A Curse of Shadows - Page 102

I push away from the couch, sending it five feet in the opposite direction with her still sitting on it. “We’re done here.”

She stands, hands moving slowly over the curves of her body. “Are we? Don’t you feel the power, Asher?”

“I feel fucking furious,” I spit out, using the back of my hand to wipe my mouth. “Now, send me home so I can kill my father and make sure you follow through with your end of the deal.”

Her face falls. “You really love her.”

“Of course I do. Isla is my whole life.”

She frowns. “I almost feel bad for not bringing her back sooner. Oh, well.” She laughs then appears in front of me, locking my face between her hands. “Use me wisely, King of Polaris.”

Her lips crash down onto mine and I lift my hand to slash my claws down the side of her, but my movements are halted. Magic seeps into me, recharging my body to the point I don’t know up from down.

Energy courses through me unlike anything ever has before, not even when I finally bonded with Isla. The taste of power fills me, but so does betrayal. This isn’t right. Whatever Aurora is doing, I can’t do this to Isla.

I start to push the goddess away, knowing this is exactly why we don’t summon them. They’re difficult at best and this is far from that.

Except before I can take more than a step backward, my body drops through the floor and in the next second, I’m landing back in the chamber within the cave.

The basin wobbles beside me as I use it to hold myself up and spit out the taste of that woman’s blood within my mouth.

My first thought is to go to Isla, but maybe I shouldn’t. I can find my father—something Aurora didn’t end up revealing, but I don’t need her for that—and finish this nightmare, before going to Isla and begging for her forgiveness. If it weren’t for her being my mate, I have a feeling her soul would have never been stuck on Earth.

Damn it, why would my father have done this to us? None of this makes sense, yet I feel as if I should have known.

“Asher,” Isla’s voice calls through our bond. “My dad won’t let me leave this room, but I need to see you.”

“I’m sorry, love,” I tell her. “I need to take care of one more thing and then I’ll come for you.”

She’s silent for a beat, then adds, “You know. How?”

“I’ll explain later,” I tell her, quickly running toward the cave’s exit. “Just know that I love you and I’m going to make this right.”

“This isn’t for you to do on your own, Asher,” she pleads with me. “Don’t do this. Let me, or even my father, who is just as eager, finish this.”

I shake my head, even though she can’t see me. “He is my problem, Isla. I’m going to make it right.”

I close off the connection to her, hating that I block her out and knowing it’s just another thing I’ll need her to forgive me for, but this isn’t something she needs to be part of.

I reach out to Grayson as I get to the main section of the portal cave. “Do not let those two women leave that room for any reason.”

“Her clothes were covered in dark energy, Asher,” he replies quickly, wrath in his voice, which I’m not surprised to hear. “He tried to take her from me again. I won’t make any promises to you, but I will do what I think is best for my daughters. Just know, if you’re going to end this, you better do it quickly.”

I hear what he’s not saying, and I won’t hold whatever decision he makes against him. Not when we were all hurt by Gideon’s treachery.

Cain is still standing guard, but this time, Malimorte is with him. They both stare at me with wide eyes as I exit the cave.

“What?” I demand, expecting them to have more bad news.

Mali points at me. “You’re glowing, Your Majesty.”

Looking over myself, I try not to be disgusted by the gift that was given to me. “It’s nothing. I need to go. Do not open this portal until I tell you otherwise. I need both of you here keeping guard. If you see anyone approaching, tell me immediately.”

They both bow, murmuring their agreements.

I don’t give them any other further explanation. My wolf pushes to the surface with a ferocity I haven’t sensed in him since Isla was first missing. Our form is taller and wider and more powerful than we’ve ever been.

As much as I hated Aurora touching me, she did give me a gift. No, more than that. She told me to use her power wisely. I didn’t catch that before because she’d also said she could have returned my mate to me sooner, but now, I realize she’s given me exactly what I need to finish this.