25. Chapter 25

Chapter 25

Thea

“ A re you sure this is a good idea?” I looked at Della as she and I snuck into my father’s room. I had frozen time in their room so they wouldn’t wake up.

“It’s fucking brilliant. You possess your father, and you will be able to control him and what he does. He will go get the stone for you and not know any wiser.”

“That does sound fucking brilliant.” I smiled.

I made my way around their giant bed to my father’s side. He was lying on his back, sleeping peacefully. I lifted my hand so that I could focus on my fingers. A moment later, the tip of my pointer finger became a long pointed claw. I wiggled it and smiled at Della. She walked closer to me and watched as I took my pointer finger and held it above my father’s collarbone and sank it into his flesh. It created a small puncture wound when I retracted my sharp fingernail .

I dug the claw into the tip of my finger, making it bleed, then let a drop of my blood fall onto my father’s wound. My blood sank into the cut, and the wound healed in front of our eyes. Della and I glanced at each other; shit, that was easy. When I looked back at my father, he had the same red veins where I marked him that Flora did.

“Let’s go to the throne room, and you can summon him from there.” Della nodded as her star mist surrounded us. A moment later, I sat on my father’s throne, and Della stood next to me. Closing my eyes, I called my father and told him to come to the throne room alone.

It only took a few minutes for my father to stroll into the room and shut the door. He stood staring blankly at me.

“This is actually kind of fucking creepy,” I told Della. “Bring me the bloodstone,” I demanded of him. My father blinked slowly, then walked to the throne I was sitting on. I stood up quickly, ready to fuck him up, but he lifted the cushion before lifting a small section of the wood under it, revealing a hidden compartment.

“It was protected by the same magic binding found in cuffs.” Della’s eyes widened. “No wonder you couldn’t find it.”

He handed it to me without hesitation.

“Go to bed.” I waved him away and waited until he left the room before smiling at Della. My bloodstone shined red brightly in my hands, like it recognized it belonged to me. The stone was small but felt heavy in my palm. Suddenly its color changed to a dark purple. I glanced at Della for an explanation.

“It must change color when its energy is being used, or it’s taking its true form because you are its owner?” Della looked at the stone that was shaped like a crescent moon. I could feel the energy from it fueling me and my magic. It was coursing through me so rapidly that I felt dizzy at first.

“Can any blood witch use this?” I asked.

“I’m not sure.” She frowned. “We should go so we can figure out who the hell is up to all of this. I will be invisible to everyone but you.”

Wisp appeared next to us and burned the same purple color as the bloodstone. I used Cassius’ shadows to go to Ravenstone Coven. I was standing in the small, grassy village center. I glanced at the stone in my hand and shoved it into my pocket before using illusion magic to create a fake one in my hand.

“Oh, thank the moon you’re here!” I turned and held out my dagger but lowered it when Genia was standing there. “Lyra has lost her fucking mind.”

“What do you mean?” I frowned .

“She was acting strange and saying that she was taking what was promised to her. Then she killed a few of the witches, but we restrained her in Yerma’s house.”

Della shrugged her shoulders at me as we hurried to the house. When I walked in, a dozen witches surrounded a woman bound in a chair. I recognized Lyra as the blonde witch I met here last time. She was gagged and crying profusely. Wisp appeared next to her, her flames flashing red and black. Wisp was extremely distraught.

The other witches stared at me, but they wouldn’t make eye contact with me. Lyra was the only one who was meeting my eyes. She shook her head no.

“Why did you possess Flora and go after Cassius?” I glared, but it was all for show. Tell me what she is thinking, I demanded from my magic.

Please. It wasn’t me! It wasn’t me; don’t kill me.

I could hear her thoughts. Genia said it wouldn’t work on them the last time I was here. But maybe she made it so it wouldn’t. My eyes found Della, and I tried to communicate with her that something was wrong. I went to take the woman’s gag out of her mouth, but Genia stopped me.

“What are you doing?” I asked. “I want to ask her why she did what she did.”

“She will say anything to get out of this,” Genia sighed. Her purple eyes were narrowing on me. When I tried to read her thoughts, it felt as though there was a wall up in her mind. Something in this room was keeping her thoughts from me. “We shall punish her for her rebellion against you, queen.”

I flicked my wrist up and froze everyone but Della and Lyra. Lyra was hysterical as she realized everyone was frozen but her. I pulled the gag from her mouth.

“Please don’t kill me. It's Genia, not me!”

“It’s alright,” I assured her. “I already know.”

