Page 3 of Tangle of Lust and Lethargy

A loud hiss cut through the emotional moment, making me flinch.You are worthy, a slippery voice echoed in my mind.You have earned the crown.

My heart clenched, a cold shiver running down my spine. The snake was using telepathy to communicate.

I was worthy? Fresh tears pooled behind my eyes, ready to stream down my face like a broken faucet. This seemed unreal. It’s not every day someone forgives you for something as horrendous as getting your mother murdered, even if you were a little girl and didn’t know what you were doing.

Although the serpent had deemed me worthy, the only person I cared about was Damon. He was my twin, and he meant more to me than anything except maybe Justice. My brother and I had been through so much together, and he had always been my rock.

The truth was I needed him.

I pulled away from Damon, wiping my tears with shaking hands. He still had that same brotherly love in his eyes. I could always feel it when he got the shine in them as if he was holding back tears.

I squeezed his hand. “Thank you. I?—”

“Sawyer, you’re my sister. You’re family. Never keep anything from me again.”

I sniffed. “I promise.”

I glanced at the serpent. “Thank you, Damon,” I told my brother, slowly backing away from him.

He clasped my wrist, his grip desperate. “Sawyer, no. Don’t do it.”

I gently pried his fingers off, my heart breaking at the fear in his eyes. “It’s my destiny. Whatever happens, it was meant to be.”

Though I’d been deemed worthy, experience had taught me that not everything was black and white. Sometimes, sacrifices had to be made, like when I retrieved the mirror and lost my memory of my father. Maybe this would be even darker. Perhaps I’d lose my life.

But I was determined to save Justice, my brother, and all my friends.

With leaden feet, I approached the serpent. It revealed its fangs, and I froze, my muscles tensing for an attack. But its gaze wasn’t on me. I glanced over my shoulder, following its line of sight to Zara and Lisa.

Did it suspect Zara as being a traitor and unworthy? Maybe it had read her mind. Was the beast preparing to cut her down where she stood?

If it did, so be it. Zara shouldn’t have betrayed the team.

Taking a deep breath that did little to calm my racing heart, I reached for the Crown of Envy. The serpent rolled through it, coiling up the altar, its hiss raising goosebumps on my arms.

I won’t kill you. Its voice slithered through my mind.

Relief flooded me, quickly followed by a new wave of dread. If not me, who?

The serpent’s gaze remained fixed behind me. Instinct took over, and I lunged for the Crown, my fingers closing around the cool metal.

“She has it. Come forth, Maci.”

The words splashed me like a bucket of ice water. That wasn’t Zara’s voice.

It was Lisa’s.

“Sawyer, look out. Behind you!” Justice’s panicked yell echoed off the walls like thunder.

CHAPTER TWO

I whirled, my heart leaping into my throat as I found myself nose-to-nose with Maci. Her eyes gleamed with triumph, shadows swirling in their depths. Before I could blink, she moved with impossible speed, her form blurring into darkness. The crown vanished from my grasp.

“Damon!” I shouted.

My brother burst forward, his gun already raised. “Get away from her, you black-scaled bitch!” he snarled, firing off two rapid shots.

The bullets passed harmlessly through Maci’s shadowy form, pinging off the stone wall behind her. She laughed, the sound echoing eerily around us. “Is that the best you can do, little hunter?”

---