. “And they never lie. Sometimes, we misunderstand them, but I’ve been charting this course for over eighty years and all roads end with you as our queen. I think if there were any confusion, I would have sorted it out by now.”
My brows lift.
Eighty years, so she must be…a hundred? Older?
“I’m one hundred and five years young,” she says, seemingly reading my mind. “And as sharp as I was at twenty-two. I’ll take care of you, my queen, and guide you well. And when the time comes for me to leave this world, I’ve trained your sister to fill my shoes. You’ll never want for an advisor you can trust with every piece of your heart and soul.”
“I could never fill your shoes,” Kelley says, wrapping an arm around the shorter woman and giving her a gentle hug. “But I will serve our queen faithfully to the end of my life.” She glances back at me, before adding in a whisper, “All that’s left is to get a few bad apples out of our way. Starting with Bane. Most of the others will be easy once he’s gone.”
My brows shoot up my forehead.
Kelley’s lips twist in a hard smile. “You thought I couldn’t see what an evil sack of shit he’s become? Come on, sis. Give me a little credit. I can be single-minded at times, but I’m not stupid.”
No, she’s not.
Neither am I, but I’d be lying if I said I was sure where I should go from here.
I have no idea what my next step should be, I only know that I need someone I can trust in my corner right now. Desperately.
“Diana,” I say, figuring these women should be open to indulging their future queen. At least if they want a chance in hell of having me play along with what they have planned. “I want her in on this. She’s here every step of the way, privy to all the information and planning and…whatever else needs to happen, or this isn’t going anywhere.” I lift a hand, stopping Kelley before she can speak as I add, “And I’m not sure anything is going to happen at all. Even then. I’m a long way from being on board. But if Diana’s here, I’ll listen to what you have to say and maybe we can come to some sort of agreement.”
Kelley glances at Elsbeth, who is already nodding. “Done. She’s young but born under auspicious skies. And if you trust her, Pathfinder, that’s all that needs to be said.”
It’s only then, when she names my pack gift, that I realize my eyes are glowing, casting a golden light on the hopeful faces of the two women in front of me.
I’m not sure what it means in this situation—whether it bodes well for their plans or my secret scheme to get out of here ASAP—but I’ll worry about that later, once Diana is under my wing and I know exactly what these women want from me.
No matter how devoted they seem to this cause, I’m not sure they’re being honest about what it will take to make me queen.
And I’m certain that whatever secrets they’re keeping are so dark I’ll have to pry them out into the light with my bare hands.
