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My fingers tapped a rhythm against the dais, and I asked, “Where is Isaiah?”
“He should be back soon. I have him taking care of a minor problem.”
“A problem? Is this about The Eye?”
“Worry not. Stay focused. You focus on opening the realms. The Eye is pointless if those do not open.”
I smiled. “Of course, my king.”
“One more thing, Kaden.”
I paused.
“Do not fail me again. We will not wait another thousand years. If I have to rip the realms apart with my bare hands, you will not like the outcome. Are we clear?”
“I miss you, too.”
A slight chuckle flowed through the connection. “See you soon.”
The mirror jumped before going still and smoothing out. I pushed away from the dais and opened a portal. The room I stepped into was an assault after the obsidian room. It took a few minutes for my eyes to adjust to the richness of the colors. I sat in the twisted bone chair and propped my feet on the carved, clawed desk. A small coin glinted at me from the desktop. Leaning forward, I grabbed it, twirling the aged metal between my fingers, the ridges worn smooth.
“Not that much. You’ll kill him, and we don’t need a body trail.”
“I did it. This is the first time I fed and didn’t accidentally kill someone,” She practically squealed.
I couldn’t stop looking at her hair. It was inky black and fell in glossy waves past her shoulders. She cradled a man in her arms, blood dripping from her new fangs.
She noticed my focus, and her face dropped. “What? Did I get blood in my hair?”
“Not at all.”
I didn’t feel the encroaching darkness that normally prowled beneath my skin. She’d ingested enough that the beast should be in control when she rose, but the other part of her stubbornly remained. I knew she was accumulating too much power, even given her lineage. I kept waiting for it to backfire and destroy her from the inside out. A part of me feared that, and it had been a millennium since I had felt fear. She smiled as she leaned down, picking up the crumpled man. I kept my hands behind my back. She needed to learn and become stronger, especially if I intended to keep her.
She steadied the man on his feet. He had followed after her willingly, beguiled by her beauty and charm. Now, even as he swayed and his hand covered the puncture wounds on his neck, he gazed at her adoringly. He groaned and tipped his head to the side.
“The compulsion works if you concentrate hard enough. You can not affect their will, but you can convince them they are fine and safe. It is like a suggestion.”
She smiled at me, the wind ripping at the long layers of her dress. Her coat floated around her like a dark cloak. A goddess, I thought. She was a dark goddess, and I had created her. It shouldn’t have aroused me as much as it did, but she pulled at me in a way that even Tobias and Alistair were starting to worry about.
“You’re okay,” she said, forcing him to focus on her. The crimson shine of her pupils glowed hypnotically. “You slipped back here and fell. You were alone and scared and ran back inside. That’s all.”
“I-I fell. I’m clumsy like that.” The man smiled as she released him. He stumbled and ran past me, still holding his throat. I adjusted the flat cap on my head but didn’t have a chance to congratulate her before her lips slammed against mine. It was a forceful yet chaste kiss. I grunted as her arms squeezed me tight. She did not yet realize how strong she was.
“I did it!” she exclaimed, her smile bright.
It took me a moment to even remember what she was talking about. She did that to me every fucking time, sneaking past barriers no one else had ever breached.
“Yes. You did.” I felt myself smile, and shock flowed into me. When was the last time I’d smiled? Certainly long before I’d been sealed away in the pit. “Now you will be able to feed without leaving bodies in your wake.”
She nodded and glanced behind me, tracking the fleeing man.
“I like the way it makes me feel,” she whispered.
“Feeding?” I asked, my hands resting on her hips.
“Yes, I thought I’d hate it, but if I can control it,” a small tremor went through her, “it’s exciting.”
I tipped her chin up. “You will need more practice. You have to be careful not to overindulge. Where I am from, a single Ig’Morruthen could destroy an entire city if they became lost in blood lust.”
