Chapter 11

The moment we were out in the trees, I broke into a jog, relieved at the thought of finally seeing my brother again. My shoulder blades tingled as I summoned my wings into existence but before I could take off, Darius caught my hand and yanked me back around to face him.

"The lake is that way," he said, jerking his chin toward the depths of the trees down a route which left the path.

"I'm well aware, dude," I told him, trying to wriggle my wrist fee.

"So let's just all walk together. It'll take twenty minutes, if that."

"I can be there in less than five minutes if you let me go," I countered.

"Hmm, I forget how slow Phoenixes are," Orion commented. "I'd do it in thirty seconds."

"Ah, but then you'd be on time, which is so extraordinarily out of character for you that everyone would probably think there was an attack happening all over again," I said, earth magic tingling in my fingertips.

Orion gave me his asshole professor grin, and I narrowed my eyes in suspicion. "It was a game, wasn't it?" I accused, my magic coiling from me unnoticed. "Turning up that late every day, then occasionally shooting in the second the class entered the room – you were just fucking with everyone."

"That seems like a petty power play to fuck with young and fragile Fae minds," he replied innocently, and Darcy laughed.

"So yes then?" she said.

Orion smirked.

"What was your record?" I challenged.

His smile widened as he answered. "I was once fifty-eight minutes late to an hour-long class. Only two of my students had waited me out. I gave the rest detention scrubbing bog weed from the domes of Aqua House for a week."

I barked a laugh, Darcy catching my eye as she noticed what I'd done.

"Well, we wouldn't want you to break the habit of a lifetime now." I gave him a bright smile, leaning in to peck Darius on the lips.

His grip tightened on my wrist because he knew me all too well, but the vines I'd conjured to wrap around his legs tightened at the same time as my magic pulsed through them, hardening and turning them to stone.

Darius growled at me in frustration, but I'd already yanked my arm free of his grip, flashed a bright smile at Orion, who was equally trapped in the rock-solid vines, then propelled myself off of the ground with my air magic.

Darcy shot up through the tree canopy with me, and the moment we were past the thick mass of branches, we spread our wings and flew straight towards the lake.

I closed my eyes as the air rushed through my feathers, breathing in the freshness of the wind which I dove into headfirst, and relishing the moment of freedom with my sister by my side.

The flight was short-lived but exhilarating, and we came to land on the edge of the lake not far from the entrance to the amplification chamber where Dante and the rest of his family had taken Gabriel to rest.

Wolves prowled among the long grass, bright eyes tracing our movements from all around as we approached the entrance to the underground chamber.

I smiled at the Oscura pack, glad to see that my brother had such loyal friends defending him in his time of need.

As we reached the entrance to the amplification chamber, a huge, silver Wolf stepped out of the darkness of the stairwell, her coat shining like moonlight and her gaze more savage than the rest of the enormous beasts.

"Rosalie," I greeted, offering her a thin smile.

The Wolf cocked her head at me, then shifted, revealing the beautiful girl who I had started to feel I knew, or at the very least, trusted.

"You reek of death," she said, her lips turning up at the corners like that was no bad thing, and I breathed a laugh.

"Well I've seen more than enough of it in the last few days."

Rosalie's attention moved to my sister and her smile grew as she took in the silver rings in her eyes and the flaming wings at her back.

"Even the moon has turned to look at the two of you," she said. "The twins who defy fate itself. And I get the feeling the carnage that trails in your wake is only the beginning of your tale. The world itself will shake when it hears you roar as one."

"Is that another Moon Wolf gift talking?" I asked her.

Rosalie shrugged a shoulder inked with rosebuds, but her expression was knowing.

"You saw me, didn't you?" Darius's rough voice came from behind me, and we turned to look as he and Orion strode towards us, their windswept hair speaking of the Vampire speed they'd used to catch up to us after breaking free of my vines. "When I was dead and visiting Roxy in her room, before she set out to find the Damned Forest. You looked right at me."

"You can see the dead?" Darcy gasped, whirling back to Rosalie who shrugged innocently.

"That would be an incredible talent to possess," she said, not giving a clear answer on whether she could or not.

"You told me to follow the fire. Segui il fuoco. You meant that message for me, right?" Darius pushed.

