Page 10 of A Vow of Wrath and Ruin

“How do I know you’re not going to snitch to the other side?”

She rose and crossed the room in an instant. Our faces nearly touched. I could count the faint freckles on her pale skin. Fire danced in her pale blue eyes, then quickly dulled.

“I am bound to serve you.” She fell to her knees, bowing her head low at my feet. “I have waited for a millennium to be freed. The Trinity Wells could be my ticket to freedom.”

I tapped my foot on the floor.

“And a way for me to survive using the scepter,” I said, my words dripping with condescension.

Even now, I could feel the magic tugging at the very fabric of my being.

“Rise, Morrigan. I will keep you around for now.”

“Thank you.” Grabbing my free hand, she laid a kiss onto my ring finger, as if I were a king of old.

Stunned, I yanked my hand back. Her ghostly lips sent a chill up my spine. I didn’t trust the Morrigan. She was out for herself, and no amount of ring kissing could convince me otherwise.

“Well, now that we have that settled.” Tharan took a drag from his cigarette. “I propose we all meet back here for Ostara to go over what we have found.”

“And hopefully have a true spring celebration,” Sumac said, flipping her dark hair to one side.

“And maybe something more,” Tharan whispered into my ear as he ran a finger down my back, sending my heart into my throat.

I swallowed hard, unsure if I was ready for what came next in our relationship. Was he proposing a binding ceremony? That would be a huge commitment on my part.

I loved Tharan… at least I thought I did, more than I’d ever loved anyone before. When we were together, I could breathe easier. My nightmares ceased. But something held me back from fully giving myself to him—past wounds bubbled to the surface. If I were being honest with myself, I wasn’t sure I deserved Tharan.

My eyes fell upon Caiden, who gave me a coy smile and cracked my heart a little more. We shared so much together. A history of happiness buried beneath a mountain of pain and hurt. Was it worth digging up? No—it needed to stay buried. I couldn’t go back to the person I was before. Caiden and Gideon were intrinsically linked in my mind. I couldn’t heal with Caidenin my life. As much as it pained me, I had to cut the cord between us. I swallowed a sob growing in my throat. Gideon hadn’t just erased who I was, he’d taken everyone I’d ever loved from me. My mother, my sister, and Caiden.

I turned to Tharan who gave me a wink. Pressure built behind my eyes. How could I even think about Caiden when I had the perfect man standing in front of me? What was wrong with me? I deserved this. I deserved to be happy.

Reaching out my power, I tapped on Tharan’s mind.

‘Yes?’

I sent an image of him in between my legs early in the morning and promptly turned my gaze elsewhere.

‘Naughty girl. You’ll be punished for thinking such things during an official meeting.’

Promise?

‘Get back to work.’

I didn’t have to look at him to know he was fighting a grin. The guilt weighing on my conscience eased a little bit. I wanted Tharan to know how I felt about him. He was my priority now… my everything.

Caiden stood, clicking his heels together like the soldier he was. “I will get to work on my part. Lucius, have your shadows see what they can find out about the whereabouts of Gideon and Erissa.”

Lucius nodded, pushing himself from where he leaned on the bookshelf, long white hair draped over his left shoulder, high cheekbones shadowed gaunt cheeks. “As if I didn’t have them searching already.”

“Very well, then, we will see you on Ostara.” Caiden crossed the gap between us.

I straightened as he moved closer. I was a royal Hand now, not some lovesick teenager. I snuffed out the cigarette, swallowing hard.

Caiden reached for my right hand, and I found myself instinctively raising it to him. His lips gently grazed the thin skin on my hand. The contrast between his warm lips and the Morrigan’s cold ghostly ones was a welcome relief.

A memory flashed through my mind: all the times we played coy when we were younger, hiding our affection for one another in plain sight. How many times had he kissed my hand before? I tapped the side of my nose like we used to when we were younger—A signal one of us needed saving. Not a hint of recognition flickered in his blue eyes. My heart sank a little. It was stupid of me to carry an ounce of hope.

“Thank you for saving us,” he said, sapphire eyes locked on mine. “The Court of Storms owes you a great debt.”

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