Page 43 of A Reign of Malice
Isla’s entire body stiffens, her hands curling into fists. “That sleazy goddess isn’t welcome anywhere near me,” she snaps. “I don’t care if she brought our mother back. She kissed my mate.”
My head jerks up. “She didwhat?”
“Long story,” Isla mutters darkly. “And not one I’m eager to revisit.”
“Yeah, well, she’s also the only reason either of us are still here,” Estee reminds her sister, her tone gentler now. “We both owe her more than we want to admit. And who knows?If we play this right, maybe she can even help restore Alcaris. Creation magic is her specialty, after all.”
The thought sends a flicker of hope through me, sharp and bright. “You think she’d really do that?”
“Depends.” Estee shrugs. “She’s not a charity. She’ll want something in return. Theo’s power gave her something. We’re not sure, but we’ve also chosen not to be worried about it. Asher…well, Asher’s hot. What do you have?”
“Umm.” I decide it’s time to remind them of the most important piece of information. “I have a mate trapped by dark runes beneath this castle. One who should probably be dead but seems to be defying the odds by hanging on.”
“Right.” Isla frowns, sitting up a little straighter. “Estee told me about him. We dealt with dark objects in Polaris as well.”
I exhale, running my fingers along the seam of my dress. “I thought Aeson’s blood would unlock the runes, but it didn’t. Julian tried to tell me who else it might be, but I was yanked back into my body before he could finish giving me names.”
A pillow sails through the air, smacking me square in the face. “What the hell, Sloane?” Estee’s mock outrage is softened by her grin. “You didn’t tell me you were spirit-walking through the runes.”
I bare my teeth in a half-snarl before tossing the pillow aside. “That’s because I don’t know what that is. So, I can’t tell you how I do it. I just know it’s happened twice. Well, almost three times. The first time I found the runes, we formed a connection. One that allowed me to hear him. That’s when I went searching for more answers and was first pulled into the basement.”
Estee’s eyes widen, but it’s Isla who leans forward, studying me with an intensity that sends a prickle down myspine. “That’s rare. Spirit-walking is old magic. Most wolves can’t do it without training, and even then, it’s dangerous.”
“I didn’t exactly have a choice,” I mutter.
Estee’s fingers drum against the arm of her chair. “That settles it. I’m calling Aurora.”
“Fantastic,” Isla mutters, crossing her arms. “Wake me when the nightmare’s over.”
“You’ll survive.” Estee smirks. “I’ll have our healer in Selaris summon her. They’ve got a direct link. That way, we’re not tipping Aeson off to what we’re doing. Sloane, do you have anyone here you trust to handle sending a message?”
“Clara,” I say without hesitation. “She’ll make sure it’s done, even if she has to crawl through the walls to do it. But she’s confined to her room right now. There was…an incident.”
Isla perks up. “I knew I heard yelling earlier. What happened?”
Heat crawls up my neck. Gods, there’s no hiding the lengths I’ve gone to. But if they’re going to help me, they deserve the truth, no matter how humiliating it is.
I lay it all out. How I seduced Aeson to get his blood, how I faked my enthusiasm, how I’ve danced on the edge of danger every step of the way just to gather the crumbs of information I have.
By the time I finish, Estee’s mouth is hanging open, while Isla looks equal parts impressed and horrified.
“Gods,” Isla says, shivering in disgust. “He’s even worse than I thought. And Asher had already painted him as a power-hungry prick.”
“You’re lucky to have Clara,” Estee agrees. “But what about Dasha? Might she help?”
I recoil at the suggestion, my wolf bristling beneath myskin. “Why the hell would I trust her? She’s Aeson’s top advisor.”
Estee grins. “This is why you called me, Sloane. You’re too close to the situation to see things as they are. You just told us that Dasha was trying to warn Clara and that she was following you, likely even knew you had Aeson’s blood, but never saw that it was disposed of. If she was working against you, don’t you think Aeson would’ve been more suspicious before today?”
My jaw clenches. “Or maybe she’s playing both sides. Keeping just enough distance to look innocent.”
“Or maybe,” Estee counters, “she’s the key to all of this. If Dasha’s loyalty has even a crack in it, we can use that. She knows more than we do about the runes, about Aeson’s plans. We’d be stupid not to at least find out.”
My wolf growls low in my mind, uneasy. There’s something about Dasha I can’t put my finger on. Not yet. “We’ll see,” I say carefully. “But I’m not betting my life, or Julian’s, on her.”
“Fair enough,” Isla says. “So, what’s our next move?”
I lean my head back against the cushions, exhaustion settling into my bones. “Estee’s message gets sent, we wait for Aurora. If she’s willing to play, she’ll be here tomorrow. If not, we find another way.”