“You do?” She stopped crying.

I nodded and sighed heavily. What in the fuck was going on?

“Why is she doing this?”

“She lied to you when you came here. She had Yerma under a blood possession and was controlling her for years,” Lyra stated. My mind flashed to when I saw Yerma’s wound and thought it was infected. It was a blood witch mark. Fuck. “She’s been in control of Yerma since we’ve been here. She is not letting any of us leave and bound our tongues with magic so we couldn’t speak of it.”

“But why?”

Lyra swallowed hard and looked away for a moment.

“Genia helped your father kill Bayla. He promised Genia that she could rule the blood witches. Genia and your father..." She glanced away from me .

“Are sleeping together,” I said, disgusted.

She nodded.

“Genia had children with him.”

I forgot about this. I had been too engrossed with Cassius and my curse. I had brothers.

“It was around the same time your mother was pregnant with you. The children were not powerful like you were, though. The twins were both boys, and male blood witches hardly ever inherit their mother’s abilities. It’s not impossible, just extremely unlikely. Both of them had elite magic, though. Your father never claimed them, but he did have them living in the castle with him.”

My mind raced at this news. What twins were living at the castle with elite magic? Now would be a great time to remember my fucking life. I glanced at Della when she gasped.

“Are you talking about Kaz and Kai?” she asked Lyra.

“Yes.”

My ability to breathe seized immediately. My Kaz and Kai, who I thought of as brothers, were my actual brothers. Their smiling faces popped into my mind, and with it, their elite magic marks. Ravens.

“Is Genia a blood witch or a Ravenstone witch?”

“Both; her father was from Ravenstone, and her mother was a blood witch. It’s why she can change her eye color to match either coven.”

“For fuck’s sake.” I turned from Lyra and began pacing around. “My father is a fucking slut.” I glared at them as I completely lost my mind. “I will lose my shit if the twins are part of this.”

“No, Kaz and Kai are nothing like Genia or Luren. They are so much like you. The three of you practically raised one another.” Lyra frowned. I saw something in her eyes that reminded me of the way Cassius stared at me.

“Which one do you care for?” I asked. A frown took over her face. “I can see it in your eyes that you are missing one of them.”

“Kaz.” Tears filled her eyes. “They would never. This is all Genia and Luren. Genia cursed Exile through Yerma to make it seem like she had nothing to do with it just in case you ever came for us. Your father is using Genia for his gains, but she’s doing the same.”

I closed my eyes tightly and couldn’t shake the images of the twins.

“Who else is involved?” I asked.

“Her other son.” She shook her head and frowned. “Genia and the King of Kizar had Jesper together. The queen of Kizar couldn’t have children, and Genia approached Halvor and agreed to have an heir. She was hoping it would be a girl so that they would have strong powers, but Jesper was born without any. So, she had twins with your father, hoping that she would be blessed with a girl who was powerful like you. The twins have power but nothing close to what she wanted.

“We didn’t know Jesper was her son until recently when he came to talk to her. I’m pretty sure it’s why Jesper chased after you so much. Genia said that he needed to marry you because she knew of the prophecy and your powers. If you think your father is power-hungry, then double that, and that’s how badly Genia wants everything. The only thing standing in her way is you. She is having Jesper marry Tally so that he can inherit all of Cerithia after the wedding. Genia is planning on killing your entire family.”

Well, that pissed me off.

“No one will be killing my family except me,” I declared. So Jesper was planning on screwing over my father. I didn’t know what was better, my father being the leader of Elloryon or Jesper. “Forgive me, queen, but you made a big mistake when you came here last time. You told Genia she could have the blood witch coven if you died. So now she is betting on that. It's why she had you bring the bloodstone.”

“But if I die, I will just go back to Exile.”

“No, she is going to force you to give it to Cassius and then kill both of you.”

“I need a fucking drink.” Della breathed as she started rummaging through the kitchen until she found liquor and popped it open, taking a swig from it. “All of this lying and deceit is disgusting. I can’t believe fae haven’t become extinct yet.”

“Alright… This has been a really fucking long day.” I groaned and took the bottle from Della and took a swig to help calm my racing thoughts. “Here is what is going to happen. I’m going to pull you into the courtyard and pretend like I am punishing you, then I will fucking gut Genia. How does that sound to everyone?”

Gods, I kind of wanted Jesper to witness his mother’s downfall. But I couldn’t risk keeping her prisoner.

