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I touched a finger to his cheek, watching as a tendril of darkness spread across his skin like rot. His eyes flung open suddenly as his gaze met mine, leaving me to stand tall as I stared down at him.

The golden thread of his soul lingered just out of reach, unable to reconnect with his body. But I did not desire their reunion, only for him to watch as his body was used against him. To be helpless as I made itmine.

I looked at the specter lingering behind the body, cocking my head to the side as I studied his rage-filled face.

“Your body is mine now, Malachi. You were my enemy in life, but you will fight for me in your death.” I wouldn’t keep his soul from moving to the Void, leaving where he wandered from here up to him to decide.

But I wouldn’t allow anyone to place coins on his eyes or pay his fee to the ferryman either.

He couldn’t speak. Couldn’t answer as I condemned him to his suffering. Caldris stared at me, unsurprised, though I suspected he couldn’t see the specter of the man he’d killed. He knew better than any that some tortures didn’t require physical pain.

Some torments came in forced obedience.

Twyla stepped up outside my door, looking both ways before she stepped inside and closed it behind her. She eyedMalachi’s slit throat and the hole in his chest, reaching into the satchel that hung by her side. Her gaze went to her son, who nodded, making her heave a sigh as she pulled something free from the bag.

The crown was studded with diamonds, a gleaming thing with arches that spiked toward the sky. The gems were massive as she held it out in front of her.

“Are you sure about this?” she asked, glancing toward her son.

“Sure aboutwhat?” I asked, propping a hand onto my hip. I’d grown tired of being kept in the dark, of the way Caldris made plans without me.

“Already, Tar Mesa is filled with whispers of what you did outside the palace. People watched from their windows when you made the sky go black,” Nila said, looking at my mate. “Soon enough, the court royals will go home. They’ll carry those whispers with them. You stand no chance of defeating her now. Not when she has Caldris bonded to her, but you can give them something to talk about. You can give them a show they will never forget, so that when you rise, they will follow.”

I drew in a breath, turning to face where Caldris watched me expectantly. I knew if I was too afraid to move forward, he wouldn’t force it. But we’d already killed Malachi. I’d already claimed him as mine. We’d come too far to turn back now.

I picked up the knife from the dining room table, dragging the blade up my wrist until blood dripped onto the floor at my feet. Carefully holding it away from my body so that I wouldn’t ruin the splendor of my gown, I chose to trust Nila and Twyla with the information that might have been damning in the wrong hands. Caldris raised my wrist to his mouth,drinking from me as I gathered a single drop of blood onto my pointer finger.

I touched it to Malachi’s lips as Caldris let my blood pour over his tongue. The corpse of my enemy shuddered, his eyes drifting closed. They filled with golden light when he opened them, the muscles of his face relaxing into something completely obedient. There was not a trace of the personality that belonged to the soul that had inhabited him in his life.

There was only me.

Caldris drew away a moment later, the white lines of his Fae mark pulsing with gold where it peeked out from the top of his tunic. His blue eyes sparkled with gold, his features tense as he narrowed his gaze on me. Then he reached out to his mother, taking the crown from her hands. Golden light reflected off the diamonds as he raised it to my head, settling it atop my hair as Nila fussed to make sure that he didn’t mess up her diligent work.

“This is foolish,” Twyla said, her face twisting into a scowl. She leveled her son with a stern glare. “Who do you think she will punish for this insolence? It will be you who suffers the consequences.”

“Then so be it,” Caldris said. “We cannot raise an army unless they know that there is someone who could stand against Mab. This is the only way.”

“But she cannot stand against Mab. Not yet. You act too soon,” Twyla protested.

“Better I act too soon for your tastes than I remain complacent aftercenturiesof tyranny. She killed your mate. She cost you your husband. She took yourchild. When will you say enough, mother?” Caldris asked, settling his hand aroundmy waist as if he needed the comfort. “I would sooner die than remain a slave any longer.”

“And leave Estrella to Mab’s will?”

“What Mab fails to understand is that she cannot kill Caldris without killing me. Our lives are bound by a blood vow. When one goes, the other will follow,” I said, watching as her eyes filled with revulsion.

“Why would you do such a foolish thing?” she asked, and I recognized the emotion hiding in the horror. The thought of losing her only son was unbearable, and I was a liability at the moment.

“You may be content to live in a world where your mate no longer exists, but I am not. I’ve no desire to remain here without her,” Caldris answered, raising his chin in defiance.

“I’m going to save him,” I whispered, the vulnerable words feeling torn from my soul. I didn’t know how or when I’d remove Mab’s serpent from where it wrapped around his heart.

Only that I would.

“And who will save you?” Twyla asked, shaking her head.

“The same person who always has,” I answered, glancing down at the golden marks on my skin as my nerves threatened to tear me in two. “I’m going to save myself.”

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