Page 31 of Lethal Souls

Arie is out of the room in a flash. A door slams, and a deep grunt echoes through the corridor. In a matter of seconds, Arie has returned, but he’s not alone.

Wrapped in an invisible restraint is Killian. His bottom lip is bleeding as well as his nose.

“What is with you lot always fucking with us?” Killian barks, his eyes wild and deranged as he tries to break out of Arie’s grasp.

“Kill, please.” I lock eyes with him and shake my head.

He gives me a confused look, panting raggedly.

Callista walks around the desk, dragging a finger along the glossed dark wood. “Here’s what’s going to happen, Mr. Harlow. You will take the voyage to Inferno Isle. You will awake Selah with your presence and your blood so she can be restored. You will do all of this in a way that doesn’t alert the other Regals.” She stops several inches away from me, her silver gaze flicking up and down.

“Even if I get that far, which I won’t, what makes you think The Regals won’t come for you first?”

Callista’s eyes flare, and for a split second, I see the fear in them. She’s terrified of Hassha and Korah, yet she’s going through with this plan. It makes no sense to force my hand when it’ll take me days to get there.

“You clearly haven’t thought this through.”

“None of that matters!” Callista shouts at me. “Selah has grown impatient and it is now or never. You will go to the island and wake her yourself because if you don’t, we will kill your mate and this angry little bulldog of yours. And we won’t stop there. We’ll kill everyone and everything you care about until you concede. And if that’s not enough, we’ll burn all of Blackwater to the ground so you are left with nothing but ash! Do I make myself clear?”

I clench a fist, staring at Willow again. If you go there, you’ll die, Caz. Don’t agree to this. Please.

Her voice is loud in my head, the only voice I can hear. I have no reasoning within me. They’re threatening to kill her over a trip to bloody Inferno Isle.

I lower my gaze, trying to think of a way out of this, but I can’t. My hands grow hot and I feel something surging within me. All that power Hassha mentioned I have, yet none of it is coming to the front.

I lift my hand, hoping it’ll bring a spark like it does when I have a nightmare. It doesn’t. My palm is muted, not even a speck of color.

I look at Willow again. I have to.

Her mouth parts, and her eyes fill with more tears.

“Why can’t you just take my blood and go?” I ask, brows furrowing.

Callista scoffs. “Believe me, if it were that simple, you’d have been dead a long time ago.”

I work my jaw.

“It’s not just as simple as drawing your blood and using it, Monarch Harlow,” she counters. “The tomb Selah rests in requires your presence—your energy. Even we can’t tamper with that.”

“Plus, it’s a horrifying island,” Arie adds, waving a flippant hand. “One we prefer not to lose our lives on.”

Yet they want me to lose mine.

I sigh. “Fine. I’ll go. Just set Willow and Killian free.”

“Ah, ah, ah.” Callista presses her palms together, and her head goes into a slight tilt. “Who is to say you agree to go and then try to run off to Earth or some other place where we can’t reach you…like Kessel, perhaps?” Her eyes flicker as well as the candles in the sconces on the wall. “No, Monarch Harlow. We’re not idiots. While you fulfill this mission, we will take your mate to Council Castle where she will remain until Selah has risen.”

“No! You can’t do that!”

“I can and I will,” Callista snarls.

I reach behind me for the gun tucked in the back of my waistband and point it at Vassilis. “I’ll blow his fucking head off, Callista, and I promise you I will not miss.”

“Not before I twist her pretty little neck with one finger,” Vassilis hisses, tossing the knife and gripping Willow’s throat with his bare hand.

“Caz,” Killian calls. I steel my jaw, cutting my eyes at him before glaring at Vassilis again. “I’ll go with them. I’ll keep an eye on her.”

“Killian, no! Fuck that! This is just a game to them. We know this. You go there and they’ll kill you.”

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