Page 60 of The Rebel Seer

“Is that how you got in, you little shit?” Evil Dev’s eyes roll. “I should have known. I would burn the place down but it won’t let me.”

So that’s where we run. To the temple.

“It keeps them all out,” Lee promises. “The temple is a living being. It knows how evil you are.”

“And I will use the power from this entity to take it over again. I will trick it with Ostara’s power and then destroy it with the energy I get from myself.” The king walks over to Bris. “And you should know that while my guards peel the god from your soul and serve him up to me on a silver platter, that I will be winning back the woman who should have been at my side.”

“I think I might enjoy being a queen,” Zoey says quietly. “My Devinshea wouldn’t take the crown no matter how much I argued. I thought we should. I thought he should be stronger. I knew he was stronger than Miria. Than Declan.”

Rhys gasps behind me, his fingers tightening on me, but I know exactly what the queen is doing.

And so does Myrddin. “She is lying, Your Majesty. Do not believe a word she says. She is already plotting.”

But it’s easy to see the king wants to believe. When Zoey moves to his side, his shoulders come down, he softens. He takes her hand. “I would love to hear about your life, Zandra. I would also love to show you the kind of life I can give you.”

“Her name is Zoey,” Bris says.

“Her name is whatever I say it is,” the king announces and then turns to Ostara. “Take her as well. I never intended to marry you, you worthless fleck of womanhood. I shall eat your weak goddess and then raze your dying plane to serve my friend. Myrddin will use all I give him to free us from this so-called balance.”

“I am sorry, my lord.” Zoey’s tone is soft, though I know the tears on her cheeks are real, I also know she’s shifted into a role.

All the books and plays, the stories the rebels told of the history of the royals, served more than to entertain us. While the royals and Kelsey were gone, many works about them were written. Plays and songs as well. To keep them with us. Those tales taught us. Zoey Donovan-Quinn was in this position before. She allowed herself to be taken into custody with the belief that her husband would come for her. She did it to save the people she loved, as she hopes she is doing now. She knows she can manipulate the king. She is buying us all time.

Rhys must know that as well since he stays calm when the evil king takes his mother’s hand.

“You would betray me to save yourself?” Bris asks.

I hope he’s acting because he sounds so forlorn.

“You know I always take care of myself first,” she says quietly.

Oh, she does not. That woman never left a person behind if she wasn’t forced to.

Two more guards show up to take Ostara into custody.

She looks pale and fragile as they place her in chains. And then her eyes change and for the first time I truly believe she is ascended. Her goddess takes control of the body.

Searing green eyes find Sasha, and I feel a wind whip against me, the promise of a storm. The whole room smells of rain and electricity.

“I charge you, Oleg Federov,” she says in a deeper voice than before. “I look deep in her soul and I see you there. You. Oleg. Save her. You couldn’t the first time. You lost her and…” She seems to think, to hunt a mind that is not her own for some knowledge she needs. “You lost her and Natasha. Marta. Her name was Marta. She dreams of you at night but cannot quite remember. She did everything she could for you, for her husband. She gave her life for your daughter. Save her. You might have found other soulmates, but you owe her. I will keep her alive. Come for her.”

For the first time since I have known that vampire, tears fill his eyes as they cart out Ostara. He takes a single step toward them but Zoey holds out a hand, and a slight shake of her head makes Sasha stop. His jaw tightens, and I know it’s taking everything for him to be still.

But Daniel Donovan is out there, and that means we have to stay alive. It means we have hope.

I feel Rhys’s ear against my lips. “If he is the same as my uncle, he can only hold ten. We will only need to deal with six more. I will get you out of here and then we will find my dad and save them.”

I nod, praying Rhys remembers his way around this palace.

“I thought she meant Daniel,” Zoey says. “When she asked about the vampire, I thought she was talking about Daniel. It’s why she thinks you have soul mates. She doesn’t understand how long you have been waiting.”

“Well, I didn’t expect that.” Myrddin watches Sasha warily. “Did you find her again? How very sad for you. To look all this time only to find her soul again right before I devour it.”

A low growl comes from Sasha’s throat, and it’s easy to see he’s ready to attack. It’s also easy to see that would be a mistake.

The room feels tense with anticipation of what awful thing will happen next.

So I pull the focus to me. “Do you destroy the souls or do you keep them somewhere as fuel for your magic?”

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