Page 125 of Artemysia
Now I know who he meant when he grilled me about war strategy.
Who is surrounded on three sides with their back against a wall?
Humans.
And the three sides that want our annihilation?
Syf.
“I dared the universe to prove me right or wrong by holding out on sex.” - Riev
How will I get out of this one? I’m already dizzy from whatever poison is in the scotch. I need Delphine. She’ll know what to do.
The twins giggle as I sway. My vision blurs. They each clasp an arm and guide me onto the armchair blocking the passageway.
“You were right,” Sylvi says. “He has to be Syf. He looks exactly like the one they brought in last month. His eyes, his nose, and jaw… They could be brothers.”
“I’m not Syf.” My tongue is heavy, and my words come out thickly. I struggle to drag away the leather chair blocking the passageway.
Sylvi pushes me into the chair with a flick of her wrist on my sternum. My knees give way like twigs as I’m backed into the edge of the seat. That’s all it takes to thwart my escape in my current state. I drop back, no longer able to stand.
I’m screwed. They have complete control of me.
“I’m not Syf,” I repeat, scrambling to keep my thoughts from splintering even as my head spins. Sylvi is an almond-haired, periwinkle blur leaning over me.
“We’ve been waiting for one who isn’t rabid.” Sylvi plops down on the arm of the chair and presses her lips to my ear. “I want to be with a Syf. They’re supposed to be amazing in bed…”
The nerve on this one.
“If they rule the world, then we want a Syf mate.” It’s Kye, curving over me. He strokes my hair and neck.
What? Who rules the world?
“I’m not—” I stammer.
“The scars on your back. Your wings were cut off,” Sylvi insists. “I felt them. They’re like other spies the king has caught.” She’s fucking unbuttoning my shirt. Her hands rake my chest. I tense, but it’s hard to tense when my body feels like mint jelly. My heart pounds uncontrollably, a galloping elk thundering against my ribs.
I didn’t see this coming. I don’t want this. I’m Delphine’s.
“Stop. I’m human. My ears…” I cock my head and show my teeth. “No fangs.”
“Fangs and claws only appear on the rabid ones.” Kye grips the knot holding my hair back and pulls out the band. He rakes his fingers into my scalp. “Syf hair is so much softer than human hair. I’ve only touched dead ones, though. Sylvi, feel this.”
They know so much more about Syf.
Sylvi is kissing my neck, but she pauses.
“Kye, he’s right. His ears aren’t pointed.” Sylvi drags her nail along the curve of my ear, her expression predatory.
Kye leans in, his cold, slender hand gripping my throat and jaw to turn my head. “He must have snipped them to blend in with humans.”
“But there’s no scarring.”
“That’s not right. Syf never have rounded ears.”
I take the opportunity to save myself. “The scars aren’t from wings. They’re from a riding accident. Thrown off an elk, and its untrimmed antlers gored me, tore up my back.”
Sylvi is skeptical.
