Page 150 of Wings of Lies
Oliver ran two hands through his hair and nodded to me.
It was my turn.
“How do you get rid of a Hell Rune?” I asked, avoiding the big question and the reason I was in Elora. But faced with the prospect of learning what my mother had done and where she was, stole the air from my lungs. I wasn’t ready. And I needed to fix Aspen.
Magda’s eyes glittered. “Your price is to tell the prince how you feel about him.”
Every muscle from my toes to my jaw tensed. I shoved at the flush threatening to overtake my face. “What do you mean?”
Magda smiled big and bright, almost like she enjoyed my discomfort. “You know exactly what I mean.” Her smile dropped. “Tell him.”
Needing a moment to think, I dropped my gaze to her chest, ignoring the creaking of wood and rattling chains. Her lavender pendant changed colors again, darkening to blue. At first, I thought the pendant changed colors with each question and answer, but that didn’t seem to be the case. Something else triggered the color change, though that detail seemed irrelevant as I avoided the question.
“What if… I’m not sure?”
Magda lifted a brow, lips flat. “That’d be a lie. Lies are not part of the deal, darling.” Her pendant flickered between purple and blue as her nostrils flared. “Do you want your answers?” she threatened.
I did, but I could hardly deal with my emotions myself. And telling him… It didn’t feel right. Not now. Not like this. But I haven’t asked about my mom yet, and we couldn’t get kicked out now.
Oliver grimaced like he knew exactly what I was going through. Magda sat and stared, waiting with a severe expression. And Aspen, I didn’t dare look behind me at the sneer or disgust waiting on his face.
“I—”
Damn it.
The tips of my ears burned, along with my neck, cheeks, forehead, and pretty much everything else.
Shutting my eyes, trying my best to ignore everyone, I spoke. “I always thought he’d be the handsome prince to steal me away from my life.” I scoffed. “In a way, he was. His dimples, touches, and actions all got under my skin.”
The day he called me sweetheart, his mantra of protection,stay here, stay put, stay safe, even when he warmed my leg to help the pain as he sewed me up, it all got under my skin. I opened my eyes, gazing at Oliver with a sad, resigned expression, remembering his words.
“I have feelings for him, for the male I met in the forest. But not for the male ruled by the rune who takes helpless females to his queen,” I finished with a terrible ache in my gut and a cement house on my chest. Part of me wanted to be swallowed whole by a Hellhound right about now, especially feeling the heat from Aspen’s hands inches behind me.
Magda’s face transformed with a brilliant smile. Her pendant shone a steady dark blue, no longer flashing.
“Mmhmm,” she moaned, shutting her eyes. “I quite enjoyed that answer.”
I glanced at Oliver, who mirrored mywhat the hellexpression.
When Magda opened her eyes, they were the same shade of color as her pendant.
“Unfortunately, there’s only one person who can remove a Hell Rune, and he is locked away.”
I frowned.That’s all?“Who? That shouldn’t cost extra. I gave you a good answer.”
Magda regarded me with a perfectly plucked lifted brow. “I don’t give out freebies. I give what I want. But I’ll meet you halfway and answer with, the general to the Mother of Demon’s husband.”
“Say what?” Oliver jerked back. “There’s a Father of Demons?” He held up a hand as Magda opened her mouth. “No, that wasn’t a question. My mind is currently blown and trying to reconfigure. Please give me a moment.”
He wasn’t alone.
Slowly, not wanting to but forcing myself, I turned to Aspen. He met my gaze, jaw ticking away.
“Your queen is married?” I asked.
“My queen is bound to the male, but they despise each other. I understand the feeling.”
I sat back, taking in his disdain, wondering how many more of these looks and hurtful words it would take to erase the Aspen who wiggled his way into an innocent female’s heart, wondering if it was all lies or if some of his words held truth.
