CHAPTER NINETEEN

CHAPTER NINETEEN

Aydun stepped forward but remained silent. I imagined he wasn't supposed to speak. However, he was clearly interested in what Kolis had to say.

A small part of me was, too, but I doubted the deal would be anything but sadistic.

"You have nothing to say to that?" Kolis asked.

"Nope."

His nostrils flared, but only for a moment before his expression smoothed out. "I will not punish you or my nephew for what you have done."

"What we've done?" A wave of disbelief surged through my voice. "You held me against my will. You imprisoned Nyktos —"

"I imprisoned my nephew for attacking me and killing another Primal," he said. "And you claimed to want to be at my side. It is not my fault that I believed you."

I snapped my mouth shut.

"You manipulated me," he accused. "Likely believing that, with her soul inside you, you would be able to kill me."

Well, he was wrong about that. I knew I wouldn't be able to kill him when I attacked him. I just wanted to make him bleed.

"Thank the Fates you were wrong," he said, and my eyes nearly rolled out of the back of my head. "But as I was saying, I will not seek to punish you or my nephew. Those who conspired with you, however, will need to be punished. They cannot go without justice."

As if he knew anything about justice.

"But you may live out your existence as a Primal of Life ," he sneered, "with my nephew. Ensuring the balance remains."

I glanced at Callum. He showed no reaction to that as I'd expected. He had been all about Kolis taking the embers from me. Had he been telling the truth when he said his concern was for the balance?

"The realms will continue on as they have, except it will be under the rule of the Primal of Death as the King," Kolis said.

My mouth dropped open. "The Primal of Death has never ruled."

"Nor has a Queen," he replied.

Well, fuck me, he had me there.

His smile then was a little more real. "All you have to do is give me what I want."

Ice sloshed in my blood. He could not be serious, but he was. " Sotoria's soul?"

Kolis nodded. "Bring me The Star." He leaned forward. "That is all you have to do to prevent a war."

For a moment, all I could do was stand there while Aydun faced me as if imploring me to remember what he'd said under the trees. I hadn't forgotten. He'd told me that a war wouldn't be won until there was blood and bone. And while that made next to no sense to me, he had said that I needed to trust my instincts. He could've been talking about how far I believed Kolis would go. Or maybe he meant how I felt regarding using Sotoria's soul. How uncomfortable I was with the idea.

But what the Ancient had said or even how I felt about using her soul didn't matter. Giving Sotoria over to Kolis sickened me. He would have her reborn and would watch her grow—

Gods, I couldn't even finish that line of thought.

But was one soul—one life—worth hundreds? Thousands? My heart pounded erratically as I stood there.

My mouth dried. "And why should I believe you won't go back on this deal the moment you have what you want?"

"A deal is an oath. One that cannot be broken," Aydun advised me. "Doing so would force the realm to rectify."

That wasn't much of a reassurance considering Kolis had repeatedly done things that had to be rectified.

But I…gods, I could not do that to Sotoria . I couldn't do that to anyone.

"What is your offer?" Aydun prodded.

"What?" I breathed.

"He has offered a deal," the Ancient said. "You now must offer him one."

I inhaled sharply as I glanced between him and Kolis. Panic began to seed itself. Ash and I hadn't discussed this. We hadn't even considered it. Why hadn't Aydun mentioned this? Given me some time to come up with something. He had to have known this was possible.

It didn't matter. I had told Ash that I didn't want to make decisions without him. We were a team. I lifted my chin. "I need to discuss this with my King first."

"Your King?" Kolis laughed. "You are speaking to your King now."

My lip curled. "No, my King is Nyktos ."

Kolis arched a brow. "I recognize no such thing. If you want to counter with a deal, you will do that now."

"Such deals are only made between the true Primal of Life and the true Primal of Death," Aydun stated. "You must offer one now."

Fuck. Fuck. Fuck .

"I'm waiting," Kolis announced.

Aydun sent a look toward the Primal of Death that I could barely decipher, but Kolis shut up. "Take your time."

It didn't matter how much time I had. I couldn't just come up with a deal of such magnitude on the spot. Gods, this was why I never should've been in this position. I wasn't good at negotiations and politics. I wasn't fit for this—

Stop .

My heart pounded as I forced myself to breathe in for the count of five. I glanced at Kolis, and this time, that fucking smirk was on his lips.