I remembered her saying that to me the night she'd shown me the passage on raising the Trees of the Damned in the Book of Earth, putting me on the path I'd needed to walk into death and retrieve my husband from its clutches.

"And did you?" Rosalie asked, her eyes flicking to my flaming wings, her eyes dancing with secrets.

"I did," Darius agreed.

"Then it would seem that not all men are as thick skulled as they so often appear," she teased. "You should hurry if you want to see Gabriel – they're getting ready to leave."

"Leave?" I questioned, but she'd already shifted back into her silver Wolf form, and she bumped her furry face against my cheek in farewell before bounding off along the edge of the water towards the forest.

"She's strange," Orion muttered.

"I like her," I replied simply before leading the way into the darkness of the stairwell.

I banished my wings as I stepped into the narrow space, sending a Faelight out ahead of us to light our way while we descended.

The scent of cold stone and old magic wrapped its way around us as we headed down into the darkness, low voices growing closer from somewhere below, though our footsteps made it impossible to make out their words.

When we finally made it to the foot of the stairs, I walked into the wider space of the chamber itself, the domed glass roof reflecting the low glow of flames which were flickering to my right.

I hurried towards Gabriel where he lay in a nest of blankets at the centre of the room, his eyes closed and brow furrowed with untold fears.

"Gabriel?" I breathed, dropping down and throwing my arms around him despite Dante's hissed warning to be careful. I'd barely even glanced at the Storm Dragon and two Lion shifters who were standing together, watching over my brother. "I'm here."

Gabriel's arms wound around me, and a low chuckle escaped him as he squeezed me, though his grip was far weaker than I was used to, the bare skin of his upper body clammy to the touch.

"I saw the moment you came crashing back through The Veil with that brute of yours," he breathed, his smile pressing to my cheek while I kept him locked in my arms.

"Stubborn always was my best feature," I joked, even as I clamped my eyes shut against the tears which were trying to break free.

He was here. He was alive. He'd be okay. But fuck, he was so weak, it broke something in me.

"I made you this," Darcy said, dropping down beside us and taking Gabriel's hand, pressing a piece of paper into his grip. "Something real to look at when the visions push too hard."

I eased back enough to let him look at the sketch she'd done of the three of us soaring through the sky, hastily scrubbing my hands across my cheeks to hide the evidence of my tears. Gabriel didn't need my pity right now. He needed my strength.

"We have a cabin near the Polar Capital which is being prepared for his arrival," Dante said from behind me. "There's an amplification chamber there too, one designed specifically for him when the visions build up like this. We're going to take him there now that he's lucid enough to travel."

"A chain around the neck of a stone heathen," Gabriel muttered, drawing my focus back to him.

"I'm keeping notes," Leon piped up, waving a handful of paper scraps at us, each scrawled with random phrases like ‘beware the goat' and ‘turnips on a Sunday = DEATH.'

"What are-" I began, but the dark-haired Lion shifter, Carson, cut me off.

"Ignore the idiot," he growled, casting Leon a disparaging look. "I'm writing down every word accurately."

Leon gasped as if mortally offended. "My interpretations are accurate! Don't come crying to me when a turnip brings about the end of the world."

Carson rolled his eyes and Dante sighed.

"It seems bad, but Falco has suffered worse and survived. We'll unknot the twisted fates inside his head and set him free from their whispers," Dante promised, and I could only nod, hoping that was the case.

"Is there anything else he needs?" I asked, realising Gabriel had fallen back under the sway of a vision, his eyes glazed, his lips parting in horror at whatever it was he saw.

"Glass falling," he breathed.

"Just time, space, rest," Dante said. "The visions have to pass through him. He fought them back to escape the Palace of Souls, but they'll consume him if he doesn't let them run free. He's like a vessel full to bursting, but each vision needs to come out whole before he can be rid of them."

"Then you should get going," Orion said firmly from his place in the shadows, his face hardened with concern for his friend. "Look after Noxy. If you let anything happen to him-"

"I'd give this man the lifeforce in my veins if he needed it, vampiro. A morte e ritorno," Dante said darkly, and Orion nodded, a silent understanding passing between them.

"I know you'll take care of our brother," Darcy said. "But if there's anything we can do, don't hesitate to summon us."

"Of course," Dante said, squeezing her arm affectionately.

