Page 158 of This Vicious Dream

Silence.

I blink back hot tears. “You need Calpharos to have all three grimoires. It’s the only way you’ll be able to get your true form back. You need agodto fix you. Would that mark on my back have appeared if you hadn’t given me my memories back yesterday?”

“I don’t know.”

“I suppose you couldn’t risk it not working. You needed me to at least open thatwindow, didn’t you?”

Eamonn may have helped me steal Calysian’s connection to the third grimoire, but it wasn’t supposed to be a permanent solution. It was supposed to be temporary. Calysian would recognize who I was, I would lead him to the third grimoire, Eamonn would get his true form back, and Calysian would kill Anarthys.

Everyone would be happy.

Except those who lived in this world, when a war between gods inevitably began to tear our world at the seams.

Eamonn lands on my shoulder. I don’t bother shaking him off.

“And what was your plan, Madinia? What’s your plan now?”

A choked laugh is wrenched from my chest. My plan? I didn’t want to take the link to thethirdgrimoire. I wanted to steal the second grimoire and meet Asinia. She would take the grimoire, hide it, and I would find a way to convince Calysian he didn’t need it.

It was a thin plan, but it was all I had.

Now, Calpharos is even more powerful, even as he’s likely fighting for his life.

We make it through the city gates. Eamonn is silent as I ride toward the dock. I dismount, leading Fox toward the bench outside the tailor. But I don’t see Fliora.

My pulse stutters.

“Madinia!”

I scan the dock. A group of fishermen walk past me toward a tavern, jostling and laughing. And that’s when I see her.

Asinia.

Fliora stands by her side, a wide grin on her face as they approach. “She said I could trust her, and that you would be here soon. Why didn’t you tell me you were friends with pirates?”

I let my gaze drift past them, and my breath shudders from my lungs.

Daharak smirks at me. The pirate queen’s umber skin is a little darker, the tiny lines at the corners of her eyes a little more pronounced. Her sleeves are rolled up, one arm still covered in scars from various fae blood vows.

She swaggers toward me, and her smirk widens. “I told you I’d find you.”

Asinia gives her a look.“Wefoundyou.”

I launch myself at Daharak and feel her jolt as her arms wrap around me.

“We need to go,” Asinia says. “Since I don’t see any sign of the grimoire, we need to gonow.”

“I’m taking Fox. I can’t just leave him here.”

Asinia sighs. “That horse is going to kill someone.”

Shockingly, the stallion cooperates, allowing me to lead him down the dock toward the ship I so carefully ignored just a couple of hours ago. Eamonn swoops around my head.

“You planned this.” His voice is empty. “You never planned to stay with him. You were always going to leave.”

“No,” I grit out. “I would have given Asinia the second grimoire if I’d gotten to it first. And I would have stayed. For him. Calysian made a choice. And now I’m making one.”

“The only thing you’remakingis the biggest mistake of your life.”

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