by Ivy Asher
“Lick your fingers clean,” he tells her, and I have to fight to keep from gagging myself now. I look away, not wanting that image to be seared into my mind. Pretty sure this is going to haunt me regardless though.
“Phip and Lanis wake up in an hour,” I hear her tell him, and he scoffs.
“You want me or Thessa to make you scream before your Chosen wake up?”
“Both,” she cackles again, and he grabs her by the hair and starts dragging her down the hall.
“I’ll fuck your ass while she licks your cunt, and then…”
I don’t hear what he plans to do after that as I disconnect my runes. I’ve been traumatized enough for one night. I shudder as sounds and images I want to scrub from my brain replay. That female is fucked up. She’s going to take us all out for no reason other than she wants to. She cheats on her Chosen and would be the perfect candidate for the next Two Girls One Cup video.
Fucking hell.
Tok and Marn talked about corruption being an issue here, but seeing it right in my face like that is brutal. The fairy light disappears in the distance, and I count to twenty before slinking out of my shadow-dipped hiding spot and retracing my steps. I keep looking over my shoulder, worried that somehow someone will see me.
Hands reach out of a dark alcove and snatch me into it. I call on a knife and bite back a scream as a hand clamps over my mouth.
“It’s me, Vinna,” Enoch whispers in my ear.
I slam an elbow into his side, and he grunts and lets me go.
“What the fuck, Enoch, you scared the shit out of me!” I whisper screech at him.
He puts a finger to his lips, and I immediately rage at him more quietly.
“We’re not supposed to be in this part of the castle. If anyone catches us, we’ll be fucked,” he tells me.
“No shit. I was well on my way to getting the fuck away from here until you jumped me.”
Enoch snorts quietly and rolls his eyes. “I didn’t jump you, you big baby.”
I glare at him, suddenly remembering why I’m out roaming the halls at this time of night.
“Don’t look at me like that, Vinna. We both said some shit, and we’re both going to get over it, because that’s what real friends do.”
“Oh, so we’re friends? No more trying to kiss me or earn your place?” I angrily whisper back.
“Is that really what this is? You want me to want you?” he hisses back.
“No.”
“Then what?”
“I just don’t want you to leave,” I tell him, the confession a little surprising.
“We wouldn’t be leaving you like that, Vinna. We’d still be in each other’s lives; we just wouldn’t be tied by magic. The issue is Shield versus Chosen, not Vinna versus Suryn. You said we were family, right?” he asks me, and I nod. “That’s not going to change,” he reassures me.
I lean back and study Enoch’s gray-blue gaze. “You like her, don’t you?” I ask him, the truth in his gaze shocking me more than anything. “How?”
Enoch scoffs and rolls his eyes. “I don’t know, how do any of your Chosen like you?” he counters, and I snort.
“I’m a fucking delight, I’ll have you know.”
Enoch smiles and shakes his head. “I’m not doodling her name all over my notebooks or anything, but when she marked me, it just did something.” Enoch rubs at his chest, and I give a weary exhale. I think back on the time I marked the guys. I was panicked and freaked out, but it also felt right in this weird inexplicable way.
“Does the rest of your coven know?”
“Yeah. They feel a pull, but Nash is the only one aside from me who seems interested in exploring what that means.”
“What does Kallan say?”
“That you marked us first and that there had to be a reason for it. He thinks if we go the Chosen route, we’re betraying you.”
I nod absently as I listen. “And Becket?” I inquire, not attempting to mask my shock that he would take my side after what happened with his father.
Enoch grins like he can read my mind and was surprised too. “I think he just likes you better than Suryn,” he tells me with a smile.
“Well, that’s not exactly difficult when she’s a nightmare and I’m—”
“A fucking delight?” Enoch adds in, and we both laugh.
“There’s not much I can do about Becket recognizing that I’m more fun than Suryn could ever be,” I tell Enoch and give an exaggerated flip of my hair. “But I’ll talk to Kallan. If all of you are drawn to her and this is what you guys want, then that’s what you should have.”