My chest squeezed. What had I said? That it was time to start having faith in myself? Panicking was not doing that. I held my breath. Whether or not I should've been in this position was irrelevant. I was here, and while I wasn't fit for this and clearly didn't have all that faith in myself, I was good at pretending . After all, I stood in front of Kolis and behaved as if no part of me feared him. So, I needed to hold it together. I needed to think . My heart slowed, along with my racing thoughts. Think . Some of the pressure left my chest.

And after what felt like an eternity, my first thought was that we would offer Kolis no such promise of safety.

I started to speak but then stopped. I knew that Kolis wanted to avoid war, and the lives of others had to be more important than our anger, right? A chance for peace had to be bigger than retribution, even if it went against the very core of who I was. That is what Eythos would've chosen, but it is not what I would choose for myself.

Fuck.

Okay. Go with my instincts? Wasn't that what Aydun had said? I briefly closed my eyes. I could not be as I was. I needed to be better. Less monstrous. There had to be a balance between those two things. One that protected the realms and was tolerable to all he victimized. There had to be.

And there was one that came close.

I opened my eyes. "I have a deal."

Kolis arched a brow. "And what is that?"

"You can keep Dalos , but you will not rule. You will remain as the Primal of Death, but you will have no authority over Iliseeum , the Shadowlands, or the mortal realm." I met his stare. "You will renounce the throne and not seek vengeance against any who have stood against you."

"Is that all?" Kolis asked, and I nodded. "What's in it for me?" he added.

"Balance will be kept, and you will get to live out your existence," I forced out, repeating what he'd offered.

"And Sotoria ?" he asked.

The fucking creep… "My deal does not include Sotoria ."

His fingers stretched outward and then slowly lowered onto the arm of the throne.

"You don't want war," I reminded him. "Neither do I."

"I'm not sure I believe that," Kolis countered. "Your nature is not all that different from mine."

I tensed. "I'm nothing like you."

"That's what you want to believe, but I've seen you as you truly are. I know the kind of violence you're capable of."

My tenuous grip on my anger started to slip. "You believe that because of what I did to you?"

"No." Kolis leaned forward, his lips curling upward. "I know it because of how eager you were to slay Evander."

My chest hollowed. No . Kolis was wrong. "I wasn't eager. Nor did I enjoy it. That is one of the many differences between us," I said, watching him shift back onto the throne. "Do you accept the deal or not?"

"You haven't accepted or rejected mine," Kolis pointed out.

"You do not need to right now," Aydun broke in. "Neither of you does. You both have time to think it over."

"That is true," the false King said. "But do you really need the time?"

"Do you?" I shot back.

Kolis's lips curled up in a poor replica of a smile, and then he towered over me, no more than a foot of space separating us. Gasping, I jerked back out of shock as my heart kicked violently against my ribs. Even with my newly heightened senses, I hadn't seen a flicker of movement from him. That was how quick he was.

Not even Ash could move that fast.

The bastard may look weak, but he was still incredibly powerful.

And I was…I was still very much afraid of him.

His smile widened, reaching silver eyes full of swirling crimson flecks. The tips of his fangs appeared. My stomach twisted sharply as my very insides flashed cold. An icy sensation crept down my spine, stroking the essence. It flared hotly as I forced myself to hold still and not back off, even though every instinct screamed for me to do just that.

"Kolis," Aydun warned, his voice low. "You know the rules."

"And I haven't violated a single one," Kolis replied, his gaze locked onto mine. "I'm only speaking to her."

"And that could not be done as you were before?" the Ancient countered.

"It could." Kolis's head tilted and lowered, sending a lock of hair falling against a sculpted cheek. He inhaled deeply, and his lip curled. "I can smell him on you."

Tiny bumps of dread broke out all over my skin. Revulsion rose, choking me.

That fucking smile grew even wider. "I could've punished you for the lives you took when you were here as a guest."

"A guest?" I sputtered.

"I could've punished Nyktos more severely for killing one of his brethren," he said, his voice clear but his lips barely moving. "And for attacking me, his King. I would even be within my rights to punish you for your blatant disavowal of my authority and for calling another ‘King.' Wouldn't I be, Aydun?"

"You sit upon the Throne of the Gods," the Ancient replied stoically. "But she bears the Crown of Crowns."

The flesh beneath his eyes thinned until I could see a sheen of crimson bone. "I could've killed her many times over," Kolis answered, those swirling eyes still fixed on mine. "Easily. But I didn't. Does that not matter?"

