Page 47 of Blood of Two Crowns

Before I could ask him to elaborate, we arrived at a set of open doors, and our escort gestured for us to go in before they turned and left.

Asterion and I entered the study, far cozier than I’d have anticipated, to find the god himself sitting in a chaise longue reading near a crackling hearth. Thanks to his magic, the temperature inside his palace was crisp. A surprisingly delicate ceramic tea set decorated with flowers and vines sat on the low table in front of him. His gaze lifted from the book in his hand, bearing a title I couldn’t read. “Oh good, thank you for joining me.”

As we sat down on a couch across from him, Asterion promptly tucked me under his arm, and I couldn’t help but feel as if he was protecting me from something. From Azrael.

“What’s going on?”

Azrael replied with an enigmatic smile, eyes shifting between the two of us. “You two have grown close.”

At my wary silence, Azrael continued. “I’m told you’ve been unwell.”

My head turned to Asterion, failing miserably to hide the guilty look on his face. Gradually, my eyes return to Azrael. “I’m fine.”

Unconvinced, Azrael studied me for several moments. “Well, that’s a relief. I know you’ve been burdened with a lot since arriving… Tea?”

This is fucking weird.

Azrael gestured at the teapot, already pouring himself a cup. A dark, purple-y, red liquid pours from the spout, boasting tendrils of steam. The scent of ripe, tangy berries filled my nose, and my mouth instantly began to salivate.

“Yes, please.”

Azreal quirks a brow. “Asterion?”

Asterion narrowed his eyes for a moment before scrutinizing Azrael, before finally sighing and relaxing a little as he leaned back into the couch. His protective arm slid off my shoulders. “Fine.”

Azrael passed both of us our teas before taking another gulp of his.

“How have my people been treating you?”

Why even bother asking?I sighed around a gulp of what was perhaps the best tea I’d ever tasted in my entire life as the flavor of summer berries burst upon my tongue.

“They keep me well fed.”

Azrael smiled bitterly, studying me as I took another delicious sip of tea. “You’ve sent more people to the chasm in the few months you’ve been here than I have in at least a millennia… There are faster ways to kill me, you know.”

Numbness slid through my veins like ice water as dizziness overtook me. Asterion’s hand shot out to yank me backwards, preventing me from crashing face-first onto the coffee table.“Mareina…”

Asterion’s gold eyes glowed brightly before their light began to flicker, and his body swayed forward before Azrael lept up just in time to tilt his body backwards, where he sagged into the couch beside me.

I opened my mouth to ask my friend if he was alright, but his name got lost on the tip of my tongue. My eyes took in our surroundings, landing on the male sitting in front of us sipping tea.

“Truly, I am sorry about this. You’ve given me no choice.”

Anxiety was a crushing weight upon my chest when I tried to sit up and realized I couldn’t.

“What’s happening?”

“Currently, you and your friend here are experiencing the symptoms of a little cocktail I made just for you two. The first is Mortsbane. Lethal to a human, but only causes a lapse in motor function for a brief period of time and nullifies magic in immortals. Even those as powerful as yourself,” he adds, eyes dipping to Asterion, “The second, is the River Oblivion.”

River Oblivion, River Oblivion, River Oblivion, River Oblivion.

I chanted the name inside my head like a prayer, hoping it would tell me what it meant.

“Difficult to procure, but highly effective.”

“Youpoisonedme?”

Azrael tsked. “Nonsense. If I wanted you dead, you’d be dead. What I want is for you to forget. Not everything, mind you. Hence only giving you a single drop.I’m not a monster.I just need you to be less…volatile.I want you to be happy. And, as I very well know, that’s an awful lot to ask of someone mourning the absence of theirsoulbound.”

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