"We'll lower the wards so you can leave," I said, glancing at Darcy who nodded in agreement.

Dante thanked us, and I leaned in to press a kiss to my brother's cheek before forcing myself to back up. I handed Dante the pouch of stardust Geraldine had given me from the supplies we'd stolen from Lionel's treasure and he thanked me, pulling me into a hug while Darcy said her goodbyes to Gabriel.

"Don't cry, piccola regina. The tide of this war is turning," Dante said, and for the first time, the static electricity which crackled across his skin didn't send fear darting through me but instead stoked the flames of anger which were burning low inside my chest.

"Oh, I know it is," I promised him, stepping back and offering him a determined look. "And we're going to make that fucking bastard pay for every drop of suffering we've all endured at his hand."

Leon and Carson grinned like the wicked creatures I knew them to be, and they all stepped closer to Gabriel as Dante pulled a fistful of stardust from the pouch.

I took Darcy's hand, our power merging as we tore the wards apart around us, opening a door for them to leave through.

"Wait," Darius said suddenly, stepping forward and gripping Gabriel's arm. "You need to remember Marcus. It's important. He needs you to think of him or he's going to fade beyond The Veil."

Gabriel's brow furrowed in confusion, but we couldn't hold the wards open much longer.

"Go," I bit out, grabbing Darius's arm and pulling him back so they could leave.

Dante threw the stardust, and in a flash of magic, the four of them were gone.

Darcy and I released our hold on the power, sealing the wards once more, and I gasped as the force of holding back so much magic finally shattered.

Darius took my hand and we left the silent chamber, heading back up the stairs towards the cold winter light above.

"I have very mixed feelings about my memories of that chamber," Darius muttered to me, leaning in close so that his lips skimmed my ear at the words. I knew he was trying to distract me from my pain over having to say goodbye to my brother again so soon.

"Oh?" I asked, pretending not to know what he was referring to, but it wasn't like I could easily forget the way we had defied the stars down there with Caleb.

"I have never been so close to ecstasy and murder in the same moment as I was then," he said, nipping my neck just like I remembered him doing that day. "But you did scream so prettily when I-"

"Vampire hearing, asshole. Save it for when you're alone, yeah?" Orion grouched from behind us, and I broke a laugh even though there were still tears in my eyes.

"Who's Marcus anyway?" Darcy asked.

"Who?" Darius replied.

"You literally just told Gabriel to remember him," I pointed out as we stepped back out of the stairwell and into the cool light by the side of the lake.

"No; I told him to remember Manuel," Darius replied, frowning at me.

"You said Marcus, dude," I told him flatly.

"And you still haven't told us who Marcus or Manuel are," Orion added.

"I told you, it's Manuel," Darius said irritably. "Beyond The Veil, if no one alive thinks of you anymore, then you kinda start to fade away and get called towards the door of-"

"Your majesties!"

I startled at Geraldine's voice, whipping around to look at her as she sprung out of a fucking rose bush.

"Where the fuck did you come from?" I gasped, causing her to laugh.

"A good servant of the crown is never far from her ladies. I just need to know what your plans are for the prisoners? Do you wish for me to conduct an interrogation or-"

"We can handle that," I said, my heart pumping faster at the thought of it, my gaze meeting Darius's as he seemed to agree.

"Yeah. Leave the interrogation to us," he said.

"As you wish. They are currently being held in the bowels of Jupiter Hall."

"Jupiter Hall has no bowels," Orion said. "Which of the three floors is it on?"

"Oh-ho, so the wily professor doesn't know all of the secrets this academy has to offer then?" Geraldine beckoned us along and we fell into step behind her.

The sun was shining brightly now, illuminating the frost that still clung to the bare trees and long grass, making the whole world glow with a silver hue that set my soul at ease.

It felt familiar here, safe and more like home than any other place I'd ever known. I could almost fool myself into believing that we were simply walking to class or heading for a meal at The Orb with all the other students instead of on our way to interrogate prisoners of war.

The huge gothic building of Jupiter Hall soon appeared ahead of us, and we strode up the stone steps, passing through the arching wooden doors where the scent of polished wood and old books greeted us.

Geraldine turned away from the marble staircase that we usually took to get to our Cardinal Magic classes, instead leading us down a side passage and stopping abruptly before a statue of a Basilisk with gleaming yellow gemstones for eyes.

