A Curse of Shadows - Page 101

I keep my gaze on her violet eyes, considering her robe doesn’t cover much, and stay rooted in the same place I arrived at when she brought me here.

“You said before why I should bite you, but you never said why you want me to.” It’s not as if I could turn her into a wolf shifter by doing so. If anything, there’s a greater chance of me taking some of her power.

She smirks, peering at me from over her drink. “That’s because the information isn’t for you to know, King Asher. You’ll either do it or you won’t. It really doesn’t matter to me either way. Just know that if you don’t, the dark objects stay in your world and Father is going to escape. He’s halfway there now. Once that happens, your people will revolt, and it will be the beginning of the end for you. Lunara won’t survive another war and that’s exactly what this will cost you.”

My chest rumbles and I clench my fists. She’s a goddess. Easily more powerful than me, even though the energy of her ancestors runs through my veins. I stand a chance of taking her down, but she’s not the real enemy here and I need to get back to my mate. Yet I know I can’t leave without accomplishing both things I came here for.

“Smart boy,” she coos. “You bite me, and I’ll take care of your dark magic issue. Hell, I’ll even tell you right where your father is currently hiding with his hostage.”

Her being in my head is fucking annoying, but I don’t bother to express that for long.

“I will bite you and you won’t just ‘take care of’ the dark objects,” I tell her, knowing that deals with the gods need to be clear. “I want to hear you say that you’ll remove every single one of them from my world and that they’ll never find their way back.”

Her head shakes as she chuckles over her drink. “You’re smart. I’ll give you credit for that, but do you really have what it takes? I can do as you’ve asked, but will you be able to finish the job? Your father betrayed you, stole your mate. Do you believe you’ll be able to take his life even for that treachery?”

“Without shedding a fucking tear,” I say without a single ounce of hesitation coursing through me.

The moment Aurora confirmed what I already suspected, that man was no longer my father. He’s nothing to me. Just a problem to be taken care of and there is nothing in all the worlds that will stop me from doing so.

Aurora’s eyes grow dark. “So you think, but maybe we’re not as much alike as I thought. I guess we’ll see.” She moves her hair to the side and cocks her head. “Now, we’re wasting time. You’ll bite me on the back of the neck and in exchange, I will remove every single dark object from my world, never allowing them to reappear. Does that deal agree with you, King Asher Cromwell of Polaris?”

The fact that she still considers Lunara hers is a joke, but I let it go. Technically, she isn’t wrong.

“We have a deal.”

Energy slithers over me, forcing my body forward, beaconing me toward her without my control. I try to halt my movements, but stabbing pains shoot through my entire being every time I resist.

“You made a deal with a goddess,” she explains with a haunting laugh. “There’s no backing out now unless you want to spend the rest of your life withering away in agony.”

Of course there was a magical binding with that verbal exchange.

My feet don’t stop moving until I’m standing behind her couch, looking down at the petite goddess. An image of my hands around her neck flickers through my mind, but it’s quickly replaced with Isla’s bloodied body.

A roar leaves from deep within me and I’m filled with grief that brings me to my knees.

Aurora peeks over the couch, our faces near level. “If you ever threaten me like that again, the death of your mate will be the least of your problems.”

Her voice is saccharine, but the sneer on her face is anything but.

She settles back into her seat and pulls her thick hair out of the way again before pointing to the back of her neck. “Right here. If you miss, you’ll have broken your end of the deal and I will have no reason to honor mine.”

“How will I know when you do?” I ask, considering I don’t even know where the vault is.

“Check behind your Great-Great-Grandfather’s portrait on the second floor,” she replies. “You’ll find a hidden door there and inside is the vault. Your blood will unlock it, as does that of any currently living ruler. Now, do your part before you’re in too much pain to be of any use to me.”

With forced effort, I push myself up and brace for what I’m about to do. Biting another woman when I have no intention of killing her feels like a betrayal to Isla, but I’m doing this to keep her safe. Something I hope she’ll forgive me for.

Aurora sighs, shaking her head. “I can’t understand the emotions you beasts developed. Now fucking bite me before I change my mind.”

My wolf surges to the surface, intent to rip her jugular out, but I rein him in. Not today.

Extending my canines, I open my mouth, hating that I have to get so close to her, but also knowing I have no other option.

Before I change my mind, I do as she’s asked. The sharp points of my teeth break through her skin and she sucks in a breath that seems to echo through the room.

I try to pull away, but she reaches back and grabs on to my head, holding me in place. Her fingers massage my scalp and tiny moans escape from her. All while I want to fucking rip her head off.

It’s only seconds later, but it feels like minutes before she releases me.