Aydun may have answered, but I didn't hear him. I didn't even see anything beyond Kolis. It was almost like it was just him and me. Breathe out. And it didn't feel like we stood in Cor Palace's atrium. Hold . It felt like we were in the Sanctuary, in his private chambers, and I was— no. I was not caged. I was free.

"Instead, I was generous and kind," Kolis said, but I swore his lips didn't move. And—

Gold glinted dully from behind Kolis. My gaze darted over his shoulder. I didn't see the throne. Panic trickled through my veins as I saw bars, but that was impossible. I'm not there.

"I was gentle with you. Considerate." Kolis's voice throbbed . "Even pleasing ."

There had been nothing pleasing about what Kolis had done. I hadn't wanted to feel anything. He'd forced it. But I wasn't there. Kolis was standing in front of me—

Or was he? Panic surged like a trapped, wild animal because I could feel him behind me, beneath me, his arm too tight around my waist, and his hips rocking—

Every inch of my body was drenched in an icy downpour of raw, sharp fear as I felt that twisted tremor in his arms as he held me. Pressure settled on my chest, causing my breath to hitch as I felt the rapid pounding of his heart against my back, his hand sliding down my side, grazing my breast and clutching my hip. Breathe in . The essence swelled at the memory of the unwanted heat of his bite. Hold . My fingers twitched, tingling. Breathe out . I couldn't stop him. I couldn't do anything but sit there and take it, just as I had with Tavius, with all the training, with—

I was trapped.

" Kolis ." Aydun's voice suddenly thundered, snapping me into the present. "That is enough."

Breathing heavily, I stepped back as I stared up at Kolis. We were in Cor Palace. The gold behind him was from the throne and all the other tacky décor. There were no bars. He was standing in front of me, and…

I glanced down. Was the floor trembling? My gaze flew around the atrium. The thick swaths of material covering the windows were swaying. A fine layer of dust drifted down from the ceiling as stone cracked like thunder somewhere in the chamber.

"Do I scare you, Seraphena ?"

My head whipped back to Kolis as eather pulsed through me.

The skin under his eyes thickened, and the gleam of dull bone faded. "Clearly, I do."

"That is not her." Aydun faced me. "You need to calm yourself before Nyktos breaks with convention and shows himself."

It took a moment for the Ancient's advice to sink in. It wasn't me causing the palace to tremble.

It was Ash.

He was picking up on my emotions, even though I knew he was nowhere near us. I didn't feel his presence.

If Ash showed, he would bear some twisted consequence. My gaze swiveled back to Kolis. He smirked as he eyed me. That was exactly what he wanted.

Hands clenching, I focused on my breathing, taking slow and even breaths.

"And you." The Ancient turned to Kolis. "Using the essence against her in such a manner is unbecoming of one who calls himself King."

"I didn't harm her." Kolis tipped his flaxen head back as the swirling red shadows disappeared from his flesh. He began walking backward toward the dais. "Unbecoming or not, I violated no rules."

"Wait." I stiffened. "What are you—?"

"The true Primal of Death can root out one's trauma and what they fear, sending them back to that moment," Aydun answered before the vadentia could. What he spoke of was similar to what an oneirou could do—if an oneirou only manipulated negative emotions and created nightmares. "It's the syhkik — the unique ability associated with a Primal. And this one is reserved for those sentenced to the Abyss."

My lips parted on a quick inhale as I looked back at Kolis. He crossed the dais. He had…

He hadn't been able to do that before. The nape of my neck tingled as Kolis sat on his throne. When Kolis stole the embers, he'd upset the balance. And when the embers he'd stolen faded, even Kolis had weakened. But my Ascension had restored the embers of life and the balance.

And it would—or already was—restore the Primals ' strength, including Kolis's, even though only a few embers of death remained in him after he made the transfer. The remaining embers were in Ash.

And all that meant was that Kolis would become even more powerful.

That should be the biggest concern. It was, but the fact that he had used that ability on me took center stage. Fury rose, erasing what filaments of fear and panic remained.

"What did you ask me?" I said. "Just a moment ago."

Kolis shifted, widening his sprawl on the throne. "I asked if I scared you."

Holding on to that rage, I smiled. "You fucking disgust me."

The flesh along his jaw and cheek thinned. Swirling cords of crimson reappeared, churning.

I wasn't done. "Just like you always disgusted Sotoria ."

The waves of red shadows in his flesh stilled. Several seconds ticked by as the false King's gaze held mine, and the crimson faded from his flesh. "I would suggest that you use this time wisely, Seraphena ."

