Page 109 of Fallen Heirs

“Nicely done.”

“Take your leave of him now.”

“Not yet. Even with you breaking the connection between Elliot and Constantine, Elliot’s magic still needs to be retrieved.”

“No. It’s too dangerous. We’ll find another way.”

“That spell was only temporary. With him in possession of the magic, he could re-establish the connection any time. Elliot isn’t safe and neither is Xavier.”

“He can’t re-establish the connection. I’ve had Alena ensure it. She’s sealed things with her celestial magic. It’s over. They’re safe.”

“Alena is there?”

“With Elliot in dire straits, I needed her magic to stabilize him so he could withstand a spell of this magnitude.”

“Why didn’t you tell me immediately?”

“Your head needed to remain clear, your focus absolute. I’ve only told you now to stop you from risking yourself to retrieve Elliot’s magic.”

“I’ll be fine.”

“Orpheus—”

I broke the mind-link to find Constantine staring out at me expectantly.

“Well?” he pushed.

“You’re not known for your diplomacy. The fact you’re attempting it now raises many red flags. I’d need a gesture of good faith to even take the offer at face value, let alone to run it by the leader ofExemplar.”

“A gesture of good faith,” he mused to himself.

He held up his left hand, indicating that he wasn’t attempting an attack. With his right, he opened his robe, then tugged on a leather strap hanging around his neck and pulled a pendant free from his black shirt. I took it in as it rested on the fabric, an oval stone glowing vibrant indigo. “Like this?” he asked,running his fingers over it. “All that power of his and it can be condensed into this. It isn’t easy to hold at bay, however. It’s being contained by both my magic and Lenora’s borrowed celestial magic.” He registered my eyes on it. “You can’t liberate his magic. AHellbornor a celestial object could, but thanks to the misguided supernatural leaders, those are unreachable now. What about Alena, hmm? Technically, yes, she has the power. However, she’d have to touchmymagic. Do you really think she’d be able to stomach that after what I subjected her to? More to the point, do you really want to put her through that? To be clear, if she does try to penetrate my magic, I’ve added a special present for her. A rush of memories will assault her of all the fun we had together, every dirty little thing I did to her, every painful and degrading moment I forced upon her.”

Son of a bitch.

“You underestimate her.”

“Do I? I have my spies, remember? I’m aware she could barely function after her time spent with me. Not the mark of an almighty hero, is it? She’s ruined. I ensured it. She’ll never be the threat to me that her mother was now. If she’d stayed by my side and allied herself with me, I could have taught her how to reach her full potential. She could have become the most powerful being in the supernatural world. But when she rejected all that I had offered her, I ensured that would never come to pass. I shattered her. There’s no coming back from that.” He grinned out at me maliciously, as further poison dripped from his lips, “She’s nothing but my broken doll now.”

I growled low in my throat.

He burst forward and wrapped his hand around my throat, hauling me off the ground.

“You’re a fool. Love is never anything but a weakness. Caring for others is unwise. It will compromise you time and time again. It’s what has brought you to me this night. You should havestayed withObsidian, yet you came to spare Elliot and Xavier instead. A decision borne from emotion and care.” He called the vampire forth, his features contorting and his fangs dropping, and he snarled in my face, “You think me a fool? You don’t intend to take my deal. You were merely trying to create an opportunity to find out where I’m keeping Elliot’s magic. Puppet master recognizes puppet master, Dark Prince.”

“Then you’re missing a step in your advanced age. And your ever-increasing insanity, of course,” I rasped against his restrictive grip.

He frowned and it took him a moment, but then he grasped the leather band around his neck with his free hand, noticing what I’d done while he’d been embroiled in this burst of violence and intimidation of his, along with his love of laying down threats.

His eyes shot wide. “How did you… where is it?”

“Right here,” I said, opening my hand.

In the next second, I made him watch as it dematerialized as I sent it to my father for safekeeping, along with a warning that would activate as soon as it flew into his hand about what would happen to Alena if she tried to breach the spell trapping Elliot’s magic within.

“Too slow, especially for an elder vampire. How disappointing.”

He roared and hauled me into the gates of the Academy.

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