Page 118 of Cruelest Kiss and Fairest Blood
“You know my name? How flattered I am that my reputation precedes me. Roseheart is just another kingdom. My reign is endless but my resources, not so much.”
“How long do you plan to stay?” My questions are meaningless. But while Catreena is busy talking, I’m sensing her magic to find out what I’m up against. It takes more probing than usual. She has incredibly strong walls up. Cassius is probably the same. The fact that I never sensed his powers before eats me up.
“It’s different with every kingdom. Some I tire of quicker than others. When that happens, Cassius finds us a new place to live.”
She certainly likes to hear herself talk. Time to test a theory.
Palming a dagger from the table of torture tools, I send it straight into the heart of the mirror.
Catreena shuts up. Her mouth drops wide as she looks from me to the hilt that’s jutting out from the ornate fixture. There’s no crack. Not a single sound of shattering glass.
“How dare you!” Her outrage reveals a character flaw. She’s embarrassed. Her face reddens. I caught her off guard. How easily I could have sent that dagger through her heart. She knows it.
The dagger shudders once before being absorbed into the mirror. The top of the hilt vanishes into a sea of black. I assumed as much. I’d be lying if I said I didn’t hope I was wrong. Shattering the mirror and keeping the monster from reentering the mortal world would have been a whole lot easier.
“That’s not how things are going to work.” Catreena uses one of her own long nails to slice into her palm. She smears a bloody print on the mirror, then retreats to sit on the bed. Leaning back on her arms, legs crossed, she looks completely confident in her ability to best me.
“Magic mirror, come to call. Let darkness rise and cover all.” A smirk lines her painted lips as she speaks the incantation. The mist covering the floor thickens and rises. Swirling darkness spreads across the reflective surface. The frame gradually expands to the size of the wall.
Catreena laughs behind me. “I think it’s time the two of you met.”
Lenore
Exhaustion has reduced me to a slumped pile in the corner of the gardens. My fingers slide mindlessly back and forth along the skull of a small fox. Harrow is something of a god, but I’m still worried for him. That thing in the mirror is too terrifying to rationalize.
Mytha is coiled up in a corner, watching me. I get the distinct feeling she’s unhappy with her current circumstances. She doesn’t enjoy my company. That much is obvious.
“You don’t like me,” I intuit.
Her eyes remain fixed on me, unblinking. “It’sss nothing persssonal.”
“What is it then? Are you and Harrow…” I choose my words carefully. “Were you two together before?”
In a shocking twist, Mytha actually smiles. More than that, she laughs. It’s a resonant sound, as if the laughter of many are ringing through her voice. Her grin stretches wider than a normal human’s and reveals her lengthy white fangs. “Harrow isss not my type.”
I’m not sure how he couldn’t be. I’ve never seen anyone more attractive. “Because he is a god?”
“Becaussse he isss a man.”
My cheeks heat. That’s not the answer I was expecting. “Oh.”
Mytha smirks. I think she enjoys watching me squirm.
“Do you have someone in the Underworld? Is there…” What the hell am I trying to say? “Do people date a lot there?”
She arches a brow. “You are trying to make sssmall talk?”
An awkward laugh bubbles up. “I guess so. Small talk has never been my forte.”
“Nor mine,” she concedes.
My shoulders droop. “I’m just trying to distract myself. I’m worried about Harrow.”
“He is the Prince of the Underworld.”
“But he’s not invincible. He’s told me that. What if he can’t defeat Catreena?”
“He mussst.” Her tone turns ominous.