Enoch pulls me in for a hug.
“Thank you, Vinna,” he whispers and kisses the top of my head.
I hug him tightly. “I’m sorry about the whole power grab thing. I don’t really think that,” I tell him, and I feel him breathe out a sigh.
“It’s okay, you can’t help that you’re a girl and get all emotional and irrational at times,” he teases, and I quietly laugh and pinch his side.
He squirms and then hugs me harder. I return the squeeze and then freeze when someone that isn’t me or Enoch clears their throat. We pull apart with a jolt of shock, and my head snaps in the direction of the hallway this little alcove is attached to.
Fuck! Don’t be the Sovereign. Don’t be the Sovereign.
Relief washes through me when I realize that it’s not the Sovereign. But it’s quickly replaced by a decent amount of oh shit when my eyes connect with the angry hazel gaze of Suryn. A this is not what it looks like creeps up my throat, but before I can say anything, she takes a menacing step toward us.
“This area is off limits to the likes of you. Find somewhere else to fuck,” she seethes and then stomps off.
Enoch hesitates for a second. “Go after her,” I tell him and shove him in the direction she just stormed off in. “It’s okay, I’ll find my way back,” I reassure him, and he rushes off after what looked like a very pissed off Sentinel. Then again, she always seems to look like that, so who knows if she really cares about this or not? I slip out of the dark alcove and eventually find my way back to a side of the castle that I recognize. I don’t run into anyone else, and I slip inside the suite we’ve been given just as the sun starts to peek over the horizon. I flop down onto a couch with a sigh.
I can already tell this is going to be one fucking long ass day.
26
I give a deep toe curling yawn as we make our way into the throne room. I shake my cheeks in an effort to wake the fuck up, but another yawn starts at the back of my mouth, and resistance is futile.
“Someone please help me to wake the fuck up,” I beg as we take our place in front of the thrones.
We were summoned this afternoon by the tribunal. Apparently, they’re ready to make their decision. Unease courses through me, but it doesn’t seem enough to combat my exhaustion. I’m way less nervous for this than I would have thought. Pretty sure that has to do with what I overheard from the Sovereign herself. She wants us dead no matter what. The order will probably come today, at least that’s what I expect.
I think back on our conversation this morning with Tok and Marn.
“If the decision is for the Sovereign and against you, don’t fight. They’ll be ready for that and have measures in place that you won’t see coming,” Tok tells me, his countenance urgent and his tone critical.
“They will take you and imprison you until they can make all the arrangements they need to turn your deaths into a spectacle,” Marn adds.
“What if they don’t do that?” I ask. Knowing my luck, this will be the one time she deviates from protocol and cuts us all down.
“The Sovereign rules with fear. She needs to keep the people scared of outsiders and of each other so they don’t look too closely at her. She won’t miss an opportunity to show Tierit the big bad outsiders who dared to attack her and were defeated,” Marn explains.
“So we go quietly, and then what?” Valen asks.
�
�You wait for us to get you out,” Tok answers, looking at each of us in turn. “We have connections and power we don’t often flex, but we will. We will get you out, and then we will all run. The Sovereign may send Sentinels after us, but it won’t be anyone that isn’t already expendable to her. So we’ll have an opportunity to flip them, or I’m sure between all of us, they can be dealt with.”
“The only issue is the barrier, but we have some people looking into that as we speak,” Marn informs us.
“I don’t think the barrier will be an issue,” I declare.
Tok and Marn both look at me curiously with a hint of skepticism in their gazes.
“When we came through, we did something to it. That was the bright light that gave away that we were even here. If that hadn’t happened, I don’t think you guys would have known the barrier had been breached until we were walking into the city and announcing where we were from and what we were doing there. I’m not certain of what we did exactly, but I feel in my bones that we’ll be able to get out when we need to,” I tell them.