She reached out with a flourish of her wrist, then stroked her hand down the nose of the serpent before tugging on its forked tongue. A low click followed the movement, and my brows rose as the snake shifted aside, a narrow doorway opening up behind it and revealing a brick staircase leading down into darkness beyond.

"Well shit," Orion muttered as we followed Geraldine into the hidden passage.

"I love seeing you surprised," Darcy commented, prodding his cheek.

His gaze slid to her, a grin twisting his lips. "I'd have thought you'd be used to it by now, considering since we met, you've upended my life at every turn."

"Well it wasn't much of a life to upend, to be fair," Darius taunted. "With your Sad Sally Saturdays, seeing how quickly you could find the bottom of a bourbon bottle."

"At least I didn't go on lone motorcycle drives at sunset, listening to dramatic classical music," Orion shot back, and Darius pursed his lips.

"Well Tor and I were broke orphans in the mortal realm – if we're tossing our hat into the ring of this ‘whose life was more pathetic' game," Darcy said, catching my eye and making me smirk.

"I think Geraldine should judge the winner," I decided.

"Gracious – but the honour would be all mine! The Sad Sally award must of course be bestowed upon the greatest loser in every category. I shall contemplate it like a glinglepuss in a back alley." She nodded seriously, deliberating it, and clearly in no rush to make a decision.

We descended the stairs, the temperature rising as we went and the stone Basilisk sliding into place once again behind us.

We were engulfed in darkness for several steps, but as the stairs turned back on themselves, the orange glow of a fire lit up the space below, beckoning us on.

At the foot of the stairs was a brick corridor lit by torches held in brackets along the walls. Several of our most trusted warriors stood guard before each of the wooden doors that spread away from us in both directions, and Washer was doing toe-touches at the far end of the corridor.

"My Queens," he greeted, his stretching turning into a low bow which felt particularly odd coming from one of our professors.

"Don't bother with that shit," I insisted as the rest of the rebels all bowed too, but none of them were listening to me.

"The Queens have come to interrogate the prisoners," Geraldine announced, and I wondered if she planned on announcing everything we did from now on. If she decided to start telling the world every time I needed a shit, I was going to have to draw a line.

"Who should we talk to first?" I asked, glancing at the long line of doors and wondering just how long we were going to be here.

"We have a collection of K.U.N.T.s, the captives from our victory at the Court of Solaria, and a few other lowly braggards such as the traitorous wench who was once known as principal at this fine learning establishment," Geraldine said, indicating several doors with her hand.

"Tory!"

I turned at the sound of the familiar voice, a smile breaking over my face as I spotted Milton Hubert jogging down the steps at our backs.

"Oh hey, du-" I was cut off by him wrapping his arms around me, hoisting me off of my feet, then swinging me around in a circle as he squeezed me tightly.

Darius growled as Milton set me down again and I laughed, backing up a step and waving the possessive Dragon off.

"You guys really saved our asses turning up when you did," he gushed, grinning widely at Darcy too. "I swear we were about to get eaten by those monster things Lionel sent, and then bam! You just stride in like some hero from the dark ages with a legend brought back from the dead at your side too!" His grin fell on Darius, then faltered at the look on my husband's face, and I cleared my throat pointedly when Darius remained quiet.

"I'm glad you're not dead," he said in a flat tone which earned him a scowl from me, though Milton gave him half a smile.

"Right back at you."

"Did you come barrelling down here yelling out audaciously at the True Queens like a squirrel spying a fox for a reason, dear Milton, or were you just overcome with joy at seeing them returned?" Geraldine asked.

"Oh, er, yeah. I heard you were coming here to interrogate the prisoners and I needed to tell you something. Nova was Dark Coerced by your…" he shot a look at Darius, then changed lanes. "Lionel. When he came here, I was hiding in a closet in her office and I saw him do it."

Washer gasped in horror behind us, and I glanced at him, remembering that his allegiance to us and Nova's to Lionel had caused the end of their relationship.

"Do you think there's a chance that she wasn't even on his side?" Darcy asked in shock.

