Page 100 of Wings of Lies
Aspen yanked his sword out of the bark and glared at me. “Tell me you did not give it any of your blood!” The flames on his sword vanished as he leveled me with his blade. “What did it say?”
“Nothing,” I said, lying, wanting to grab the blade that hovered in front of my face.
“You never give your blood in Elora. Never.”
“I didn’t.”
“Then what the fuck is that?” He took a step forward. The tip of his sword pointed at my cut ear.
I shrugged, not ready to have a matching pair if Brock found out Aspen knew who did it.
“Did you fucking let the Drune bite you?”
“I had questions!”
He stared at me in horror. “Do you have any idea what Drunes do with your blood?”
I opened my mouth and shut it, having no answer.
“Damn it, Lucille!” He swung his blade into the trunk as if he could kill the Drune that vanished inside it. “The moment you give them your blood, they know everything about you, which they can sell to the highest bidder. They steal a piece of your power you’ll never get back, and the more blood you give them, the more power they take. That’s how they survive as long as they do!”
Shit. “I didn’t know?—”
“Of course you didn’t! You don’t know anything. Why the hell did you come here?”
He had a point, and it was a bitter pill to swallow. But even though I came here as naive and innocent as I was, I’d do it all over again. One way or another, I would find my mom and all this hell would be worth it.
“For the only person who ever gave a damn about me,” I spat. “For the one person who doesn’t play games with my mind and actlike they care, when in reality my life expectancy is what? Two days? More? Less? What do you think, Prince of the Tenebrous Kingdom?”
Itches surfaced to the tips of my fingers, and instead of letting the sensation control me like I always did, I latched onto it. I pulled at my power, allowing the itches to take over my hands and arms, but not yet summoning my purple flame. I reveled in the energy coiling under my skin, smiling at my control. Curious, I dove deeper into my power and discovered a delectable song. It whispered in my ear, eager to respond to my call. All I had to do was touch the black cords in my core. So, I did.
Dark and foreboding flame licked up my hands—pure black. With my white and purple flames, I never felt what they could do. Of course, before release, they stabbed me or sent me into an itching frenzy, but with the black flames, their sweltering heat pulsed off my skin. They slowly ate my socks, my shirt, and the frayed wrap around my wrist but didn’t touch my jacket or pants—yet.
“Is this what your queen wants? Does she want to use this?” I stepped toward him and smiled as he stepped back. “Scared?”
Overcome with the melody and resentment, I enjoyed how his face washed of color, how he didn’t even think to lift his sword. Even more, I savored the words tingling in my ear, urging me to raise my arm and wrap it around his neck despite the fact sand pooled in my body.
“Let it go, Lucille,” he whispered, as if speaking too loudly would set me off.
Too late.
The music was too difficult to ignore. It didn’t care who stood in front of me or why. The tune only wanted revenge and blood.
Listening to the seductive words, I raised my hand. But before I came close to his neck, the heaviness took over. I stumbled as my vision blurred, seeing two Aspens. Swaying, I closed my eyes as my legs gave out, waiting for the pain of the ground when he caught me.
Aspen cradled me to his chest. “You’re not just an angel, sweetheart,” he whispered as I blacked out.
Chapter
Twenty-Four
Iwoke to fuzzy voices and a stinging in my ear.
“A few more minutes. If she doesn’t wake up, we’ll leave.”
“Whatever you say, prince. I’m just the backup.”
“Go corral Cacus and Bael from their joy hunt.”
