Total pages in book: 153
Estimated words: 144404 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 722(@200wpm)___ 578(@250wpm)___ 481(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 144404 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 722(@200wpm)___ 578(@250wpm)___ 481(@300wpm)
We had talked a good game, but we weren’t foolish. Myrddin always knew the royals might return one day. It was why he’d made deals where he could. My master’s plans have plans and backups.
“Myrddin knew Lee was a latent.”
I was back to rolling my eyes. “He did not. How could he know Lee would become a vampire?”
“Because Donovan had his suspicions.”
Why would… The truth was right there. “The thrall stone. It would have made Donovan trust him enough to confide his thoughts and worries. Which he should have.”
His eyes lit, and I knew he thought I was caught. “But, my dear girl, if Myrddin knew and didn’t want to kill Lee, why did he send Alexander in with the Dark Dagger?”
The words were like ice in my veins because I knew what the dagger did. “He didn’t.”
“Lee has it with him now. He only survived the transition because he was a king. Myrddin knew a few things. He knew Donovan suspected his son was a latent, and he also had to guess that if Lee went on a mission, he would be on his father’s blood. As a preventative measure. He could have chosen to wound Lee.”
The Dark Dagger would have ensured Lee couldn’t recover. The king’s blood in his human system would turn to poison in his veins. Using the Dark Dagger meant killing Lee, and if he somehow managed to rise, stabbing him with it again would have ensured a final death.
The Dark Dagger was for emergency use only. It was never meant to be given to an assassin.
But Myrddin wouldn’t… “Alexander must have taken it. Yes. He was afraid of the king’s blood in Lee’s system.”
A brow rose over intelligent eyes, and I felt a bit pinned by the vampire’s gaze. “Shouldn’t he have been more afraid of his master’s wrath? If what you say is true and Myrddin didn’t want Lee dead.”
“Alexander could be foolish at times.” I could come up with a million reasons. “I’m sure he was thinking about his position as a spy. If Lee lived, he wouldn’t have been as valuable.”
But Lee was valuable. That was what Myrddin had told her. Especially with Donovan back on the plane. He was in a human form and more easy to handle, but his death would bring Donovan’s vengeance. Though he wasn’t Fae, with Quinn back and willing to share his blessings, the Fae armies—especially the brutal Unseelie—might have been talked into war.
“Or it could have been an accident,” I allowed.
“So your master leaves valuable weapons around?” Sasha asked, waving a hand blithely around. “Is there an armory where anyone can check out a weapon? Do you sign for it? How long is the loan-out period on a weapon made from Lucifer Morningstar’s bones?”
Of course there wasn’t. Something was building inside me, a noxious combination of rage and helplessness and what felt like endless darkness. “I don’t know what happened, but it wasn’t Myrddin. You’re looking for any excuse to fight.”
He shook his head. “I don’t need an excuse to fight, Olivia. I had it the minute your master took my king’s crown and sentenced his children to death. I think you’re looking for any excuse to stay the course because you know if you open your eyes you will have to deal with all the guilt of your actions over the last decade. I know how that feels. If it helps at all, I don’t blame you. I think we’re very alike. I had to die to find my redemption. I had to step in front of a bullet meant for my brother. I call him my brother, though we don’t share blood. Time and experience can be as much a maker of family as DNA. Think about that when you’re attempting to find a way to escape. Think about the fact that perhaps you already have, and it’s time to find a way to ask your family for forgiveness. That won’t be the hard part. The hardest part is forgiving yourself. It is not your fault they took your magic. It is not your fault they violated your soul. It is your fault for how you handled it.”
I was so glad I didn’t cry anymore. The impulse was there, like a phantom limb. I could feel it under the surface of my skin, but it couldn’t well up and release. It was trapped with all the other human emotions I’d given up when I’d let Myrddin pull a piece off my soul.
“I don’t need to forgive anyone. I owe no one.”
“Think about it.” Sasha started for the door. “Hell is an odd place, from what I hear. Sometimes it’s what you make of it, and our pasts can come to light in different ways. I know you will not believe this, but I wish you luck, Olivia Carey.”