“Sounds good.” Della and Lyra nodded. First, though, I grabbed Lyra’s shirt and pulled it down so I could make sure she didn’t have a blood mark. She didn’t.

“Sorry, I had to make sure.” I frowned at her. “You need to be hysterical when I unfreeze them.”

Lyra immediately became hysterical before pausing.

“Let’s do this; I want to see Genia get what she has coming to her. I want you to break the curse so Kaz can come home.”

I saw Della frown at her words.

I nodded and put the gag in her mouth. When I glanced toward Della, she was frowning at Wisp, who was dark purple. I took a deep breath and got back in position as I unfroze everyone.

“You’re right; let’s punish her in the courtyard in front of everyone so they know I will not tolerate this.” I nodded and wrapped Lyra up in my darkness gently and dragged her outside.

“Witches, everyone come out here now!” I bellowed. Witches poured from their cottages and stared frightened at Lyra. Genia’s smile was wicked as I waited for everyone to be gathered. I glanced around at the horrified faces. These poor witches had been under this cruel woman’s care.

“I want you all to witness what happens to anyone who rebels against me, but mostly who threatens my husband, Cassius.”

“Husband!” Genia pretended like she didn't know. I smiled at her. “Sorry, we just didn’t know that.” She cleared her throat.

“That’s right.” I smiled as my eyes burned bright red in my fury. Tell me what she is thinking. I demanded my magic. Stupid whore. Your father was right; you’re as dumb as your whore mother. You don’t deserve to be queen .

“Let this be a lesson to each of you to not fuck with me. I will always be two steps ahead of you,” I sneered.

Genia’s eyes narrowed on me, but before she could do anything, I froze her again. The witches all whispered harshly as I let Lyra go.

“Please stay put if you’d like to witness Genia die; if you don’t want to see this, now is your time to go.”

I smiled when no one left. I stepped forward with my nails and punctured her above her collarbone before pricking my finger again and dripped blood into her wound. Smiling, I stepped back and unfroze her. Genia was confused at first when Lyra was no longer wrapped in my darkness. She glanced around when she noticed the shift in the air. Her eyes flashed to mine with anger.

“You Crimson whore,” she spat at me.

I tossed my viper-handled dagger at her feet.

“Pick up the dagger, Genia, and stay alert for this. I want you to witness what your greed got you.”

She bent down and wrapped her hand around the handle. Her eyes were wide with consciousness. Della was watching closely at the show. I smiled brightly at Genia when our eyes met.

“Before you die, I want you to know that I will make Jesper’s death as painful as I can. He will be begging to die before I am done. ”

“Fuck you!” She tried to spit on me. “Your mother begged me and your father to not kill her. But just know that I made it unbearable for her.”

My eyes flashed red, and my blood witch marks glowed brightly, illuminating the area around me. My magic escaped me and created a storm-like cloud above me. It crackled and popped like it had in Brim’s home.

“Cut out your tongue, Genia,” I demanded.

She was shaking her head as if she could stop my direction, but in the end, she couldn’t. Genia cried loudly as she cut her tongue out. I walked around her, wanting to cause her immense pain.

“Cut off your left hand.” I instructed her. She was sobbing but immediately started sawing her hand off at the wrist. I watched her closely until her hand hit the ground. I could hear the murmurs of the witches behind me, but I paid no attention to them.

Genia was losing a considerable amount of blood. She would die quickly, but she didn’t deserve that. So, I used my fire magic to close up her wounds, making her cry harder.

“I want you to understand that this pain you are feeling right this second will only be a fraction of what Jesper will go through.” I smiled at her when she shook her head no. “I’m tired of your existence. Gut yourself,” I demanded .

Tears fell from her eyes as she lifted the blade and slid it into her stomach and cried out in pain. My darkness hummed at the sight. Genia slid the blade up toward her neck, her guts spilling in front of her as her eyes stared into mine.

I didn’t blink until I saw the light in her eyes vanish for good. Stepping forward, I grabbed my dagger and wiped it on her dress before looking around.

“I apologize that I did not know that Genia was abusing all of you. As your queen, I vow to always protect the coven.”

The witches bowed immediately before a cheer spread through them.

“I still have a prophecy to fulfill and a curse to break, so I would appreciate it if you all could stay here until everything is safe.”

Their chatter died down, and they began whispering among themselves. Then Lyra stepped forward.

“We would like to witness the prophecy when it happens. Would it be possible to help or even watch?” She smiled.

I laughed.

“I think we can find something for you to do,” I agreed before leaving.