Page 117 of What did you do?

I grabbed ahold of Eli’s tunic, trying to wiggle my legs down to the ground.

He held me firmly, staring out into the distance as we all continued walking farther away from the creatures and closer to the castle.

“Put me down. I’m better now,” I lied.

In truth, I was terrified. Not of dying, but of running out of time.

There was something unwavering that burned inside me now, unleashed and stronger.

Hate.

I had just had a taste of what it felt like to let the monster out of its cage, give it a lick from the spoon, and I knew that if I could only get the rest of my heart, then I could have the whole fucking bowl to myself.

It was time to make the ones who had wronged me pay.

My heartbeat pounded in my ears as fast as a rabbit’s while heat blazed through me with such force, my toes curled to stop from screaming in Eli’s arms.

Eli’s steps faltered on the dirt slope, startling me out of my vengeful thoughts.

“For star’s sake,” Walter said, grabbing me from Eli before he could drop me. “Is it from Calypso?”

“Is what from me?” I rolled my eyes. I could have walked now had they let me.

“The Artemi have been feared and hunted into extinction not by simply being capable of controlling and bending nature, but because of what their powers can do to others,” Walter said, nodding to where Eli had stumbled to the ground.

“Make a handsome fae flop on the dirt?” I said with a grimace.

“You hear that?” Eli groaned and swore. “Handsome.”

“An almostmortal, handsome fae flop on the dirt,” Walter replied. “Artemi’s most terrifying ability is to take another immortal’s powers, rendering them as useless as a human… Nooffense. I know your mum and sister were both human.” He tightened his mouth into a line with a flinch as he looked into the sky as if he were solving a math equation.

“It’s more likely from our tie than your powers,” Eli said, returning to where we stood. “Though I’m scared to even see what kind of powers you get once your heart is repaired. You’re not just a hidden Artemi that never ascended; you’reZef’sfucking daughter.”

Zef.

My father.

I shoved out of Walter’s grip to slowly walk. It really wasn’t that bad.

Both men protested, but when they tried to grab me, I pulled the dragon’s claw out, and they backed off quickly.

“Zef was the King of Artemi when it was still a realm of its own. He is the Titan of the Ascended,” Walter answered. “He’s easily the most powerful Artemi to exist, which means his daughter is going to have a fuck-ton of powers.”

He was also the one who chose which child got the Artemi powers and the one who was going to have to pay for that decision.

“The Ascended are the grandchildren of the old gods—the closest thing we have to gods and goddesses now, next to the Fates—and your father happens to be the Titan of the Ascended, the King of Gods,” Eli bit out angrily. “And you, not having the other half of your heart and powers, were never able to ascend.”

Silence filled the air as we continued to walk, no one knowing quite what to say as we prepared for what was to come when we arrived at the castle.

Eli cleared his throat. “If it’s all right with you, we will perform the wedding inside the castle as soon as my mother is removed.”

“You can’t really think she will remain locked up?” I started. “I know she doesn’t really have any wild powers, but look at her. She hasn’t let that stop her yet. Maybe the Fallen should?—”

“She will be locked away with the utmost precautions. She has done horrible, horrible things, but I will not allow anyone to hurt my family, and that includes my mother,” Eli thundered.

Acid rage poured through me. “She deserves to pay for what she has done,” I ground out through clenched teeth. Heat flared in every pore of my body as low thuds pounded through my ears. Hot, enraged tears filled my eyes.

Walter tried to squeeze my hand, but I shook him off. I couldn’t help it—she had raised me to be cold-blooded.

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