Page 263 of Lady of Starfire

Cyrus’s features went positively wicked. His voice was low and lethal when he said, “I have a new bargain to make with you, Gehenna.”

“I want nothing else to do with you. I still have some of your blood. You will never be free of me. Death will be a mercy when I am done with you,” Gehenna hissed, pulling the vial of his blood from her pocket. It was what they had been waiting for, needing her to confirm if she still had any of it.

She was thrown back by a wave of darkness. Coughing out a gasp as shadows wound around her throat, she gasped, “You are not a goddess.”

Scarlett’s smile was pure poison. “Think again.”

“How?” the Sorceress rasped, clawing at the shadows. “How did I not know?”

“I guess it was hidden by deceit,” Scarlett replied, another wave of darkness slamming into the Sorceress.

“You are a World Walker,” Gehenna cried, eyes wide with understanding. “They deceived us all!”

“You came after one of mine, Gehenna. You tortured him. Tried to break him.”

“No!” she screamed as the shadows began to drag her across the floor and back to the cell. Her fingers were cracking and bleeding as she tried to grab anything to slow her. “We had a bargain!”

“That I would let you out of that cell. It is no folly of mine if you do not understand how these things work,” Scarlett replied. “About that new bargain with Cyrus though…”

Scarlett looked to him, twisted delight dancing in her eyes. His queen. His friend. His family. Who had given to save him. Who had never turned away from him despite his failures.

Loyalty he was deserving of.

Cyrus strolled forward, picking up the vial of blood from where it had rolled across the floor. “A sacrifice of blood.”

“No!” Gehenna screamed.

“A sacrifice of betrayal.”

Scarlett shoved her into the cell, Chaos surrounding the bars. He could feel her magic holding, caging, imprisoning.

Ashtine stepped forward, reopening the slice on her palm and smearing blood across the door, sealing it once more.

“A sacrifice of time. A long, long time. Eternity perhaps,” Cyrus finished.

Gehenna was a panting heap curled on the floor, fingers pulling at her hair the same way Cyrus had done every time she’d trapped him in a memory.

He moved up close to the bars, just short of touching them. He knew Scarlett had done something to them. They weren’t just shirastone any longer.

“I have one more thing for you,” Cyrus said, pulling the folded paper from his pocket.

“I will kill you!” Gehenna snarled, lifting her head. It was feral madness that stared back at him. Wild violet eyes. Bared teeth.

“This is the last time you will ever see me, Gehenna,” he replied casually, flicking the paper through the bars to her.

She crawled forward and snatched it up, unfolding it in such a haste it nearly tore. But it was enchanted to never be destroyed. Not by hand nor by fire. Not by any type of power.

It was a drawing.

Of him.

“What do I want with this?” she hissed.

“I told you. It was something to remember me by,” he answered, lowering down to a crouch so he was on eye level with her. “I wish I could say you didn’t break me, but you did. You tainted so many things in my life. Trapped me in a house of memories that we sadistically built together. But now, Gehenna?” He pushed back to his feet. “That picture is to ensure that I always have a place in your house of memories too. For you to always remember thatIwas the one who ultimately brokeyou.”

She was screaming, high-pitched wails of agony as he turned away. Ashtine and Scarlett were waiting for him at the bottom of the steps. Ashtine went first, somehow still gracefully gliding up the stairs even with her rounded belly.

“You are all right?” Scarlett asked him with a soft smile as he tucked the vial of his blood into his pocket.

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