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“Varia,” she lies, placing her gloved hand in mine. I bring it to my lips, holding her gaze.
“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Varia.”
I can practically feel her curiosity and longing, even through the magical defences of her dress. This will be even easier than I thought. Eldrion’s pet empath is so starved for genuine connection, for someone to truly see her, she’s falling right into my hands.
Poor little bird. She has no idea she’s flying straight into a trap, so desperate to spread her wings she can’t see the bars of the cage closing around her.
But while Eldrion thinks he’ll be the one to clip those lovely wings, he’s wrong. I’ve spent decades as his slave, bowing and scraping, enduring humiliation and abuse, all the while plotting my revenge. And now, thanks to Alana, I finally have the means to get it.
Her magic will be the key that unlocks the door to Eldrion’s downfall.
I break away from Alana with a wink. “I will seek your company later, when the dancing begins.”
Weaving through the crowd, I watch her from the shadows, admiring the way the moonlight glints off her hair, the dreamy expression on her face as she thinks of me.
Eldrion can have his petty victories for now. Let him think his faithful dog is doing his bidding like a good little pup. He’ll never see the dagger concealed behind my back until it is buried in his heart.
And as for Alana? I’ll take such exquisite pleasure in making her fall desperately in love with me, all the while knowing it’s nothing more than a means to an end.
There’s a twisted thrill in deceiving something so pure.
An even bigger thrill in tricking someone who should be able to read my thoughts with a blink of her big, beautiful eyes.
By the time she realises it was all a lie, it will be too late. I’ll have everything I need from her. And she’ll be broken; a pretty little songbird with her heart carved out.
Such delicious cruelty. I can hardly wait to taste it.
But all in good time. For now, the dance is about to begin, and I have an empath to seduce.
I straighten my mask and stride back to Alana, bowing low and extending my hand in invitation.
Let the games begin.
TWO
Finn
NOW
From here, she looks like an angel.
An angel of death. Standing beside her devil.
As she stares down at me from Eldrion’s roof, I can feel the power radiating from her. She is glorious.
I always knew she was destined to shine like this, but I thought all I wanted was to capture her light, absorb it, crack the shards of brightness open and fill them with my darkness.
Now, I see it.
From here, I see her clearly for the first time, and I know I want her beside me for what’s to come. I don’t just want to use her and discard her; I want to draw out the twisted pieces of her soul that I’ve seen in the dark. The part of her that enjoyed binding me and taking me and showing me the power that lives deep inside the basement of her being.
I want that part beside me when I take my revenge on Eldrion and his forsaken city.
I want to rule with Alana for the rest of eternity. Because the two of us together? When I am transformed and she is enlightened? We would be a force that could never be beaten.
“I’m coming to get you, Alana. Don’t worry, I’m coming,” I call up to her, and picture her eyes widening with relief. Because even though she is drawn to Eldrion, she loves me.
I made her love me.
