Page 80 of Ivy & Bone

And a strange part of her was aroused by that fire burning in his eyes.

“Together,” he vowed, his voice a low rumble that did nothing to assuage the heat flowing in Prue’s veins.

“Together,” she agreed.

With unified steps, they strode toward the wreckage to where Vasileios and Mona awaited them. It didn’t take long to find them. After ducking under the broken archway, they found the pair standing amidst the debris, the Book of Eyes lying open at their feet. Vasileios still wore his ridiculous crown, accompanied by an elegant crimson cloak and gold-studded tunic and trousers. Besides him, the Mona imposter wore a humble but elegant emerald gown that brought out the color in her eyes. Her vacant expression and empty gaze hollowed out her features into something unrecognizable. Prue’s insides coiled at the sight.

Vasileios lifted his chin, his face smug as he watched them approach. “You certainly kept us waiting.”

“You really have nothing better to do than stand here in this decrepit pile of rubble and wait around for your younger brother?” Cyrus wrinkled his nose. “Truly pathetic, Vasileios.”

Vasileios’s eyes darkened for the briefest of seconds before his smug demeanor returned. “I’ll make this simple, brother. Turn over your crown to me, and I will spare your wife.” He practically spat the last word.

“The wife is more powerful than you think,” Prue snapped. Just to prove the validity of her words, she summoned a kernel of Cyrus’s power. Black flames welled up from the ground, interlaced with her signature vines.

Vasileios’s expression slackened in shock. His eyes grew wide as he stared at the flaming ivy rising from the ground like some monstrous demon. “Gods above,” he whispered, his face going pale. “You sealed the bond.”

“We did.” Cyrus squeezed Prue’s hand.

“So, return my sister to me, and maybe we’ll spare you,” Prue challenged, lifting her chin.

Vasileios shot a quick glance at Mona, who continued to wear a blank expression, resembling nothing more than a doll. “Cyrus, do you have any idea what you’ve done?” His voice had lost its taunting lilt, making him sound grave for the first time since Prue had met him.

Cyrus’s eyes narrowed. “I’ve bonded myself to an earth witch.”

“Not just any earth witch,” Vasileios growled. “But the daughter of a goddess.”

Time froze for a full second. Prue’s heart shuddered in her chest, but she shook her head. “What the hell’s he talking about?” She addressed Cyrus, but her eyes remained on Vasileios.

“I have no idea,” Cyrus muttered, but his silvery eyes were shrewd and calculating, as if he was assembling the pieces of a puzzle in his mind.

“Think about it, Cyrus!” Vasileios urged. “You know she’s not just an ordinary witch. She’s more powerful than anything we’ve ever seen. How else was she able to summon you? Why else would I be so invested in apprehending her?”

“Apprehending me?” Prue shouted incredulously. “You tried to kill me! You sent an assassin after me!”

“You did threaten her life,” Cyrus agreed. “On multiple accounts.”

Vasileios groaned. “You knew I was bluffing.”

“I did.”

Prue shot Cyrus a sharp look. He did?

“So, if you don’t want to kill me, then what do you want from me?” Prue asked. Alarm prickled along every nerve, sending warnings firing in her brain.

“Your blood,” said Vasileios.

Prue blinked. “I beg your pardon?”

“With your blood,” Vasileios said, then gestured to Mona, “and her blood, I can summon the goddess and finish her once and for all.”

The air stilled once more. Prue cocked her head at Vasileios, thinking that he must have truly lost his mind.

“Tell me, brother,” Cyrus said, his voice cool and even. “Which goddess are you referring to?”

Prue glanced at him again. His expression was carefully neutral, and it irked her that she couldn’t figure out if he was masking his emotions from her or from his brother.

“Gaia, of course,” Vasileios said. “The antithesis of our father. Life and death. Creation and destruction. With her end, we can ensure the well-being of our realm. The souls will have no choice but to depend on the Underworld.”

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