Page 67 of Queen of Serpents and Shadows

“And then he took your magic. Why wouldn’t you want revenge on him?” she asked. “You could have left him to find someone else and you could go fuck Dion or find some human to fill your needs.”

I wrinkled my nose. “I’m not with your son because of my—needs.” Well, not just that, but I wasn’t about to explain that to her.

“We’ll see about that.” She held out the glass. “Drink.”

“What is it?” I asked.

“Your third challenge,” she said.

I walked over to her and took the glass. I’d agreed to the challenges, so it wasn’t like I could decline. If she wanted me dead, she’d have done it already. Or maybe this was it. She had made it clear she was going to try to eliminate me with each of the challenges.

“Go on, now,” she encouraged.

“Can I ask one favor of you?” I asked, the glass poised at my lips.

She lifted a brow and gave a noncommittal shrug.

“If I don’t survive, tell Ryvin the truth. Tell him what happened to me and the part you played in it.” I kept my eyes locked on hers, waiting for her to flinch.

Instead, she smirked. “Tell him yourself when you next see him.”

I tried to mask my confusion.

“Now, stop delaying. I’d like to be done with you.” She inclined her head, her eyes dropping to the wineglass. “Drink it all.”

I’d faced death more times than I could recall at this point, what was once more? Faking greater bravery than I actually had, I took a tentative sip. When nothing happened, I took another sip. Then I knocked back the rest of the glass in a few large glugs.

Nyx took the glass from my hand and tossed it aside. “Time to go.”

The ground was unsteady, the world tilting slightly. She was going in and out of focus.

She lifted her arms and clouds of darkness billowed up around her. They wrapped around me, holding me like a bundle of soft cloth. I felt weightless, but I wasn’t sure if it was her magic or the wine.

Just as I was almost enjoying the soft rocking sensation of Nyx’s shadows, they dissipated. I knew I was on solid ground, even though I was swaying and struggling to keep myself upright.

“It’s kicking in faster than I anticipated,” Nyx said. “I might have miscalculated the dosage.”

Her words hardly registered as I stared in shocked amazement at the portal in the center of the labyrinth. “We’re in Konos.”

“Where we first met,” she said. “Well, at least where you first met me as I am. The emaciated version in the prison didn’t ever feel like me.”

“What are we doing here?” My tongue felt thick.

“I’m giving you a choice,” Nyx said. “I saw you choose your people over your sisters, but it was a situation that would let you live as a hero. You’d be revered, loved, and hold even more power as the new queen on Athos.”

“That’s why you think I did that?” I stared at her in disbelief.

“Of course. It didn’t prove that you were willing to save your city. It proved that you valued your own life.”

“That’s not what happened.” My throat felt tight as I recalled what it had felt like when I thought my sisters were gone. I wasn’t sure I’d have survived to claim the title.

“It doesn’t matter. I’m not making that mistake again,” she said. “This time, you can choose yourself or you can choose your mate.”

My eyes widened. “What did you do to him?”

“I didn’t do anything. But he’s still about to die. You were dosed with a slow acting poison. You have some time before your body starts shutting down.”

“What?” My pulse kicked up.

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