Page 8 of Wicked Chains
"I'll never choose you," I say. "Whatever you think you've won, you haven't."
"You misunderstand, Rose. I don't need you to choose me." He touches my arm where the mark is, the gesture intimate and unwelcome. "I already own you."
He turns and walks away, gesturing for me to follow. The mark pulses in warning, but he doesn't activate it again. He doesn't need to. The message has been delivered, to me and to everyone watching.
I'm on a leash, and he holds the other end.
I follow him toward the front of the hall, taking stock of everything I now know. Lucien and Soren are alive but aligned with the Blood Moon Coven. Drake is missing. Headmistress Wickersly is gone, replaced by her power-hungry sister. And I'm bound by blood magic to an even worse threat.
But I'm still breathing. Still thinking. And as long as that's true, this isn't over.
Three
Lucien
As I walk to the quarters of Serpentine Academy’s new overseer, I see that the Crescent Moon’s banners are gone, stripped down overnight, and any portraits of its members have been removed. Now, the red moon sigil stares from every surface.
The two men in black at the double doors are new. I know neither, and hey do not bow as I approach, only open the doors dutifully, each man standing ramrod straight and expressionless.
Inside, Ash is waiting behind a desk that is not his. Though I suppose it is now.
“Lucien,” he says. “Do come in.”
I have never bowed for anyone. Not for the witches, not for my own father. And I do not bow for this man.
He gestures to the chair opposite his, and I remain standing. He notes it, of course.
“You have a talent for survival,” he says as his eyes scan my face, searching for weakness.
“Loyalty,” I say, “is overrated.”
He smiles, showing his teeth. “So you are not loyal.”
“To a dead regime?” I tip my head. “No more than you are, I suspect.”
“Good. I admire candor, even in lapdogs.” His gaze sharpens. “Let’s not waste time, Lucien. You are here because you are useful. Your skills, your knowledge, your connections. I would be a fool to kill you when I can use you instead.”
“Some would say you’re still a fool for trusting me,” I say.
“I don’t trust you. I trust what is ingrained in you. You are a creature of service. If I give you orders, you will follow them, so long as they align with your personal interests. So let’s be clear. I know that your personal interest is Rose Smith. Everything else—power, status, even self-preservation—is secondary.”
I do not deny it. He is too intelligent for that.
“I need her alive and intact,” Ash continues. “You will be my liaison to her. You will keep her compliant, and you will ensure she does not destroy herself out of spite. If you fail, I will kill you. If you betray me, I will kill you, and anyone you’ve ever laid eyes on.”
I let the silence answer for me.
“Let us understand one another, Lucien. I came to end three centuries of humiliation at the hands of the Crescent Moon, and now I have done it. The rest is housekeeping.”
I wait. He likes the sound of his own voice.
“If you were hoping for a grand speech, some declaration of intent, you will be disappointed. I want peace. I want the Blood Moon to take its place at the table. I want my people to live without being hunted.” He studies me. “You, I imagine, want your girl to live free.”
He has it wrong, but not entirely. “I want her alive,” I say. “Freedom is negotiable.”
That gets a laugh. “Oh, Lucien. If only you were a little more selfish, you might have ruled this place. Report to me if Rose exhibits any new magical abilities. Do not attempt to shield her from me, or from the mark. You will have some freedom in handling her discipline, so long as she is presentable and obedient in public. I do not care what you do in private, provided she is not damaged.”
My mouth is dry. “Is there anything else?”
