Page 149 of Blood Feast

She leaned closer and smiled with all her fangs. “How do you know plant magic is the only affinity I have?”

His gaze sharpened on her face. She had his attention now.

She pressed the knife a little closer against his throat, just enough to draw blood. “I opened a letting site in Orthros.”

He sucked in a breath, and she knew she had accomplished a great feat, even if this negotiation ended in disaster.

“I’m one of the only people in thousands of years who has surprised you, aren’t I?” She traced her dagger under his chin.

“You and Lio are threatening the game’s existence. You learned of our grand design and betrayed that secret to others.That knowledge is only for my Overseers—or those doomed to die. The rules demand that I destroy you.”

“And yet you hate the thought of sacrificing me. It goes against your grain to waste such a valuable playing piece.”

“You would have been one of my most beautiful weapons. But you’ve fallen into the wrong hands, and I cannot allow that. You know that.”

“Perhaps there’s another way.” She gave him her coldest court smile. “For the right price. Tell me what’s behind the doors, and I might be willing to help you open them.”

She had looked into the eyes of her possessive sire, lustful suitors, and predatory enemies. But none compared to the covetous gleam that lit the Collector’s gaze.

“My dear, after all these years. Could you finally be having a change of heart?”

What in the Goddess’s name are you doing?Lio demanded.

Trust me.

Their Union vibrated with his protest, but he was too busy staunching the blood Lyros was losing to do anything about her wild plan.

“I’ll never lick your boots like Miranda,” Cassia said. “If you’re counting on my devotion, you can go to Hypnos. You know what I want, Kallikrates.”

He smiled. On Skleros’s new face, it was a beautiful smile warped by the fresh scar she had given him. “You want your power.”

“That’s all I’m interested in, do you understand? The magic that’s rightfully mine. All of it.”

“Even immortality is not enough for you, is it? Unlimited time is not the greatest mystery or the greatest prize. I’m sure you found it a small ambition, just as I did. You know that the real goal is unlimited magic. The power to peel back every mystery ofthe arcane and break it in your hands until it no longer shapes you. You shape creation.”

Were these words merely more poison, or could they be a valuable glimpse into what really motivated him? Either way, she had to keep him talking.

“Whatever lies behind those doors is mine,” she said, “and you still need my magic to open it. I’ll consider helping you on two conditions. You tell me what it is, and you spare my errant circle. If you harm any of the Black Roses, the deal is off.”

“I heard that’s what you’re calling yourselves now. I can appreciate a flare for the dramatic.”

“If a single one of us dies, you don’t get anything from me.”

“Bold, to make such demands of your creator.”

“You didn’t create me, despite your arrogance about your little plot to breed a Silvicultrix. My mother made me, and Hespera remade me. Don’t forget it again, or I will remind you just whose weapon I am now.”

“You’ve always been your own weapon, Cassia. That’s why you and I are so alike. You are never without an agenda of your own, and you’re willing to do whatever it takes to achieve it.”

She kept her court mask in place to hide how much his words affected her. Her ends were just, now. To protect those she loved, she reminded herself. She hadn’t strayed too far from Hespera’s means, either. Had she?

She spared a glance toward Lio and Lyros. The thorns around Mak parted for them. Black burn marks criss-crossed Mak’s arms and legs, but he was sitting up. He took his Grace in his arms, pressing Lyros’s mouth to his throat. Almost safe. Just a moment longer…

“What do you think of my proposal?” Cassia prompted.

The Collector paused, as if actually considering the deal she had offered. That should have made her feel victorious. But it frightened her most of all because he seemed pleased.

Finally, he replied, “I shall consider your offer in exchange for a token of good faith.”

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