Page 16 of Vanquished Gods

I rested my head on the back of the bath and closed my eyes. Leo, I imagined, had eaten several meat pies before falling into a contented sleep somewhere in that cozy house. Archon knew he deserved it.

I released a deep sigh, relaxing deeper into the bath, my skin going pink from the heat. I could get used to this place, of course, but did I really belong here? Or was all this luxury just a way to lure me into the vampires’ dark plans? That’s what vampires did, didn’t they? Sexy, alluring, their lips on your throat, making your pulse race, your fingers curl into their hair—then, it’s punctured veins and oblivion.

And no matter what the Keeper of Relics said, I wasn’t sure I was the person to take down the entire Luminari army. Thousands of them.

Tremble before the Underworld Queen as she sips expensive wine in a bath…

I lifted my fingertips, staring at the water beaded on them, little domes refracting light.

What if there were another way to use my powers? One that didn’t involve slaughtering thousands of people and becoming a monster?

What if we found a way to cut off the head of the snake? The Pater. The man who could not be killed—supposedly. But I knew death intimately enough to understand thateveryonehad a vulnerability. It was just a matter of learning what it was. For vampires, it was hawthorn and sunlight. For the fae, apparently, it was iron. And for the Pater? I didn’t know yet, but I could make it my job to find out. I took another sip of the wine.

As the sun slid lower, burning the heavens, a knock sounded on the door. My fingers tightened on my wine glass. After so many days in a cramped little cottage with the singing bards, I’d really been enjoying the quiet in here.

“I’m busy!” I shouted through the open bathroom door. “Don’t come in.”

But to my horror, I heard the bedroom door creaking open—followed by a loud, agonized shriek.

Bloody hell.

The curtains were wide open, and honeyed sunlight poured into the room. Ihadtold her not to come in, hadn’t I?

Jumping out of the bath, I grabbed a towel and wrapped it around myself. I ran into the bedroom, groping the towel to my body, and yanked the curtains shut.

When I turned around again, I found a burning woman lying on the stones, rolling to try to extinguish the flames that blazed from her black dress.

I pulled off my damp towel and threw it on her, smothering the flames. Smoke filled the air, and I found myself shaking, naked and crouched over this singed stranger.

“Are you okay?” I asked breathlessly.

Smoke rose from her seared skin, and her dress hung on her body in scraps. But already before my eyes, the horrific red burns on her face were healing over, her cheeks turning white.

She caught her breath, staring, stunned for a moment. Then a smile spread across her face. “Hello, Underworld Queen. I’m Rowena.”

It took me a moment to realize what had caused her gaping. I wasnotused to standing around strangers stark naked. In fact, I’d hardly even take my gloves off around people in a decade. I snatched a velvety blue blanket from the bed and wrapped it around my damp body like a giant towel. Only then did I realize that delicate gowns lay strewn over the stone floor.

She sat up, still smiling at me. “Oh, don’t worry about covering up. Vampires aren’t shy about bodies.”

I nodded. “Well, I’m not a vampire.”

So, I wasn’t getting alone time. Pity.

She stood, dusting off the burned rags that hung from her slim body. Now that the burns had cleared, I could see that she was strikingly beautiful, with wild blonde curls and deep blue eyes framed by long eyelashes. With her big eyes and heart-shaped face, she had a doll-like quality.

“Well, Underworld Queen, as luck would have it, most of the clothes I brought for you are fine. Mistress Adeline sent me.”

“You can call me Elowen.”

She picked up the clothes off the floor, then lay them out on the bed—stunning gowns of delicate material, stitched with vine-like patterns over ivory and blue, some with black lace over white silk. She pointed to one in particular, a dress the color of bone with maroon stitching that snaked over the thin fabric. “I like that one, I think. The sun is setting now, and you will dine in the lunarium with the king. It’s truly a great honor, you know.I’ve always wanted to eat there, but only the most esteemed members of his court are invited to sit in the lunarium. Just as only the most esteemed will receive navka pendants. Someday, you know, I hope to have one, if the king so chooses.”

“Navka?”

“The butterfly pendants that protect vampires from sunlight. They’re very rare.”

Probably not a good time to mention that I had an extra one jammed under my mattress.

I cleared my throat. “Sion had said I’d be mostly alone up here.”

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