"She did seem pretty excited about us returning when we first got to the academy," I said as I considered it. "Maybe she was loyal to us from the start but then Lionel got to her. It does seem like the kind of shit he'd pull. Where is she, Geraldine?"

"This way." She headed off down the corridor to our right.

We all began to follow her, and I turned to Milton. "Anything else happen while we were gone?"

"We did what we could to resist the Order segregation rules," Milton said. "We even sabotaged a visit Lionel made to the academy."

"That's a story I want to hear more about," I said curiously, but before he could elaborate, Geraldine opened a door and ushered us inside.

"The traitors from within these walls await your judgement," she said, bowing us through the door.

"Let's see them then," I said, wondering who precisely had been captured.

The room was far bigger than I'd expected, the left side of it stacked high with boxes that were filled with potions equipment and dusty workbooks, while the right had black bars in place to lock a group of Fae inside what must have been a newly formed cell.

Within it, around twenty Fae sat on bunks or chairs, their captivity looking all kinds of civil compared to what I knew Lionel chose to subject the Fae he captured to.

I recognised Kylie Major crouched in a back corner, her usually pristine blonde hair a tangle of knots that hung lank around her face. There were others from her posse inside the cell too, and I noted Marguerite lurking near the bars. The beautiful redhead sucked in a breath as her gaze fell on Darius, and my upper lip pulled back in what was little more than a snarl.

Mildred Canopus bared her teeth at us from a space by the far wall, lunging to her feet as her eyes locked on Darius too.

"Impossible!" she cried, lunging at the bars, though I refused to flinch away from them. "What foul trick is this?"

"My wife refused to let death have me," Darius said, heavy emphasis on the word ‘wife', which made me smirk and made Mildred's eyes bug out.

"You spit in the face of your lineage," she hissed, a growl coating her words as she took a swipe at us through the bars. "If you produce half-breed mutts with this piece of trash, then-"

Whatever threat she might have been about to make was cut off abruptly as Darius threw his power at her, hurling her across the cell and pinning her to the far wall in a thick crust of ice which covered her entire body aside from her nose and eyes, which I noticed were red-rimmed and wild.

"You speak about my queen like that again and you'll regret it," he said in a low voice which made a shiver of adrenaline run down my spine.

No one protested him leaving Mildred pinned in place like that, and I glanced around the cell again, taking note of those who had been caught when we'd reclaimed this academy from Lionel's corruption.

A lot of the K.U.N.T.s had escaped but we'd caught a fair few of them.

Nova was sitting apart from the others, toeing the frayed carpet with her high-heeled shoe, not even looking at us as we'd entered the room and dealt with Mildred.

"Actually, there is one more thing," Milton said. "Marguerite helped us. She covered for us more than once. Even risked her life to save mine and Bernice's when we were hiding from Lionel."

"Really?" Darcy asked in disbelief. "Why?"

Marguerite's eyes shifted to Darius but she said nothing, either not wanting to plead her own case or uncertain how to do so.

"Because of Darius?" I asked, stepping forward so that I was between her and my husband and looking at her through the bars of her cage.

Marguerite's lip quivered and her eyes blazed with emotion as she met my gaze, but the hatred I expected to find wasn't there. No jealousy either. More like bitter acceptance.

"He was meant for you," she breathed, her voice low and clearly only intended for me. "But I loved him first. Maybe not like you do, maybe not even like I thought I did once but… He is the one who earned my loyalty. I always aligned myself to him. Never Lionel."

I blinked at the honesty in her voice and turned to the others for some idea on what to make of that because the strangest thing was that I believed her.

Darcy shrugged at me and Darius pursed his lips, but it was clear what I had to do, no matter my personal dislike of the girl who had called me a whore more times than I could count.

"Let her out," I said firmly, my words a command. "Get a Cyclops to confirm her story, but I believe her. And if she is aligned with Darius, then that means she must have bowed when he did…right?" I looked back to Marguerite whose eyes had widened in surprise, and a small, smug smile pulled at my lips as I confirmed the fact that she didn't know about that yet.

"All hail the True Queens," Darius rumbled from behind me, his words a caress along my neck, his hand landing on my shoulder as he made it clear that my claim was no lie. "Everyone loyal to the kingdom of Solaria has bent the knee, Marguerite. The other Heirs, the Councillors, every student at the academy, and countless rebels to my father"s false claim. So if you're as loyal to me as you say, then I suggest you follow suit."

