29. Adrianna

29

ADRIANNA

T he panic in Flora's eyes resonates deep in my bones while the rage radiating from Arlo pounds through my veins, pushing me to shake the drugs swarming through my body.

I blink repeatedly, trying to see straight when all I feel is sluggish.

"Flora," I breathe, my heart clenching at the sight of her watery eyes and red, blotchy face. She's been crying; even in this state, I can see that.

I feel like I've been teleported right back to when it was Nora being leveraged against me, but there's something different about today. I'm not getting out of this mess like I did then.

"W-whatever they say, Addi. Don't d-do it. D-don't do it. You hear me?" Her whimpers twist my gut as her bottom lip trembles. "Promise me, Addi," she adds, her words firmer as she tries to get me to agree.

I gape at her helplessly before my stare turns to Arlo. I find the same resolution in his eyes. His jaw is tight, his nostrils flared, and his eyes narrowed as he nods at me, pushing for me to give Flora the response she wants.

The issue is… I can't.

I thought we had kept The Council at bay. I thought wrong. I should have realized that their silence only meant they were working harder to try again. I hadn't scared them off. I hadn't done anything but give them the time they needed to set this all in motion, then I gave them the perfect opening when I killed Vallie.

The soldiers' response to the matter was quick. Maybe too quick. Maybe there's more to that situation than I first thought, but thinking about it now is pointless. It's not going to save me from what they have planned next.

My gaze flickers back to Flora, but when my lips part, my words aren't for her. "What exactly do you want from me?"

"No, Addi. No!" Flora yells, trying to fight out of the hold the soldier has her in. My teeth clench as the soldier kicks her legs out, sending her to her knees with a crash.

"Don't. Touch. Her," I bite, my face pulsing with rage as I sneer at the soldier. I'm aware of the slur that still lingers in my voice, but I refuse to let it weaken my words as well as my limbs.

"It's simple," Kenner states, stepping in the way of Flora so he has my full attention. "You will agree to become the center of our fated mates."

"Why?" My eyes narrow on him as my body relaxes further into the soldier that's keeping me propped up.

"You will become the new heirs of the kingdom."

"Why?" I push, aware of the conversations I've had with the guys over the matter, but I want to hear it from these fuckers too.

"That part doesn't matter," Vallie's uncle chimes in, earning a deathly glare from me once I can actually set my sights on him. "Fuck, Orenda, how much did you give her? She has to be awake and have some control over her magic for this to work," he adds as Brody's father stumbles toward me again.

"I used as much as you said," he mumbles under his breath, avoiding my stare as he steps in front of me. "I can extract a little of it. Give me a minute."

"We don't have time for this," Holloway grumbles, tossing her hair over her shoulder with a sigh.

What's the rush? They've got me cornered, and no matter how I try to run through scenarios in my head, none of them lead to me escaping.

"Please, Addi. Don't do this. Not for me, not for us. Please," Flora cries, making Kenner roll his eyes, but he at least moves out of the way so I can lock eyes with my friend.

"It's going to be okay, Flora. It's going to be fine," I promise, attempting a smile, but I know it falls flat.

Before I can offer any other comfort, a sharp sting burns at my throat again as Orenda pumps something else into my body. I groan at the burn, but as he steps away, syringe in hand, he takes most of the discomfort with him.

Before I can attempt to gather myself, the soldier propping me up pushes me to the floor. Thankfully, this time I manage to catch myself with my bound hands before face-planting the stone beneath me.

Flora yelps in panic as I try to take a few deep breaths. With each inhale, I feel my focus coming back as the world stops spinning. Mostly.

My fingers curl into fists against the harsh floor, the bindings of the magical restraints around my wrists keeping my rage burning inside of me. I huff a sigh as I push myself to my knees. "If I agree to this, I want to know what comes from you doing it. What are you gaining?"

Rising to my feet, I sway a little, but I don't feel half as bad as I did a moment earlier. Although, I can still feel whatever he injected in my veins.

Kenner snarls, irritated with my persistence, but instead of charging at me, he turns for Flora. In a flash, his fingers are curled in her hair, yanking her head back as he holds a blade to her throat. "You're forgetting who has the power here, Pet. You're forgetting you don't have a choice."

"Then why aren't you just fucking doing it?" I snap back, trying to hide the trembling in my bones at the sight of Flora in danger.

I'm pulled back by my hair as the door swings open behind me. The woman who leads the way isn't someone I recognize, but my muscles ease at seeing who follows her.

Raiden. Kryll. Brody. Cassian.

My Kryptos.

Fuck.

Fuck. Fuck. Fuck.

I didn't want to need them like this. Not after today, after what I did. But seeing them makes all the pain go away.

"Addi, baby?—"

"Ah, ah, ah, Dragon Boy. Step out of line and she gets punished," the woman sneers, aiming a black fingertip my way.

I turn to Kryll, noting the rage boiling beneath his skin, but he clamps his lips shut and falls in line.

"What the fuck is going on here?" Raiden's voice booms through the room, earning an eye roll from his mother, who seems less than impressed with his outburst.

"Raiden, shut up. The quicker this is over with, the quicker I can get out of here," she grumbles, making my vampire sneer.

"Is the wine calling, Mother? Any work is too hard for you. Even something like this is incomprehensible to you. I should have guessed."

"Watch your mouth, I?—"

"Enough! I sacrificed my niece for this. Now, do it," Vallie's uncle snaps, pointing at Brody's father, who quickly steps into action.

"Boys, if you don't mind, hands on the globes," he murmurs, placing the familiar sphere-topped stands in front of them. He comes to me last as I try to ignore the quiet please and whimpers from Flora, but when she only gets louder, I can't take it anymore.

"I'll do this without a fight and make your life a hell of a lot easier, but just let me speak with her and calm her down first," I insist, looking at Orenda and no one else. He might be just as mad as the rest of them, but he's the most likely to have a hint of compassion in the room.

He pushes his glasses up the bridge of his nose, considering me as Holloway scoffs. "No. Don't be fooled by her bullshit. She's up to something."

"I'm trying to calm her down. I'm not asking for you to remove my restraints; just let me console her. How are you going to focus on your chants if she's making so much noise," I hiss back, hoping Flora doesn't take offense because that's really not my intention, but I'm trying my best here.

"Fine. Quickly," Orenda mumbles, waving his hand at me.

I move before he can change his mind, stepping around Raiden and Brody to find her still on her knees. I drop down in front of her, lifting my joined wrists in the air before pulling her in the best I can, given the circumstances.

"Please, Addi. Don't do this," she pleads, and I take a deep breath.

My eyes settle on Arlo over her shoulder as I all but breathe into her ear. The words on my tongue are so quiet I'm certain she won't hear them, but when I stand again, I see the fight in her eyes. The pleading is long gone.

"It's okay, Flora," I state, and she nods, keeping a straight face as I make my way around to the remaining stand.

"Addi," Brody murmurs, pulling my gaze to his, but I don't respond. I offer him the smallest smile I can muster as nausea roils in my stomach. All I want to do is crawl into myself, curl up into a ball, and forget the world exists, but I don't have a choice in the matter.

"Do it," I order, placing my hands on the stand before me. It's more to keep me stable than anything, but Holloway was right: the quicker they get on with it, the quicker I can face the next onslaught from them.

Orenda stands center to the five of us, palms facing up as he starts to chant softly. It almost sounds like a lullaby, but in reality, it's far from it. My grip tightens on the sphere under my palm, not by choice but by magic, followed swiftly by a sharp sting as if the damn thing is cutting into my flesh.

Magic bolts through my body, claiming me in every sense of the word as a scream parts my lips and everything turns white.