Page 23 of Mirror of Vanity

“Welcome to the Unseelie Realm,” a smooth, mocking voice cut in through the eerie silence.

I whirled, my heart pounding as I hunted for Justice, desperate for the reassurance of his presence. But he wasn’t there. The emptiness surrounding me was sweltering, pressing against my skin like a suffocating hot blanket. My blood turned ice-cold, and my breath froze in my lungs, fear gripping my entire being.

Shit-shit-shit-shit.

The curse echoed in my mind, a frantic mantra that did little to calm my frayed nerves. I was in deep trouble—the understatement of the year. The realization settled in the pit of my stomach like a lead weight, and cold tendrils of dread snaked through my veins.

I gasped for breath, for words, for anger, but I stood there stunned, knowing I was completely cut off from everyone. My team, my brother, Justice. He had broken his promise to protect me.

Garrick gave me a movie-star smile that would have melted any girl’s heart. “You said you didn’t belong to him. Now, you must give me a chance to claim you, or you’ll never leave the Unseelie Realm.”

Something snapped in the woods, and a low, menacing growl froze my heart. I flinched, my gaze darting toward the sound as every muscle in my body tensed, ready to flee.

His words had chilled my bones, the implications of his ultimatum sinking in like a lead weight. I struggled to comprehend the twisted game he was playing, my mind racing to find a way out of this nightmare.

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

I glared at Garrick, my eyes narrowing as I tried to calculate my next move. I refused to fall into his trap and get stuck in this realm forever. My heart raced as I scanned the surroundings. The realization that my worst nightmare was coming true settled in my gut like a cold, heavy stone.

We stood in a clearing surrounded by twisted, gnarled trees, their dark, dense foliage blocking out the cold, pale moon. The branches seemed to reach out like skeletal fingers, ready to ensnare anyone who ventured too close. Mists swirled around our feet, their tendrils curling and twisting like ghostly serpents. A chill crawled up my legs, spreading across my body like icy tentacles, and I shivered, cursing myself for not bringing a heavy coat.

The faint sound of distant wails drifted through the air, carrying a sense of despair and anguish that made my skin prickle. I drew a sobering breath, inhaling a cloying mix of decay and an oddly sweet perfume from unknown flowers. My head swam as I tried to focus on my surroundings, searching for any clue that might lead me to Justice and a way out of this nightmare.

Garrick extended his hand, his eyes glinting with amusement and impatience. “Come with me.”

I folded my arms, my jaw clenching. “I’m not going anywhere. Where is Justice?”

He gestured and smiled. “Oh, he’s here. You’re not alone.”

“Garrick.” I drawled his name, dripping with anger and frustration.

He bowed as if trying to be endearing. “Come with me. You need something to eat after traveling between dimensions.”

Food? I suppressed a shudder at the thought of consuming anything from this strange realm, especially zigitar. The last thing I wanted was to get trapped in this world.

I squared my shoulders. “That’s not what I want. I want to find Justice, and you promised to take me to the library.”

Garrick’s expression hardened, his eyes narrowing to slits. The earlier traces of amusement and false charm had vanished, replaced by a cold, calculating look that turned my blood to ice.

“I’m returning to my castle, Angarth Stronghold.” His voice was as sharp and unyielding as the jagged rocks that littered the landscape. He swept a gesture toward a distant, ominous structure looming on the horizon.

My eyes widened as I took in the sight of the castle. Its black spires reached skyward, piercing the murky, swirling clouds like the claws of a monstrous beast. The dark stone walls seemed to absorb the meager light that managed to penetrate the gloom, giving the fortress an aura of impenetrable darkness.

The architecture reminded me of the grand castles in Scotland with their towering turrets and imposing battlements. However, where those structures had exuded a sense of history and enchantment, Angarth Stronghold radiated an eerie, malevolent energy that made my skin crawl.

A gust of wind whipped through the clearing, carrying the faint whispers of tortured souls and the acrid scent of ancient evil. Mists swirled around the base like a legion of ghostly sentinels, their spectral forms twisting and writhing in an eternal dance of anguish.

I tore my gaze from the unsettling sight. My heart pounded as I tried to suppress rising fear. The thought of entering that dark, forbidding place filled me with dread, but I knew I had no choice if I wanted to find Justice and unravel the mysteries of this realm.

He met my uneasy gaze. “Tomorrow, I will take you to the Archive of Shadows. If you don’t come with me, beware of the terrifying beasts out here that would tear you apart, especially the shadow wolves. The choice is yours.”

My breath caught in my throat. “What about Justice?”

Garrick shrugged. “He’s a vampire and can feast on the creatures of the night.”

I couldn’t shake the feeling there was more to Garrick’s decision to separate us than he let on. The way he reacted to Justice’s mention of Maggie earlier made me wonder if they had a deeper connection, a history Garrick was unwilling to reveal.

Still…drink their blood? My stomach revolted at the thought. How could Chelby trust this Unseelie? So far, he’d shown nothing but deceit and manipulation.

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