Kylie shrieked something from the corner of the cell, but I didn't spare her any attention as my eyes stayed fixed on Marguerite's, and I watched with full pleasure as the truth of those words fell over her. Slowly, oh so fucking slowly, she began to dip down, her eyes still on mine, the truth painted through her irises as she accepted it and did the only thing which was left to her to do if she wanted to prove her loyalty to our side of this war.

I probably shouldn't have been so fucking satisfied as I watched her bow for me. But then again, I wasn't some prim and proper princess, brought up to be benevolent and just – I was a ruthless girl who had fought with tooth and claw to claim this savage crown in the image of my father. And if that meant I gloated like a smug bitch while my once-enemy bowed at my feet, then so be it.

"Sethy would never bow to-" Kylie's words were cut off sharply as Darcy threw a silencing bubble over her, followed by a slap of ice-cold water which drenched her from head to toe.

"Did anyone hear anything?" she asked innocently, and I shared a triumphant look with my other half which had my heart swelling with satisfaction.

Marguerite was hauled away, and I moved over to Nova next, ignoring the looks the rest of the K.U.N.T.s were giving us as we went. None of them had taken that opportunity to bow, and we would have to figure out what to do with them after this, but for now, I just wanted to find out how deeply Lionel's rot had been infecting this academy.

Nova flinched as I took one of her hands in mine and Darcy took her other. Nova's dark eyes rose to look at me with a kind of empty plea echoing in their depths. I didn't let myself linger on that look, instead calling on my Phoenix and pressing that magic from my skin and into hers, closing my eyes so I could focus on hunting down any signs of the Dark Coercion which Lionel so liked to use against those he struggled to control with fear alone.

Darcy's flames met with mine, then crashed into a barrier within Nova's mind almost at once, then another and another. It was over in a matter of minutes, but the second the last piece of dark magic shattered, Nova let out a shuddering breath which could have been a sob.

She collapsed to the floor at our feet, and Darcy dropped down to help her up.

"I never thought I'd taste freedom again," Nova gasped. "The True Queens really have ascended," she breathed, looking between the two of us in astonishment. "All hail the name of Vega. Let that cowardly Dragon quake in his boots before you."

By the time we'd checked to make sure all the rest of the detained K.U.N.T.s and even Highspell hadn't been under Lionel's influence, I'd almost forgotten that we still needed to interrogate the captives from the Court of Solaria.

Nova had been taken back to her home in Asteroid Place by Washer. He promised to get us a full account of Lionel's meddling at the academy, which we were hoping would help us out with any lapses in security we might not have thought of.

Milton had returned to help with the guard duty outside, and Marguerite was going to be assigned to work with him once the Cyclopses were done looking into her mind.

"Shall we do the old compare the story trick?" Orion suggested when Geraldine led us to the two rooms which held General McReedy and Gus Vulpecula.

"What's that?" Darcy asked curiously.

"We interrogate them separately and then compare their answers – if they match, then we know it's the truth. If they don't, then we know that at least one of them is lying," Darius explained.

"What if they both know the same lie to tell?" I asked.

"Huh. Never really thought of that," Orion admitted, and I rolled my eyes.

"We can fact check once we have some answers, baby," Darius told me. "So all you have to do right now is pick between the snivelling reporter or the seasoned General?"

"I'll take the General," I said without needing much thought. "If I never have to see that lying Fox bastard again then it'll be too soon."

"We'll take Gus then," Orion agreed, and he and Darcy headed into that room with Geraldine hot on their heels, a clipboard in hand.

Darius opened the door to the room where Irvine McReedy, the General in Lionel's army and enforcer in charge of the Nebula Inquisition Centres was being held, and I strode through it with my chin raised and my pulse striking my ribcage.

Irvine McReedy looked up at us with a sneer, his fingers flexing like he was hoping to use magic against us, but it was lucky for him that he was tapped out in that case. I didn't like his chances against either one of us if I was being entirely honest.

"You're dead," Irvine breathed in alarm, his eyes going wide as he stared at Darius like he was a ghost, the colour draining from his paunchy face.

"Not anymore. You know how this goes," Darius purred, snapping the door shut behind us and leaving us in the dim light of the single bulb that hung near the far wall. "We ask you questions and you answer them."

