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“What will happen to her?” Matthias asked. “I will not have her harmed.”
“We shall see. It has never been done before,” Azalea replied, then she dug through the pocket of her skirt and withdrew a scroll. “I am not all evil, my son; it will be up to the Wolf what happens to your daughter.”
Matthias could tell that Blaez was a good person, and he hoped that he would see Eliise and leave her be, that her presence would be enough. He hadn’t wanted a child with Riina, not at first. He couldn’t have taken her with him when he left. She was better off in the orphanage than on the run with him. Things are different now.
He glanced again at his quivering daughter, his last reminder of Riina. He had Ana now, and this time he could take Eliise.
“Where is Juniper?” Matthias asked.
A flicker of something crossed over Azalea’s eyes, but her face remained impassive. She glared at him. “Juniper has gone to ensure Blaez does not try to leave; that will be his first course of action. We need him close, so we must act quickly.”
“Why not send your beast of a bird?” Matthias asked.
“A crow cannot stop a man from leaving, but a witch can.”
“If a hand is laid on her…”
“Matthias, enough,” she snapped. “We have work to do.”
Matthias stood up and let the blood rush back to all parts of his body. After a moment of recovery, his eyes moved to his child, a daughter he never wanted, a daughter that he would have to give up. Her hair was fair, closer to Riina’s blonde than his dark locks. But she had the same facial features.
“Good evening, Eliise.” Matthias crouched down before his daughter.
“I’m scared,” she whispered.
“I know,” he whispered back. “But everything will be okay. I promise.”
He rose and glanced at Azalea, his eyes narrowing. “I cannot forgive you for what you are making me do.”
“You could never forgive me either way, what difference does one more life make?” Azalea snapped. She handed the scroll to Matthias, holding it out to him with steady, wrinkled hands. When he reached for it, she snatched it back. “But first, we make a blood oath.”
“What is a blood oath?” Matthias frowned.
“A bond that, if broken, results in death,” she told him simply. “I need you to promise me you will remain with me for however long I live.”
Matthias ran his hand over his face but knew he had to accept. He glanced at his daughter, he hoped that his plan would work—even if he had to remain here with his mother. Already he thought of all the ways he could kill her, but she had lived this long and had excellent survival instincts. Plotting her murder was too obvious, but he knew for certain Azalea would use Juniper as a sacrifice to kill Ana if Matthias did not use Eliise. Or else she would kill her another way. Azalea was perfectly capable of killing Ana in any way she wished; she was making Matthias do it to break him.
Matthias had to play her game for now. If he did this right, Ana would not die. The only way he could ensure Ana lived was by doing this himself.
“Very well,” he replied at last.
Azalea smiled gently, then grabbed a dagger from a table. She placed the blade against her palm, her eyes flitting up to Matthias’s. “Repeat after me, exactly as I say.”
Azalea sliced her palm, blood spilling out the sides of her grip and onto the floor.
Eliise gasped and backed up a few steps.
Matthias quickly took hold of the dagger and did the same to his own hand, wincing at the pain of cutting where he already had been cut earlier.
“Alligant dictum sanguine nostro,” Azalea chanted.
Matthias repeated the words, “Alligant dictum sanguine nostro.”
He felt the power of the oath flow through him like the very blood he spilled was being reintroduced to his veins. He’d had enough witchcraft for his entire lifetime, but he was not done yet. When the impact wore off, and the oath was in place, he turned to his daughter.
Azalea held out the scroll, and he took it.
“What do I do?” he asked.