Then, without another word, Kolis vanished from the throne.

The Ancient was quiet as we left the atrium and entered the empty hallway. I felt like I had just finished running up and down several flights of stairs—my knees were that weak as we reached the archway.

" Seraphena ."

I should've kept walking as my name echoed down the hall.

I didn't.

"You should've accepted what Kolis offered," Callum said. "It was more than gracious of him."

A dry, cutting laugh parted my lips. Yes, Kolis was the epitome of generosity .

"If you are as wise as you think you are, you will accept it."

That wasn't going to happen, and Callum could likely tell that.

There was a moment of silence. "My sister does not belong to you."

"She doesn't belong to Kolis, either." My control fell to the wayside as the little monstrous part of me seized control. Reaching behind me, I grasped the grip of the dagger and spun. The blade left my hand with shocking speed. "You sick fuck."

The dagger pierced Callum in the center of the forehead, throwing him back. He hit the floor, dead for the second time today.

"Was that necessary?" the Ancient asked.

"Always."

Aydun took my hand instead of responding. Swirling mist suddenly surrounded us as he shadowstepped to the canopy of golden trees.

"Gods," I hissed, my head feeling like it was spinning. "Didn't I tell you that I would appreciate a heads-up next time?"

"I forgot," he replied. "Do you want to know how I think the meeting went?"

Exhaling roughly, I turned to him. A beam of sunlight sliced across his face. "Not particularly."

He looked unimpressed with my answer. "I believe it went as expected."

"What part went as expected? Him offering a deal? Me having to come up with one on the spot when I should've been warned of such before we got here?" I asked, my frustration nearly boiling over. "Or him exploiting what he did to—" I cut myself off and looked away, pressing my lips together.

"I was not certain that he would attempt to make a deal," Aydun stated. "But even if I was, advising you of the possibility would've been unfair."

I had to take an entire step back before I did something regretful. "You know what's unfair? Whatever the fuck your idea of balance and fairness is. Because to everyone but the Ancients, it really feels like none of that applies to Kolis."

"That is not the case."

"That's bullshit."

"Is it?" His unflinching stare held mine. "Does Kolis strike you as someone who is happy with their lot in life? Fulfilled?"

I opened my mouth but then closed it. The only time I could remotely say that I thought Kolis appeared even somewhat happy was when he believed I was Sotoria .

"Kolis was not always like he is now," Aydun continued after a moment, a far-off look settling across his features. "He was not without his flaws, but he was once fair and gentle. Kolis was feared, while his brother was welcomed. Dreaded, while Eythos was celebrated. Isolated and lonely, when his twin was surrounded by many. And while the other Primals could enter the mortal realm and spend time among them to retain some semblance of humanity, he could only do so for short periods and without interaction to avoid spreading death. He is the true Primal of Death, and mortals have never been able to come to terms with the knowledge that everything that begins must end. A millennium of that changed him. While many others are unable to see that, you have been able to."

My gaze cut back to him. Exactly how much were the Ancients able to see? Know?

"And that is no excuse for what he has done to others and you," he said, and I sucked in a reedy breath. "But he has not gone unpunished, Seraphena . Anything he has ever wanted or needed has been kept from him or eventually taken away."

"Maybe that is true," I started.

"It is," he cut in. "We cannot lie."

"Okay. So, that is true. He's been punished, but none of that has deterred him."

Aydun's gaze lowered. "I cannot argue against that."

It took me several moments to respond, and I only did so because I wanted to return to Ash. "How long do we have to answer whether or not we accept the deal?"

"I assume that means you already know your answer?"

"I do, and it is no."

Aydun nodded. "It is customary to give a full moon cycle."

"By mortal or Dalos standards?"

"Mortal."

So, a month. That was a long time to wait for an answer. My fangs scraped my pursed lips. But didn't I already know what the answer would be? I lifted my gaze to the Ancient. "You said that preventing war was a thread not seen. Has that changed?"

The Ancient laughed softly. "If it had, I could not tell you, and you know that."

I did, but that didn't mean I had to like it. Shaking my head, my gaze flickered over the golden leaves as I looked in the direction of Cor Palace. "Should I…?" I closed my eyes, not wanting to give the doubt a voice, but I couldn't stop myself. "Should I have just accepted his offer?"

"Did instinct tell you to do so?"

I shook my head.

"Then that is all that matters."