Page 110 of Cursed Lifeline

Manhandled by none other than Viktor, the fae princess is forcibly shoved into the room from a dark alcove on my right.

“Fuck,” I mutter under my breath.

Celeste’s eyes widen and nervously lock on mine.

“I won’t do it,” the princess says. Attempting to back away, she turns around and runs straight into Viktor’s firm chest. “I refuse. The ritual would not only kill her but…”

“Killing her is the goal,” Ember sighs, growing irritated. “She must die so my mate can be brought back to life.”

“But, you don’t understand, the ritual will…”

“Give me what I always wanted,” Ember insists through clenched teeth. “Now, stop stalling and do as you’re told.”

Viktor forces Evangeline towards the center of the room between Felix and Esme.

“Please, you have to listen,” the princess cries. “Once you bring someone back to life, there is no guarantee they will return the same.”

“Like me?” Esme asks.

“No,” Evangeline shakes her head and timidly walks towards Esme, begging her to understand. “Your blessing through the loophole is natural birth through an unfortunate demise. What she is asking for, what she wants me to do, would resurrect someone from the dead. There is no telling what they would come back like.”

“I don’t care what he comes back like. I just want him back,” Ember demands, standing from her throne.

She eyes Viktor with a commanding gleam. He forces Evangeline another step toward Esme. Felix charges him from the side. Grabbing hold of Viktor’s shoulder, he violently flings him against the nearest wall.

“One more step, and I’ll fucking slaughter you,” Felix rages. “Not murder. Not kill. Butcher, into tiny pieces that no one, not even the fae princess can put back together again.”

“He doesn’t answer to you,” Ember firmly states seconds before Viktor reaches up and clutches Felix’s throat in a death grip. “He answers to me. Has for over a century.”

Felix struggles for air as Esme cries for help. Quickly stepping forward, I attempt to pull Viktor off Felix when a stake is thrown from my right. It burns as it grazes my arm before falling to our feet. Looking up, I catch Evangeline’s startled stare as she whispers, “Sorry, bad aim.”

Celeste glances up at Esme, and the first slayer cries to the second, “I have no weapon. They took them from me.”

Rolling her eyes, Celeste looks at the stake lying a couple of steps away and sighs, “If you want something done right, I guess you have to do it yourself.”

Cartwheeling into a back handstand, Celeste kneels and grabs the weapon. Charging towards us, I step out of the way to give her better aim for Viktor just as Felix’s brother releases him and draws Celeste into his hold. Yanking her head to the side, Viktor’s bloodshot eyes find mine as his canines elongate and he sinks his teeth into her neck.

“No!” I yell out as Viktor quickly starts draining Celeste’s life.

Charging the pair, he viciously releases Celeste. Her lifeless form falls to the ground just as I tackle Viktor to the floor. Ember’s hysterical laughter echoes through the room as I unleash a violent fury on Viktor. Tears blur my vision as I punch his face until he’s lying in a puddle of blood. Before I can kill the bastard for what he’s done, I’m suddenly pulled off him by Evangeline.

“Talon,” she warns. “She’s not dead. Not yet.”

Wiping a fallen tear from my face, I stare up at the princess, and ask, “What do you mean?”

“You have the power to save her,” she says.

“No,” Felix warns as I glance back at Celeste now writhing in pain in Silas’s arms.

Felix attempts to make me listen to reason as Caelum rushes to Silas’s side, and Alfred backs away into a dark corner, looking green and woozy from the sight of blood.

“You can’t do this,” Felix demands as he holds me back. “Mother wouldn’t…”

“Mother’s not here,” I hiss, watching the woman who tempted my heart back to life struggle to take another breath. Glancing up at Esme, I furiously ask Felix, “You’re telling me if it were Esme, you wouldn’t do the same?”

“No,” Felix insists. “A damned existence is no life I want my love to live.”

“Funny,” Ember taunts as she rises from her seat. “Seeing as that’s the key to the curse.”

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