Knox dismounted from the warhorse, walked to a statue of a beautiful woman and boy, and placed my sister’s head at their feet, like an offering. I watched him peering up at me, staring as I shook my head, feeling as if I was intruding upon his sacrifice. I backed up, I turned to look at Lore, who smiled, slipping an arm around me to cover my mouth as he held me there, forcing me to watch Knox.
“You will watch and listen, because the king demands it,” Lore uttered, barely above a whisper.
“As I speak, those from the original bloodlines that followed Hecate to the Human Realm are being collected and brought here to face charges of treason, as are the leaders of these bloodlines that remained here, in the Nine Realms, watching as the rest of us suffered at the hands of the witches and their supporters. They will be brought here and given a traitor’s death. Soon, we will prepare to march on the first of the House of Witches castles and take their heads for our walls!” The crowd exploded, and I closed my eyes, silently praying that people got out before he reached them. “Tonight we feast! Tomorrow, we prepare for war on those who murdered thousands of our people, and our beloved queen and our prince!” His voice held hatred, and worse, it held the hope of victory. Hope could kill and win more wars than any other emotion. Hope made them believe they could win, even against insurmountable odds.
Knox left Amara’s head sitting on the base of the statue as people cheered him on, touching him as he passed by them, staring directly at me through the slits of his armor. Lore pulled me from the balcony the moment Knox vanished beneath us and walked me back into the room.
It was the same room as in the library with books piled on tables, and pillows covering the white bed where he’d watched me flicking the magic bean while withholding the stock. I shivered as the sound of heavy footsteps walking over granite floors echoed as they closed the distance to the door. Lore stepped away from me, staring at Knox as he came through the door. I refused to meet his eyes, hating that he’d taken me from one prison only to hold me in another.
“Wait outside, Lore,” he growled, not moving from the doorway as I stood with my hands in front of me, staring away from him.
The moment Lore was gone, Knox started toward a large dresser. I closed my eyes and listened as he removed his armor and then stood in front of me. My eyes were mere slits that were glued to the floor when his hand brushed my cheek. I snapped them open wide, glaring at him as I stepped away from his touch.
“Sit down, Aria.” His eyes narrowed, emphasizing the demand, so I moved to the couch and took a seat. He snorted, looking around the room before turning back to me, “You’re alive because I decided you can be useful.”
“Like the other witches, you control? The ones you turned into mindless zombies? Pass, mowing down on bones and brains is a hard limit for me. As is being your little bitch, Knox,” I snorted.
“You witnessed Gerald and his depravity. That is who people left in charge of taking care of the Nine Realms. In fact, he is tame compared to most of the monsters that rule in your absence. Your people gave the power to corrupt leaders, and they, in return, tore this fucking place apart. I intend to rebuild it.”
“Yeah, in fire and blood sounds like an amazing place to live,” I stated, looking at him dead in the eye.
“I want you to help me fight this war, Aria.”
“Pass.”
“If I bring you the head of the witches to clean for my walls, I bet you change your mind. It changed the witches who served me in Haven Falls, minds. I’m guessing you don’t want to find your sisters’ heads among the pile?”
“You won’t find them,” I stated confidently.
“Oh, but I will.” He held his arms out wide, watching me. “Look around you, Aria. You’re in the same library that stood in Haven Falls.”
“Noticed, but even so, you won’t find them.” I crossed my arms, staring at him blankly.
“I can torture you to find their location.”
“Get to it then, big boy,” I stated firmly, smiling wickedly at him. “You think I didn’t foresee this as a possibility, Knox? I spelled my body to contain my secrets; even in the event of death, my soul will hold them. Break me, rip me apart, do whatever you think will work, do it. I assure you nothing will come off my tongue. The anger I saw in your eyes was raw, but the unguarded glimpses of pain? They were debilitating. You wanted to hurt me, but you also didn’t want to hurt me, and that pissed you off the most. You were at war with your demons, and in the end, the demons won, because those types of demons always do. I planned for it, and so I took steps to protect my family from my foolishness.
“You were let into my home because of me, but you messed up. You came in too soon when I still suspected you were an enemy. The House of Magic showed me all the cameras you installed to watch what was happening inside the house and throughout the property. The video you saw? With a simple spell, you only saw what I wanted you to see. The trackers you placed inside the house in our things? I found those too, and I disabled them. The piece of vellum you added to the grimoire room when you shoved me against the desk? I rewrote it. I planned for betrayal, Knox, because my life has been one big letdown after another, and you’re just the newest one in a long line of disappointments. My mother taught me that no matter who you let in, they weren’t always on your side, and more often than not, they would seek to destroy you the hardest. She would say that those we let get too close to us, are often led there for a reason. If not for a reason, then they sought you out and did so with a motive that shouldn’t be trusted. So, you see, I trusted no outsider even if they’re fucking me. I may not be as strong as you, Knox, but I will go toe-to-toe with you in intelligence.”
Knox turned to face the gargoyles at the top of the shelves lining the library walls. “Cyan, Ker, and Lars go watch the spot where the House of Magic sits, and if you see any movement in the house or anyone on the property, snap their fucking neck and bring them back here to me.”
I turned as the gargoyles left the top shelf, nodding before they shifted from their solid form and vanished. I smiled sadly, slipping my gaze back to his as he watched me, still covered in chainmail.
“You may be smart and capable of waging logical warfare, Aria, but the thing is, we don’t play by your rules. We have our own, the first rule being there are no fucking rules in this war. Get up and get out of that dress, now.”
I stood, holding my hands out, hoping he would remove my cuffs. Shaking his head, he walked over and ripped the dress off, brushing his hand over my breast in the process. A whimper of pain slipped from between my lips at his roughness, and I tried to turn away from him, holding my wounded breast with my arms, but his hands caught my shoulder, holding me in place.
His eyes lowered, and he scrubbed his hand down his face, then he moved to a drawer and withdrew a white silk nightie. Carefully, he placed it onto my shoulders, tying the shoulder-straps into delicate bows as he pushed the fabric down, covering my naked body.
“We’re going to war, Aria. One way or another, you’re in it. You can either be on the right side or the wrong one.”
“My sisters?” I asked, and his eyes lifted as a frown tugged on his lips. “Which side are they on?”
“You are being offered sanctuary, only you are allowed to choose a side.”