Page 55 of Twisted By Darkness

“I’m sure. We’re going after the Collector.”

CHAPTER27

TRISTAN

The sun finds us all out of bed. Cassandra couldn’t sleep, and we all rise with the sound of her getting ready. I think we’re all afraid she might leave by herself. Donatello spent the night sitting next to the bed in case she tried to.

I eat a little. With all the preparations, I forgot I was going back home. Not home,home, but the place I was raised in. I’m going back to the Little Palace, and there’s this gnawing fear that I might not leave again. My stomach is in knots as the others eat. All but Cassandra. She looks as nauseated as I feel.

I want to cradle her in my lap and reassure her. Tell her it will be fine. We’re strong and organized, and we have her. She has her powers, and an enchanted knife. Giulia gave us special weapons, and Donatello has his potion. If somebody has a chance of bringing the Collector down, it’s us, and it’s today.

She doesn’t squeeze my fingers back when I take her hand, though. Her mind is away, and I know she feels more fear than all of us together. If any of the others die, that would upset me, but not as much as I would feel for her death. But Cassandra? She has higher stakes in this. She has all of us.

I put on my best brave face and smile at her. She shoots me a weak smile back.

After breakfast, Giulia meets us just like the other time. She shows us the portal stone into the Little Palace, the one we found in the fae’s things. She went through each stone of his until she identified the correct one. One chance. That’s all we have.

Cassandra fists the stone. Giulia touches her hair. The two gape at each other, soundlessly, even when Giulia can’t see a thing. Her milky eyes stare at Cassandra’s face, though, just as if she could see her.

Cassandra nods in Alicia and Trevor’s direction. The two nod back. Without a word, Cassandra walks to the center of the rune circle and the rest of us rush to take our spots next to her. Before she decides to leave by herself. Even Oreo is quiet as I pick him up, sensing the seriousness of the moment. I curl my fingers around an arm of hers and watch her as she closes her eyes and sings the words of a spell.

That same sensation from before takes over. Darkness forces in, into, around. My stomach turns, trying to expel its meager contents. A massive tug, as if my hand is tied to a rope, not touching Cassandra’s arm. She burns, but tendrils of coldness flicker up my arm. My breath rushes out. It takes forever, and no time at all.

When we stop, the momentum shoves us forward. I catch my balance and hold Cassandra up. She catches herself just fine this time. She was waiting for it. I open my eyes and my stomach plummets.

The Menagerie. I’m back at the Menagerie. The one place I’ve always wanted to leave. The one place I never wanted to go back to.

It looks exactly the same. As if I walked into a nightmare.

This corridor is dim, cold. It’s the one place in the entire Little Palace where anyone, the Collector included, can use portal stones. The rest of the place is drenched in protective wards, so no one can find it, track it, attack it. The Collector knows how many enemies he created through the years, and though he is strong, he doesn’t like being caught unawares.

Which is what we’re going to do now.

With the stones the fae had, we can break a handful of creatures out. The strongest, the ones who are healthiest, the ones who desire to put up the greatest fight. With them, we can fight the guards. We can face the Collector and put him down.

Once he’s down, the wards will shatter with him. Then we can help everyone out of their cages and escape. With some luck, we’ll make it out before Kayn gets here.

The vampire is our biggest problem. I watch Donatello drink the potion, to make sure he’ll be ready if Kayn shows up. He has an antidote vial in his pocket, in case Kayn doesn’t and we have to escape. If it wasn’t for Kayn, things would be easier. At least, more certain. We would only have one enemy to face today.

One powerful enemy.

It shivers down my spine. The knowledge of what we’re about to do. The fear of losing her. She’s growing into her powers still. The Collector has had his for thousands of years. And he has guards, some older than Donatello, maybe older than Kayn. Another shiver.

Cassandra races a hand down my arm, working the goosebumps away. She meets my eyes, and there’s so much affection in her gaze it’s a punch to the stomach. Propping herself to her toes, she folds her hands around my jaw and presses our foreheads together.

“I love you,” she mutters, and her words wash over me with the soothing warmth of a balm. Before I can say anything, she turns to Apollo and does the same with him. He holds her against his chest and kisses her hard. She untangles from his arms to tell Ren how she feels, then to Donatello. With the vampire, she stares at his eyes, making sure he can read her lips.

Donatello bends, brushing his lips against her ear. He feels the same, as all of us feel the same, and the moment should be light and fluffy as some books I read, but it’s the exact opposite.

My stomach feels like I swallowed lead. I grow sick, and Cassandra’s hands shake. A tension grows between us, even as she kneels and scratches Oreo behind the ears. It stretches like a bowstring, tight, tighter, about to snap.

Why does it feel like this is the end?

I want to go back. Suddenly, I don’t want to be here anymore. I shoot out a hand and take hers in mine, squeezing, hoping she gets my meaning. I don’t want to sound like a coward, and I know we should get the others out, but something grows heavy in my chest.

This will not end well.

Cassandra just smiles at me, and she pulls her shoulders back and tilts her chin up. “Let’s go.” And she starts off, full of fire, ready for war. And I have no choice but to follow her into the darkness.

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