Page 143 of Wicked Heirs

“What proof could you possibly give? The only way to ensure you don’t use your allure on Alena to such an invasive extent isto keep her away from you using a formidable ward. Or, sending you back to the Dark Fae Realm until all this is over.”

“Keeping us apart?” His eyes narrowed. “Not fucking happening.”

“That’s a bit extreme,” Talon spoke.

“So is Saryan’s plan,” Xavier countered.

It had Talon nodding and stopping his defense when it had barely got started. “Yeah.”

“Like I said, I’ll provide proof, so there’s no need for that. Not that I’d allow it either way. There’s a spell to protect a target against a Dark Fae’s mind manipulation.” He shoved his hands into the pockets of his silver and black blazer. “But it’s painful for the target.” His gaze flicked to me. “It essentially burns a permanent mark into your skin to guard against mind meddling from any Dark Fae being.”

“Shit,” Talon uttered. “How painful are we talking exactly?”

“That’s bad enough without you also marking her permanently, Orpheus,” Xavier said.

“It’s the only way to protect her against this. I’ll have to add a little of my blood into the spell too, because the mark can be removed by anyone stronger than me. With guarding against Dark Fae influence, the only being stronger than me is my father, but with the blood magic the spell with be imbued with, given our blood link, it will bypass that and prevent him from being able to do so—a workaround, if you will.” He looked at Xavier pointedly. “Also,Iwon’t be able to perform the spell, given that it’s to prevent Dark Fae influence.”

“You’re kidding? You realize what you’re asking me?”

“Your magic has stabilized ever since you ingested her angel blood. And you’ve continued to do so whenever we’ve fucked.”

“I meant asking me to hurt her. But while we’re on that, I still haven’t performed any advanced spells in three years, ever since I was turned.”

“Then you’d better get your shit together,” Orpheus bit back. “The time for holding back is well and truly over. Constantine’s acolytes are out there and actively searching for a way to free the fucker. This is the big-time, the very thingObsidianhas prepared for. You can’t balk now. In fact, you need to step up, and this spell will be your first test.”

Talon pulled from me and rubbed his bright-orange hair all over, cursing, and in clear distress about this whole thing.

Orpheus told me, “You too, little angel. It’s on now.” He eyed me pointedly. “My father needs to be stopped before things spiral completely out of control. But I can’t take him alone.”

I’d been quiet all this time, absorbing everything, taking in all the details, and trying to put the big picture together too.

“You want the two of us to head Saryan off before he crosses paths with the acolytes, let alone Elliot Sabre and my mom.”

“Precisely.”

“That’s going to take a shit-ton of power,” Talon stated. “Especially if we drop in when he’s already located the acolytes.”

“Hence me needing someone of Alena’s magical potential beside me. There’s also the fact that my father either knows the whereabouts or already has access to aHellborn.”

Xavier’s eyes wet wide and he tensed majorly. “Tell me that’s a gross exaggeration, Ore.”

“I wish I could. The way he was talking, it’s reality.”

“Being in possession of such a dangerous magical object, one possessingsomuch power, is a violation of the supernatural law enforced byExemplar.”

“That’s how desperate and paranoid he is. He has no faith left in them, worse than even before, so he’s trying to handle it on his own. I can’t allow it. The fallout for him and everyone else is unimaginable if he fails. Even if he succeeds he could still face arrest or a great deal more… he’d be ruined. Not just temporarily this time like before either.”

“What about reporting this toExemplar?” I suggested. “Omitting the part about his involvement and just informing them that the acolytes have resurfaced and that they’re searching for aHellbornand theVitalium?”

“For one, given that the source is his spy network,Exemplarwould never take it seriously. They don’t accept intel from the Dark Fae King after the events of theCataclysm.And if it came from us—specificallyyouas the daughter of Abigail Rose—it would take awayourchance to head him off and destroy theVitaliumourselves.”

“That wasn’t on the table,” Xavier said.

“I was getting to it,” Orpheus bit back.

“Destroying the jar would kill Constantine.”

“Exactly. The end to all our problems. The threat finally annihilated as it should have been three years ago.”

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