Tok leans back in his chair and stares out the window in contemplation. “Well, let’s hope you’re right.”
Another jaw cracking yawn pulls me from my thoughts, and I roll my neck and try to convince my body it needs to be on alert.
“If you stop yawning, I’ll do that thing with the chocolate that you love so much,” Ryker leans down and whispers in my ear.
His blond shoulder-length hair tickles the side of my neck, and I get chills as his words skim my ear.
“Whipped cream too?” I ask, excitement now strumming through my veins.
“Of course. I’ll make sure it’s hot as fuck and overwhelming to every sense you possess. And just when you can’t take anymore—”
I moan, cutting him off. “Don’t you fucking tease me, Ryker.”
He laughs. “I would never, Squeaks. It’ll be everything you’ve been dreaming about and so much more.”
I release a dreamy sigh that makes Ryker crack up again.
“But where are you getting the brownies from?” I ask, my mouth watering.
“I have a hookup with the kitchen,” he beams proudly.
“Oh you do, do you? And how did you come by said hookup?”
“Well, really we have Sorik to thank and technically, Sauriel too.”
I look up at Ryker, now suddenly very curious.
“Sauriel arranged for blood for Sorik. The female who volunteered also works in the kitchen. She and Sorik have struck up a friendship, and she mentioned if there’s anything we need, to let her know. So if I were to, say...ask for a brownie sundae, then you, Squeaks, would have your brownie sundae.”
I stare into his sky-blue eyes for a moment and then reach up on my tiptoes and kiss him. “You’re too fucking good to me,” I tell him against his lips, and he nips at my mouth before I pull away and drop back flat on my feet.
The side door opens, and in walks a couple of guards followed by Mote, Naree, Port, Wella and Sabin. They’re led to the side of the room, and they no sooner take their place there than a guard steps forward and announces the Sovereign.
“All hail Sovereign Finella, Leader of the Marked, Ruler of Tierit, Blood Savior, Walker of Realms and Gate Keeper,” he announces, and the side door opens again to present a large show of force.
The guards march in step as they lead Tawv and Sauriel in before the Sovereign this time. I realize, as I watch them walk up to their thrones, that no one ever introduces them with a title. They’re clearly important as they’re part of this Quorum of leadership, but I have no idea what they really do. Are they the checks and balances to the Sovereign? I think about that for a minute and decide that it seems about right from what I’ve witnessed so far.
There seems to be an extra show of force around the Sovereign today, and I tense, wondering if it’s because she’s expecting trouble or about to cause it.
Her dress is light pink, but her deathly pale pallor and bright white hair make her look washed out regardless of what color she’s wearing. It once again has slits, which Sentinels here seem to be a big fan of, and the material is very thin. It’s not see through but pretty damn close. Put this chick in front of a sunny window, and you could probably count her pubes.
She glides up the stairs to her throne and reaches up to touch her crown, like she’s making sure it’s still there, as she sits. Suryn comes through the side door next, and I choke when I see that she’s in a wispy barely there dress too. I’ve only seen her in the black armored clothing that all my guys and I are now rocking, and it shocks the fuck out of me to see her looking so completely different.
Ory saunters in behind her, and they both take their place on the opposite side of the room from where the tribunal is standing. A boom resonates around the room as the side door is closed. The loud noise slowly settles, and we all wait for the Sovereign to speak. She takes her time like she’s in no rush, or more likely she just likes to make it clear who’s in control here.
An image of the man from the hallway thrusting into her mouth so hard and so deep that tears streamed down her face as she gagged, fills my mind. I blink and mentally shove it the fuck away. Ugh.
“I have been informed the tribunal has come to a decision, is that correct?” the Sovereign asks.
She looks over at them, her focus honed in on Mote and Port specifically.
“Yes,” Naree announces with a nod.
The Sovereign and she stare at each other for a moment before the ruler of the Sentinels irritably asks, “Well, what is it then?”
