Page 85 of Kiss of Death
Talon dismounted then moved to Zehemoth, the dragon who called Lily his sister. It seemed to be something important because of the intense look on Talon’s face, like whatever the dragon shared with him through the connection of their bond was paramount. He exhaled the sharpest breath I’d ever heard then turned to me.
I couldn’t tell whether this was horrible news…or the best he could ever hope for. His expression made his reaction unclear. “What is it?”
“Zehemoth was able to speak with Lily briefly before their connection was blocked by Leviathan. She escaped to the forest, and the occult have taken her in as a goddess. That was all she said, but it sounds like she’s okay, and we know where to find her.” He said all of this in a breathless sentence, on the verge of catharsis.
I took a step back as I processed this, relief and pride rushing through me, because of course, Lily Rothschild was able to prevail in the darkest crevice of existence. “Was he able to tell her that I’m coming for her?”
“No. But the fact that she shared her whereabouts tells me she already knows.”
Of course she did. Because even if I had to take on the entire underworld alone, I was still coming. “General Viper will be at the castle. Let’s hurry. Tell Khazmuda and Zehemoth to find a warm place to rest. We’ll have to sleep before we travel back, at least briefly.”
Talon seemed to relay the message because they took flight and headed toward the mountain, seeking shelter from the snow. We walked together toward the castle, the guards on the ramparts noticing us from far away and keeping their sights locked on us.
It was a twenty-minute walk to the main gate, and once we arrived, the gate immediately opened to allow us entry, even though we hadn’t introduced ourselves to anyone yet. One of the commanders received us, and we requested an audience withGeneral Viper before we were escorted to the castle without suspicion.
Talon and I walked side by side in silence, wearing matching armor even though we’d served different kingdoms for decades. He led the Southern Isles while I led the forsaken dead. We walked up the endless stairs of stone to the top of the castle, and I remembered all the details from the last time I was there.
When no one could see me.
We were led into the castle, away from the elements, illuminated by two grand hearths on either side of the entryway and the torches mounted on the walls next to the artwork.
We were guided to one of the enormous fireplaces, the mantel decorated with brass serpents, small images of snakes everywhere, even depicted on the armchairs and coffee table. We were offered no refreshment, probably because they only drank blood.
It was thirty minutes before the distinct steps of a heavy man approached. I spotted him across the room at first, his armor pristine like it’d never seen battle, the enormous sword protruding past his shoulder, his cape hanging behind him, the bottom inches from the floor.
His eyes were on Talon, clearly recognizing him from their previous conversations.
He stopped in front of us, but before saying a word, he turned his stare on me.
It was quiet and subtle and hostile…and potent.
He somehow knew exactly who I was without any information whatsoever.
He turned his attention back to Talon. “You’ve come a long way to speak to me. Lily isn’t in your company, so please tell me that she’s alright before this conversation proceeds.”
He definitely loved her—truly.
Talon faced off with the vampire in silence, unable to bring himself to speak despite the good news we’d just received from Zehemoth.
So I told him. “Lily traded her soul for mine. Leviathan accepted the trade, and now she’s a prisoner in the underworld while I walk free.”
He slowly turned his head to look at me, mimicking the movement of a snake, cautious and intentional…hostile. His slitted pupils landed on mine, and he stared at me with obvious disgust.
“We have a plan to get her back, but we need your help to succeed.”
It was as if he didn’t hear a word I said. “She took your place in the underworld?” He cocked his head, his voice low but packed with vicious judgment. “What kind of man are you? Letting your woman take your place while you go free.”
“It wasn’t my choice, and I told her on many occasions that I would never want this,” I snapped. “She asked her father to help free me, and he refused. She asked Riviana to open the portals and was denied. But she knew if she were the one down there, she would be getting very different answers. So she decided to take my place. Would you like to continue to waste time by ridiculing me, or would you like to help?”
His eyes narrowed like no one had ever spoken to him that way. There was a flash of anger like he might strike me just like a venomous snake. “How do we get her back?”
I didn’t care that he hated me, not when I was grateful that he still had Lily’s back, even if she’d made the wrong choice when she picked me. “We need to return to the dead island closer to the Southern Isles. You need to provoke Leviathan, my successor. Tell him that you’re interested in making a deal for Lily’s life. I just need to sneak past him to the door hidden inside the skull rock. It’s the entrance to the underworld. But you need to distract him for at least an hour.”
“An hour?”
“Not the entire hour,” Talon said. “Distract him so Callum can get into the door. Then you can step outside the line of torches and say you need to consider his offer. Then come back forty-five minutes later and distract him for another fifteen minutes so they can leave.”
Viper shifted his gaze to Talon and then back to me, clearly confused.
