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I glared at him. “What other bad decisions have I made?”

“I don’t know, maybe that time you tried to murder me, even though I was on your side?”

I raised my eyebrows. “Well, I didn’t murder you, did I?”

“Not for lack of trying, witch.” Sion glanced down at my homemade spear. “Oh, look. You’re holding a twig. Are yougoing to stab me with that again? Time to get your stuff together, Elowen. You can’t protect Leo fighting the Order with pointy sticks, dressed like a vagabond jester from your squalid forest hovel.”

“Hugo told me that vampires are incredibly charming. Is that just a myth, then?”

He shrugged. “There are some absolute lunatics who are immune to my charm, I concede. But even if you’re too mentally far gone to understand my allure?—”

“You’ve got to be kidding me.”

“—I do think you’re clever enough to understand that at some point, you need to join forces with an army greater than just yourself. How long will you really survive out here with those two geniuses you live with, anyway?”

I could envision what the future would be like with him. “No. You’ll try to domineer every decision I make, using my powers for your own purposes. I’m not going to Gwethel. And just to be clear, the problem, specifically, is you, as a person.”

His lips quirked. “Of course, how could you leave all this behind?” he continued, completely ignoring my insult on his character. “Why leave a shanty hut with two idiots in the woods to live in a castle? You look half starved, you know. Let me guess. You don’t have enough to eat, so you’ve been giving your food to Leo?”

“And what do vampires know about proper meals? You really want me to believe that a ten-year-old boy will be safest in a castle full of people who survive by drinking human blood, and who are ruled by the monster who killed my father?”

He sheathed his sword and took a step closer. His golden eyes gleamed, piercing me. Such a warm color, and yet his expression was ice-cold. “You would be safest among those who could protect you, and my kingdom needs to see that I have their Underworld Queen safe. Their symbol of resistance.”

A chill rippled over my skin. “Underworld Queen? What are you talking about?”

“The Oracle.” He closed the distance between us, his eyes narrowing. “I suppose it was expecting too much of you to actuallyreadthe letters I sent.”

“How long, exactly, have you all known about this prophecy?” My stomach twisted. “Did Maelor know as well?”

He sighed. “Yes, he knew. Fine, let’s start from the beginning, then, shall we? In Gwethel, we consult an oracle known as the Keeper of Relics. Before your trials began, the Keeper of Relics told us that only one person could take down the Pater. She said we needed to look for a woman known as the Underworld Queen. A woman with a deadly touch. We thought that might be you. Maelor contrived to run into you once or twice. Then, you were captured in the trials, and we had to keep you alive without blowing our cover. It really wasn’t easy, you know, but you must have wondered why he fought so hard to keep you alive.”

My jaw dropped. “That’s why he kept me alive? And brought me to his room, kept saving me? It was just because of an oracle from a vampire island?”

“This feels like some kind of emotional situation I really don’t give a fuck about, but let’s focus on the important thing, which is that apparently, you are needed to kill the Pater. The Keeper of Relicsisunhinged, but unfortunately, she’salwaysright. She said the Underworld Queen kills with her touch. That’s you. Looks like we’re stuck together, even if you did shove a fucking stake into my heart and you dress like a slatternly clown.”

“Great, well, the answer is…absolutely not. I’m going to stay here and lead a normal life.”

“A normal life.” His lips curled in a mocking smile. “Sure, you’re doing a bang-up job of that.”

“I’m staying with Leo. And if you think I’d ever trust the man who killed my father to keep either of us safe, you must be out of your mind.”

“I did what I had to then, and I will do what I have to now. And I’d rather youdidn’tend up like your father?—”

My fist flew at his face before I could stop myself, but of course, he caught it in his hand, not even flinching. His grip felt crushing.

“Now, now. There’s really no point in fighting me, Elowen. You might be the Underworld Queen, but I am faster and stronger than you, and I could end your life, quick as the beating of a dragonfly’s wings.” He dropped my fist. “You’ll join us eventually.”

As his dark magic whispered over me, I glared at him.

Over my dead body.

CHAPTER 3

Ipulled off my leather gloves as I walked silently through Penore, floating like smoke through the city. They’d gathered in Sootfield, waiting for me, eyes shining, open wide. They looked at me with such hope, such innocence—like children waiting for a sugary treat. I stroked their cheeks with my fingertips, and they fell at my feet, withering like blighted plants, their skin turning gray. Until I reached the center of Sootfield, where Leo stood, waiting for my touch?—

Gasping, I sat up straight in bed. I cast my gaze around the cottage, reassuring myself that it was just a nightmare. We’d made our home in one of the abandoned Harrowing Houses I’d found.

I glanced down, my chest unclenching to find that my gloves were still on. Leo slept in the next bed over, and I resisted the urge to poke him to make sure he was still alive. As I stared at him, I could make out the slow rise and fall of his chest. Exhaling a long breath, I shook off the nightmare. And that dream was exactly why I couldn’t use my powers. That was what I’d turn into.