Page 109 of The Dawn of the Cursed Queen

“Tessa. Tara,” Nismera said without looking at the witches. “Secure the area, will you?”

Both girls giggled before raising their hands. Magic burst forward, and a bubble formed over us, blocking out the area, and my ears ached. Their specialty was shield magic, and I had never felt a force field so strong. Quill tried to shift further away, a bead of sweat rolling down his leathery skin.

Nismera carefully plucked the ring from the pedestal and placed it on her finger. My eyes widened as her godly adyin marks lit up, and I wondered if she could actually wield Oblivion since Samkiel was her brother. Were they alike in that aspect? She gripped the spear with the same hand and turned toward the group of people on the floor. A crackling stream of light burst from the spear, arcing from person to person. Their bodies glowed and then exploded, one by one. Blood and gore coated the outside of the bubble, dripping down its surface in thick rivulets.

Nismera cursed as we all stood staring at the mess. Quill’s mouth gaped open, and he turned to look at Nismera. Two quick strides, and she was in front of him, his apron gripped in her free hand.

“Why is it not working?” she hissed.

Quill stumbled. “I’m not sure, Your Majesty. It should work in all aspects. The ring is made from her amata. The spear holds her blood. They should bind as they would have.”

My heart rammed itself into my throat. That was what she wanted. Oblivion. She thought she could bind it to the spear. Gods, that weapon in Nismera’s hands would end everything.

She dropped Quill and slipped the ring off. “Take the remains back to the lab. Have them checked for even the slightest sign of oblivion.”

Quill nodded and carefully locked the ring back up. Nismera called the spear back before stepping into the portal, Tessa and Tara following behind.

MY FEET BARELY TOUCHED THE GROUND AS I RACED BACK UPSTAIRS. I didn’t think, and I didn’t remember taking a breath until I heard voices in the cafeteria as I came through the doors. Guards and generals filled the tables, cracking jokes over food as they ate. They were none the wiser of the psychotic goddess to whom they pledged their lives. Or maybe they did know. I glanced around, searching for Kaden, but didn’t see him or his brother. I left, heading toward the war room. Guards stood outside, meaning someone was in there. It was mid-afternoon, and everyone was usually on break at this time. I had no problem moving past the guards and bursting through the door.

“Kaden.”

Several heads whipped toward me, Kaden’s included, and I froze. Okay, perhaps there was a meeting. The being made of ice and hate glared at me, even the touch of his gaze frigid. Ittshare. That was his name. He was a King of Yejedin and one strong enough to damn near control winter itself. He towered over Kaden, and half of his body was covered in the same dragonbane armor. His right arm and shoulder were exposed but covered in sharp spikes of ice.

“What is the meaning of this?” Leviathan snapped from his seat. He had papers folded in front of him, and they all seemed to be discussing battle plans.

I swallowed, realizing there were a lot of soldiers and council members in here, even if Nismera was not.

“Sorry to interrupt,” I said, hating myself for what I was about to say. I scratched at the back of my head. “I was on my lunch break and wanted to see you for a moment . . . or two.” My face heated as every eye in this damned place stared at me.

The smile that formed on Kaden’s face made me want to rip his head off. He folded his arms. “See me? Go on, Camilla, use your words.”

I expected steam to burst from my ears at this point, but I steeled my spine. This wasn’t just a joke. I had finally figured out what his evil sister was up to, and I needed to tell him. If that meant playing into his ruse, so be it. “Do you want a quick fuck or not?”

His smile dropped. He was clearly already bored with this little game, and I heard Leviathan groan as he placed a wary hand over his face. Ittshare cocked his brow, and Isaiah snickered but covered it quickly before looking at his brother. The other guards, thank fuck, avoided eye contact, but it was Elianna’s response that made me stumble. She glanced between us, hurt in her eyes. She recovered quickly and shifted in her seat, suddenly concerned with the tassels on the sleeve of her gown.

“I’ll pass,” Kaden said. “Maybe later.”

My teeth were about to grind to dust, but I forced a thin smile. “Either come tonight or not at all.”

I stormed from the room and back to my workstation, hoping to keep the last shred of my dignity. Gods above and below, this place would be the death of me.

I HAD WORKED UNTIL MY NOSE BLED, AND HILMA DECIDED IT WAS A good stopping point. I cast several glances toward Tessa and Tara as they helped us, needing to keep an eye on them. If shield magic was their strong suit, then maybe this medallion I had been working on was more powerful than I thought. If they were here to keep damage to a minimum, I truly worried about what I was helping put back together. The only positive was that they didn’t know I had been there. I wondered just how many working here held Nismera’s secrets.

I made it back to my room well past dusk, and as soon as the guards left, I stripped and headed to my washroom. This was one of my favorite parts of my day. I’d managed to make a soap that helped ease my mind, a fine mist spreading across the room when it hit the water. It eased away all the stresses of the day, and the warm bath soothed my tired and sore muscles. My magic loved it, recharging my power after they had nearly drained me.

I sighed and leaned back. Vincent hadn’t come back today, and I wondered what she had him doing this time. He had left with another legion member earlier. I had only seen him once, when Vincent had dropped me off at my workstation. He was tall and lined with muscles. The helmet he wore was all sharp angles and had wings that fanned out around his head. When he turned, I saw the thick, massive wings held close to his back. I asked Hilma who he was, but she just mumbled something about him being a brother to a powerful queen and shushed me back to work.

I dipped my head beneath the water one final time before standing and grabbing a towel. The floor was cool against my feet when I stepped out and dried myself off. I walked into my bedroom and screamed, scrambling to wrap the towel around myself.

Kaden lay on the bed, his hands behind his head and gazing at my ceiling. “Excessive, don’t you think?”

“How—” I stammered. “Actually, what are you doing here? I’m naked.”

He turned his head and looked me up and down. “I see that,” he said before sighing deeply and turning back to his perusal of the ceiling. “I promise your virtue is safe with me. Besides, it’s nothing I haven’t seen before. It’s not that appealing.”

I grabbed the first thing I touched off my vanity and turned to chuck it at him. He caught my wrist and squeezed hard enough to crack the fragile bones. I gasped, and my hairbrush fell to the floor with a clatter.

“Now, now, there is no need for violence.” He let go and stepped back, placing his hands in his pockets. “What was so urgent you had to burst into a council meeting?”

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