“We unanimously rule against the order of death,” Naree declares, and the Sovereign narrows her eyes.
The decision rings in my ears, and I’m beyond stunned. I know Enoch said that Sauriel thought this would go in our favor, but I thought for sure we were going to be fucked. My breaths become short, and I have to focus on pulling enough air in.
“Unanimously?” the Sovereign questions.
“Yes, unanimously,” Naree answers.
“Very well then, I dismiss you from your service on the tribunal and will lay the responsibility at your feet if this decision proves as catastrophic as I suspect it will be.”
“Sovereign Finella, that is uncalled for,” Tawv admonishes, and she turns her glare on him.
“No, what is uncalled for is your putting the people of Tierit at risk for your own political gain,” she volleys.
Tawv laughs. “Are you addled? Exactly what would I do with any level of political gain? I am not the next in line. Or rather, the one whose grip is slipping from the crown. I upheld the laws as they are written. The tribunal has made their decision based off of facts and reason, which I dare say will serve the people much better than decisions based off of insecurity and fear. She is a powerful Lost Sentinel that’s come home, and we need her.”
“Damn,” I hear Knox whisper behind me, and I couldn’t agree more.
Note to self, fist bump that creepy eyed hero of a male later for the verbal bitch slap he just delivered to the Sovereign.
“How dare you,” she hisses at him, shoving out of her throne to tower over him, her pale skin getting redder by the moment.
“No. How dare you,” he growls back, rising from his throne and forcing her to look up at him.
Our eyes bounce from the Sovereign to Tawv, waiting to see who will say something next. The whole room seems to hold their breath. Is this it? I think as I survey the room. Is this where she goes full tyrant and tries to slaughter us all? It sure fucking feels like it’s headed in that direction. Tension fills my every cell. My magic is ready to call on whatever I may need in a fight, but I calm my bloodlust. We all just watch and wait.
I’m surprised when the Sovereign turns and storms out of the room. The large door slams behind her, and the guards scramble to follow after her hasty retreat.
“Awkward,” Bastien singsongs quietly behind me, and I have to bite my tongue to keep from laughing.
I shake the tension and need
for action out of my limbs and listen to the Sovereign’s angry footsteps on the other side of the door. I swear I can hear the you haven’t seen the last of me vow in the rhythm of her departure.
“Tribunal,” Tawv’s warm voice breaks the uncomfortable silence. “We thank you for your service and dismiss you back to your lives.”
Naree, Mote, Port, and Wella give him a nod and then surprisingly look over at me and place their fists over their biceps. Shock strikes through me, and judging by the gasps that ring out through the room, I’m not the only one. None of them wait for me to respond in any way before they turn and head out the front doors. I watch them go, conflicted by what the hell just happened.
I turn forward, my questioning gaze in search of Tawv, but I find Suryn instead. She stares daggers at me, every inch of her radiating fury, and it sends prickles of warning all over my body. Ory steps into my line of sight and whispers something to her. I can’t tell what he says, but whatever it is, it’s enough to snap her out of our little staring contest. Suryn nods her head once at Ory, and then they both rush off exactly like the Sovereign just did.
“Well, that was fun,” Valen quips. “Raise your hand if you’re in favor of getting the fuck out of this place before they change their minds.”
My hand snaps up without hesitation as do all of my Chosen’s hands.
“Actually,” Tawv interjects. “In order to leave, you have to have permission from the ruling body.” He gestures toward the side door. “I wouldn’t be in a hurry to ask her any favors,” he adds.
“Okay then,” I tell him simply, and he narrows his eyes at me, suspicious of my lack of argument.
“No, I’m saying you physically can’t leave; the barrier won’t allow it unless she grants you access to it,” Tawv reiterates, his face filled with concern.
I stare at him for a moment, reading the worry on his face, and decide to let him in on our possible advantage.
“Actually, I’m pretty sure I claimed your barrier when I came through, so I think we’ll be fine,” I explain, my eyes filled with reassurance and confidence.