Page 121 of Cruelest Kiss and Fairest Blood
The birds vanish, swooping back out of the room. The King of Montrésor stands, dazed. His golden hair is disheveled. A deep-blue shirt and jacket lie unbuttoned across his defined chest. In place of his trousers, he’s clad in only a pair of tan breeches.
“Sorry to summon you as you were preparing for bed, but I’m in need of your assistance.”
His eyes find mine. The Beast swims beneath irises of the deepest blue, making its presence known with a subtle glow. “I hadn’t expected my debt to be called in so soon.”
“Desperate times,” I mutter.
Renard’s gaze sweeps across the room. “Please tell me this isn’t what I think it is.”
“A psychotic immortal witch, her demonic mirror entity, and the host of dead beings that have been reanimated to fight me?”
“Fuck,” Renard breathes. “That’s actually worse than I thought.”
“Don’t be too shocked. You have experience annihilating masses of the undead.”
His brow furrows. “That’s not exactly what happened.”
“Close enough.” I shrug.
“What are they waiting for and what is thatthing?”
“The walking, talking graveyard? My assumption is that it’s an interdimensional dark artifact-dwelling demon.”
“Say that three times fast,” he mutters.
“As for whyitand the dead things haven’t attacked, I don’t know. I think they’re being puppeted by Catreena and she’s waiting for something.”
“Waiting for what?” Anxiety flows from the cursed king.
“Killed my sister, did you?” Catreena’s eyes are narrowed as she assesses the new arrival. “That’s her mark, isn’t it? The rose?”
Renard clutches the flower in his lapel with a meaty hand. “The rose no longer holds its sway over me.”
“Oh, but there was a time, wasn’t there? What did she do to you? Cissy was always so creative. I have to give her credit for that. Alas, she was foolish and sloppy. If she got caught, which I can only assume she did, then she is a disgrace to the magic that runs through our veins.”
“You speak so coldly of your own flesh and blood.”
“Blood is such a nasty little thing. Tying us to those who are unworthy. Do we look alike? Perhaps we were similar only in our hobbies. She left you a special mirror of your own, did she not? A more gentle relative.” She bends her fingers to mimic a biting mouth. “Less teeth.”
I use her distraction with Renard as a chance to study her closer. Catreena is powerful. Her deal with a demon has ensured her youth and beauty. She should have died decades ago. How is it I’ve been unable to detect her… or Cassius? Even standing this close, her light isn’t shining. Overripe souls are a distinct color. She should be emanating an aura of the deepest green.
Reaching out with my magic, I search the witch for the source of her concealment. My eyes fall to her wrist. Throbbing with power, glowing in a most unnatural way, is a shimmery gold bracelet.
She notes my gaze and lifts her wrist, smiling. “Oh, this? I have the deal with my demon but eternal beauty doesn’t always equal eternal life now, does it? Immortality is a fickle thing. I told you, I never take chances. I sought out a backup. When hiding from death, a girl can never be too careful.”
“None can hide from death forever.”
She laughs. It’s not a divine sound to match her beauty; it’s a wicked cackle. “Don’t pout. I had to do unspeakable things to get it.”
Her words reveal something. She knows the mirror can be broken and the monster killed. Why else would she seek out a backup? That’s why she doesn’t trust it fully. She wouldn’t need the bracelet if she did. I fight to keep a smile off my face. If she’s afraid of losing everything, it means there’s a way for us to take everything from her. I doubt she realizes that simple statement has allowed me such insight.
“And who has granted you such an adornment? One with the ability to evade time and death.”
Renard’s gaze lands on me for a moment before shifting to the queen’s wrist. He cannot sense the bracelet’s power. He is magically inclined, but there are some things only ancient beings like myself can detect.
Catreena’s grin is feral. Her features grow harsher as her true nature takes control. “He who has a treasure with an ability like no other. But he has her locked away in a tower. I wouldn’t waste my time searching if I were you. She’s kept far away, somewhere you’ll never find.”
“How unfortunate.” I keep my voice steady. There are several things that need to go smoothly in order for Renard and I to walk out of this as victors.
