“Oh, Dianna, you can’t hide your heart even when you are fully gone. Kaden knew that too. Why do you think he acted so rashly?” I was right. I had been right when I first saw them together. Kaden had seen it, and that was the true problem. Her reaction, while minuscule, was only further proof. “Where is Samkiel, by the way?”
Her eyes flared a shade darker, and she was in front of me. She grabbed me by my chin, lifting me and cutting off anything else I might have said. “You know I haven’t had a taste for witch since…” Her smile was slight and devious as she scanned my face before her gaze dipped lower. “Well, you remember.”
“Just do it,” I bit out between clenched teeth, but she released me.
“Oh, don’t be so dramatic. It’s not you.” I fell to the ground, catching myself on my hands. She stepped around me, pulling out a chair. Sitting, she placed her heels on the table, crossing her ankles. “I don’t know if it’s sheer cockiness or idiocy that would make you come back to the one place you knew I’d search for you.”
“What can I say? I had no interest in delaying the inevitable.” I pushed myself up, wiping my hands on the front of my dress.
She clicked her tongue, inspecting her nails. “I always knew you were the smartest witch. I never understood why he wanted Santiago so damn bad.”
“Santiago obeys orders better than I do.”
She sighed. “I guess we’ll see about that.”
I shifted on my feet, confused. Dianna’s words made it seem as if she wasn’t here to rip me to pieces.
“You’re not going to kill me?” I whispered in surprise. I hadn’t even considered the possibility.
She shrugged as if she wasn’t the threat in the room right now, but I knew what she was capable of when she truly fed. It made her damn near untouchable. I remembered the first time she’d slipped. It was so long ago, but I had never forgotten. Only Gabby could bring her back, and she was gone.
“Kill you? Camilla, let’s be honest. If I wanted you dead, you would have been gone the second I got here. I’m here to talk.”
“Talk?” I swallowed hard, somehow the prospect of that was even more terrifying.
She nodded. “Yes. Now sit.”
I refused to obey. Dianna was behind me in a second, grabbing me by the back of my neck and forcing me to the table. How had she moved so fast? She hadn’t even disturbed the air. Steely hands forced me down, and my ass hit the chair. She reappeared on the other side.
“There. That’s better.” She cocked her head, scanning me. “What’s wrong, Cam Cam?”
Cam Cam. My nickname. Only she used it, and I hadn’t heard it in ages. “Where is all that witchy badassery? The snark and magic. Where’s the one who tricked me? The one who stood there while she died. Hmm?”
I swallowed. “I didn’t think he would do it. No one did.”
“Really?” She chuckled softly. “You know him as well as I. So, let’s not play the I’m Innocent game. You know what happens now. You all do.” She leaned back, plucking at a long gold chain necklace. “But it’s okay because you have something I need.”
I shook my head. “I don’t know where he is. He left after it happened. He opened a portal when he heard… Tobias and him, they left.”
She leaned forward, and the room went dark. The doors behind her closed slowly, the creak from the hinges sending a chill down my spine. Her eyes glowed, lighting up the room. They were nearly as bright as her smile. How much had she consumed to have that much control?
“Oh, I don’t need you to find him just yet.”
“Then what do you need?” My question hung in the air, and I regretted it almost immediately. Her smile grew, her canines on full display. It seemed she wasn’t trying to hide the Ig’Morruthen anymore. I remembered when she would religiously check the mirror to ensure her reflection still portrayed the mortal shell. Now it seemed she had lost that part of her, too.
“More power.”
My eyes scanned her face, and I squared my shoulders. “If we are going to skip the formalities and not lie, as you put it, your power far outweighs mine. You have Kaden’s power running through every part of you, plus you’re feeding again. With all due respect, you’re wrong. You don’t need me.”
She clicked her tongue, wagging a finger at me. “That’s where you’re wrong. I’m not dealing with just Kaden. I’m dealing with Samkiel and his legion of celestials who all believe in peace, love, and fuzzy feelings. Any of who would be more than happy to show up when I destroy everything.”
Now my heart thudded. “What do you mean?”
“I messed up.” She placed her head in her hands and shook it. “I assumed he was like Kaden, you know? He wouldn’t care what I did. There were times when Kaden wouldn’t talk to me for weeks. I was wrong about Samkiel, but I don’t understand why. We didn’t even have sex.”
I swallowed, saying something I hoped wouldn’t get my head chopped off. “You know people can care about you without having sex, right?”
Her eyes lifted, and any hint of humor was gone. She placed her hands flat on the table. I didn’t know what I’d said, but a flicker of emotion passed across her features. She quickly buried it. I would have missed it if I hadn’t been looking at her.
“All I’m saying is, he’ll try to stop you. He will stop at nothing to get you, and not like Kaden. We’ve all seen the way Samkiel looks at you and how he is around you. Kaden had people watching the minute you left. Kaden wants to possess you, but with Samkiel, it’s more than that, and a part of you knows it.”
I waited for her to snap, correct me, or maybe lift a hand and set me on fire, but her response was completely unexpected.
A forced smile curled her lips. “That’s lovely. Anyway, with that being said, I need you to make me something.”
I blinked. This wasn’t Dianna. Whatever broke when her sister died changed her on some deep level. She really didn’t care? I slid a tad bit of magic beneath the table. It hit a wall before ever reaching her and screamed. I hissed, yanking it back into me.
“Very well.” I tossed my hair over my shoulder, trying to maintain the facade of being unbothered, but it was slipping.
Dianna’s lips curved in a small smile, and she waved her hand at me. “Look at that. See, you’re already helpful.”
I lowered my gaze, eyeing my nails as I ran one thumb over the other. What choice did I have? Fight? Even if I did, I knew I couldn’t stop her. I knew what Kaden truly was, and I had no chance. I’d hoped she would kill me quickly when she arrived, so I wouldn’t have to speak the next part aloud. It would have been better for her to find it after she’d reduced me to ash, but if I kept it to myself now, it would be so much worse when she discovered what I’d done.
I took a deep breath and blurted, “I have her body.”
The room stilled.
“I took it after it happened. They left as soon as they heard your cry. I think every Otherworld creature heard it. Even from miles away, we felt it. Power rippled through the world when you screamed, even if you didn’t realize it.”
I looked up. The small smirk she’d worn mere seconds ago had slipped from her face. Her jaw tightened, her expression reminding me so much of the World Ender. Did she not realize how deeply they were connected? Did she not feel it? And now she wanted my help to avoid him while she tore Onuna apart.