"What if I don't?" Irvine sneered, getting over the shock of seeing Darius alive as he realised why we had come. "Your Cyclopses couldn't crack through my mental defences, so what makes you think a Dragon and Phoenix will have better luck?"

"You've already lost here," I told him, stepping closer. "We have you under lock and key. We've taken the academy, and we will take the rest of Solaria in time too. Lionel's rule is coming to an end. The time to jump ships is now."

"And what? I have no illusions about you setting me free once this is done."

"The best you can hope for is a life in Darkmore," Darius agreed. "But I'd wager that's better than no life at all."

The brutality of his words sent a little thrill of energy dancing beneath my skin, the truth in that threat setting my pulse racing, and I looked at my husband with hungry eyes.

"Tell us where Lionel has relocated his armies to," I demanded.

Irvine scoffed. "Even if I told you, you have to know he's moved them again already. He will know I've been captured. The king is no fool."

"He's no king either," Darius snapped, stepping closer.

"He claimed the throne just as any real Fae should," Irvine spat. "And I'd sooner die here and now than bow to the whims of a half-breed whore whose father was as insane as her idiot sist-"

I punched him so hard that my knuckles split open on his teeth, the jolt of violence lashing through me with a buzz of pure energy which lit me up from the inside out. I hadn't even intended to do it. But the moment he'd started speaking shit about my family, I'd simply lost it.

Irvine crashed to the floor with a cry of fury, rolling away from me before leaping to his feet and lunging straight at Darius.

I cried out as I spotted the thin blade he'd tugged from his boot, my pulse jackhammering as I lurched towards them.

Darius ducked aside before throwing a punch hard enough to crack bone, and again that spark of excitement shot through me, adrenaline thundering along my veins as blood flew and I felt a rush of exhilaration.

I slammed into Irvine, knocking him off balance as he swung the blade again, but the man was well trained and more than used to combat. He hurled himself around with my attack, using my momentum to launch me off of my feet and throw me into the closest wall.

Pain scattered my thoughts as my skull hit the bricks, but that was nothing to the panic which thrummed through me as he swung that blade for Darius again.

Darius blocked the first strike, but Irvine had clearly planned for that, twisting into the movement and slashing out again.

Darius's blood bloomed as the knife swiped across his forearm, and I shrieked in anger as I launched myself from the ground and slammed into Irvine with the force of a battering ram.

Darius swept his legs out from under him as he was knocked off balance, and we all ended up on the ground, kicking, punching and stabbing.

Pain flared in my shoulder, but I ignored it, ice sprouting between my knuckles in deadly points so I drew blood with every strike I made. The hot splash of it against my skin sent me into a frenzy, a savage smile breaking from my lips as I struck Irvine again and again.

Darius was fully feral at my side, a snarl slipping through his teeth as he punched hard enough to break bones, and the two of us fell prey to a bloodlust so keen I could have sworn we were moving to the choreography of some deadly dance.

I couldn't stop. Didn't want to stop. Every strike was intoxicating, the need for more all-consuming.

Irvine fell still between us, and my heart pounded mercilessly as the weight of his death seemed to flow right over me, like his soul was brushing against mine on its way to The Veil.

Darius grabbed me, kissing me roughly, his skin drenched in as much blood as my own, and the only thing better than the rush of that death was the taste of his mouth against mine.

Something was wrong. I knew it in the depths of my soul, and yet I was utterly drunk on this feeling, unable to calm the thrashing of my heart.

"Death pays for death," Darius breathed against my mouth, his hand tight around my neck, his eyes alight with the same thrill I was lost in.

"Shit," I panted, my fingers knotted in his shirt, our hearts pounding as one between us.

The door banged open, and we looked around at Darcy and Orion who were staring at Irvine's bloody corpse in surprise.

"Gus told us everything," Orion said slowly. "He literally caved the moment Darcy commanded him to. Kinda looked like he might piss himself, and she didn't even lay a finger on him. And he'd stolen a bag of notes and records from Lionel's office too, which Geraldine has taken to be analysed in case they hold anything of importance. It looks like things went…differently in here?"

"I think we just figured out the cost of my life," Darius growled in agreement. "The Ferryman wants paying back in death."