“I shall take my leave. Make sure you summon me for the bloodbath, as I wish to be there. Of course, just to watch; I will not assist you,” Ezyrah said.
Before Snoe could confirm he would, Ezyrah left in a pit of black, swirling smoke.
“Blade, do you know anything about this?” Snoe asked.
“No, but the demon lord wasn’t happy about whatever it is.”
So it hadn’t been Snoe’s imagination. His phone dinged. It was Alia letting him know they were almost done with things on her end.
“We have to get out of here,” Snoe said. Still, as he said it, he couldn’t take his eyes off the mirror. Powerful magic oozed from it.
Snoe knew he was risking a lot, but it felt as if it was something he had to do. He took the cauldron and threw it at the mirror. It shattered, and magic erupted and pushed Snoe back. He went flying, and before he could hit the wall, Blade caught him.
“I didn’t think that would happen,” Snoe said, rubbing his ears.
Blade carried him up and out of the room. Snoe just hoped that Hilde didn’t go down there in the next two days before the wedding. If she did, he’d have to start over with his plan, but leaving the mirror intact felt like the wrong thing to do.
He just hoped he hadn’t fucked up everything he’d been working toward for a year.
Chapter Thirty
Snoe
The day before the blood moon.
“Blade, are they done?” Snoe asked.
“This has to be perfect, or they will figure it out,” Blade said.
Snoe sighed. He paced back and forth in the large restaurant kitchen. Thank goodness for Dimitri. He’d pulled some strings and got them access to a fully stocked kitchen.
“How about now?” Snoe asked. He knew he was being annoying, but he couldn’t help it. His nerves were shot, and so far Hilde hadn’t found the destroyed mirror. Every second that passed, Snoe felt as if there was a knife hanging over his neck.
There was a loud bang, and a green cloud puffed up from the large pot Blade was working over.
“It’s ready,” Blade said.
Snoe rushed over, looking at the swirling green liquid. He couldn’t really tell if it was right, but he didn’t doubt Blade. The man had skills in the kitchen.
“Perfect. Alia said she is bringing the apples,” Snoe said.
Snoe’s original plan was to slip it into everyone’s drink, but Alia had informed him that everyone took part in eating an apple slice. It was her family’s tradition, and no one would be excused to skip out on it. It was odd, but many witches had weird traditions when celebrating.
Alia showed up with the apples an hour later.
“Here you go,” she said. She looked as bored as ever.
They took an apple, and Blade carefully dipped it in the liquid. The apple turned black, and green smoke oozed from it before it turned back into a regular red apple.
“Will it work?” Alia asked.
“Good question. Did you bring a servant with you?”
Alia nodded. She left out of the room, and when she returned, she had a young man with her. Blade cut the apple up and passed a slice to the servant.
“Eat it,” Alia said.
He looked scared but knew better than to disobey. He ate it, and they all watched curiously. For a second Snoe thought it would not work, but then the servant dropped to the floor. Alia checked his breathing before giving Snoe a nod to confirm he was still alive.
“Perfect. During this time, your family will be removed, and you are to leave,” Snoe said.
“Okay.” For the first time, there was a hint of a smile on her face.
Snoe could relate, and soon he would have his revenge.
Snoe blended in with the servants catering to the wedding. He stayed in the kitchen area, never going out on the floor. He caught sight of Hilde and Dash a few times, and each time the urge to just kill them got stronger. Snoe stuck to the plan. He helped plate the apples that would be served to every guest.
The moment the plates left the kitchen, Snoe slipped out of sight. He made his way down the hall and to the venue. Everyone was there to celebrate the union of Alia and Dash. It was perfect now. No one was the wiser to the plans Snoe had for them.
Snoe smiled to himself before he slipped back away and went to the back door. He opened it and let in all seven of his men and Princess Morri and her vampires. Even if someone were to avoid eating the poisoned apple, Snoe was fairly certain there were enough of them to take anyone down.
Princess Morri and the vampires vanished, running to get into position. Dox grabbed Snoe and pulled him in for a hug. They had all been against Snoe going in alone, but he wanted to make sure the apples had gone out with no issues.
“Here is your change of clothes, Master,” Nyght said.
Snoe took the offered bag and lifted on tippy toes to offer Nyght a kiss. Snoe slipped from Dox’s arms and went to go get changed. He unzipped the bag holding his clothing. He’d chosen a pristine white tux for the occasion. Snoe slipped away from the servants and slipped the vest and tie off. He unbuttoned the plain blue button-up, shedding out of the mediocre clothes.
The room was fully asleep as they walked in, and only a select few—Alia, Parkins—were awake. Everyone else was passed out. Snoe had made sure only those two knew about the plan, and everyone else who sided with him was kept in the dark. Snoe needed to make sure everything went off without a hitch.
“Anyone you want me to leave here?” Parkins asked.
“Yes, you can leave Dev, Mel, and his husband. I’ve already sent Dimitri to take care of their families,” Snoe said.
Parkins didn’t bat an eye. He simply nodded and helped move the others out of the hall. Snoe caught sight of Alia speaking with Morri. She had a genuine smile on her face. Snoe wouldn’t have thought it was possible if he hadn’t seen it for himself. They continued to move people out who weren’t on the list.
Snoe placed cuffs around Hilde and Dash. Once the room was cleared of the ones who were going to live, Snoe sat in the middle seat in between Hilde and Dash. He smiled, looking out to all the bodies that would become entertainment in a few seconds.
“That was the last one,” Wolly announced.
Dimitri deserved a raise for having so many magical cuffs made on such short notice. Snoe’s heart was in his throat. This was it. There was a certain amount of giddiness that it was all about to happen as soon as he woke everyone up.
“Parkins, go ahead and release the sleeping potion,” Snoe said.
Parkins’s magic, ever impressive, filled the entire room. It felt like ants were crawling up Snoe’s skin, but even that made him smile. A few people began to wake. Confusion and anger were the first emotions to show themselves.
“Please, guests, there is no need to panic yet,” Snoe said.
Eyes went to him, but Snoe paid them little mind. What he really looked forward to was the moment Hilde opened her eyes. She shook her head and tried to lift her arm, but she was chained to the chair next to Snoe.
“Oh, that won’t work,” Snoe said, seeing Hilde’s fingers move, probably trying to do magic.
At the sound of Snoe’s voice, her head jerked up. Pure shock and hatred were pointed at him. It was even better than he had imagined.