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You trust him,I scold inwardly.There is a reason for this.
I seek him through the connection, calling to him, but he doesn’t respond.
Varin’s words leap to the front of my mind.He is lost to you.
What had Varin meant? Does it have to do with his strange behavior? I’d thought it a dream brought on by nearly dying…
I brace my hand against the wall and hurry toward the back stairs. I stop at the bust of the beautiful woman and push it off center. The familiar sound of stone grinding seems loud as the hidden passage opens.
Keeping a hand on the wall to guide me, I ignore the slimy feel of the damp stone, and descend into the bowels of the castle.
I have to stop several times on the way down to the demon’s cell. When I pull open the door, Varin doesn’t even look up.
“You came to me in my head again last night,” I say. It’s not a question.
The stale scent of dust and mildew that permeates this lower level, assaults my nose. Varin inches closer, joints popping and snapping with every movement. The night-forged silver chains clank when they reach their limit, keeping the demon from reaching me. “You were close to death. You needed help.”
“You-you,” I stutter then swallow the hard lump of fear stuck in my throat. I force myself to ask the question, even though I dread the answer. “You said he was lost to me. Is he already oath bound to Elizabeth?”
The demon snarls, snapping their jaws, their large, sharp, charred teeth jut out of their lipless mouth. “He is lost to you, foolish girl.”
I clutch at my chest. “I still feel our connection.”
Varin tsks. “You should oath bind yourself to that other vampire because you will never get Alaric back.”
“No! I can’t accept that—I won’t. There has to be some way…”
Varin extends their hand to me. “Thereisone way,” they say slowly, unfurling their long fingers to reveal the ring.
“You are a horrible, deceitful thing. This was all your doing… your way of manipulating me into bargaining with you,” I hiss, taking several steps back, regretting that I didn’t stop to grab my dagger before coming here. “I will slay the queen before I free you!”
I turn to leave, but the door slams shut with a resounding clang. A long shadowy tendril of Varin’s power retracts.
“That is a death mission, you foolish woman.”
Half-hysterical laughter bubbles up. “I don’t care.”
“He has been compelled by the queen,” they explain. “His mind is still his, but his body belongs to her. Soon, all of him will be under her control, and then there will be nothing in my power that can undo it.”
Pulling in a breath, I hold it for a long moment. This is bad.
I take a tentative step forward. “But there is something that can be done?” I press.
Varin growls. The demon shrinks back into their shadowy corner. “Give him up.”
“Never.” I advance on the demon until my face is only inches from theirs. “I will do everything I can until there’s nothing else, and time has run out.”
Chapter Nine
Clara
“You are a most difficult creature.”Varin crawls forward in a way that makes their body look broken. Numerous joints bending at unnatural, painful angles, the demon sits back on their haunches.
“As are you,” I retort. “Now let me out.”
“Bargain with me.”
“You forced me into this situation to make me think this is the only option left. I would rather deal with Elizabeth head on and die trying. At least I know her end game.”
