Page 15 of Evermore

Thorne

“Ido so hate to see you go, Reverius, my darling. Perhaps you would consider staying a teeny bit longer?” Vesalia tapped her talon-like nails against the hourglass, her venomous smile turning my stomach. “It’s much happier here. I can promise you that.”

“Your concept of happiness is skewed. Don’t make me push.”

She snapped her fingers and the glass vanished, the grains of red sand spilling onto the floor as some of the other prisoners began to shout, begging to be freed.

“I’ll give you a little hint on our Huntress, Keeper. She’s gone home. As predictable and foolish as ever.”

I stalked forward, gripping her throat. “Tell me how she broke the fucking veil.”

“Squeeze harder, darling. I can still breathe.”

I dragged her toward me. “If I find out you’re the one that told her, my grip is going to be the least of your fucking worries.”

“She’s always been clever. Foolish, but clever. She… gained some power and broke it. Honestly, if anyone, it was probably Alastor. You know how he loves his broken things.”

“Why do I get the feeling you’re not telling the whole story?”

She smiled, moving to her tiptoes to be closer. “I’ve never been good with storytelling. That’s your specialty. All those lies catching up to you, dear?”

“Tell me how she broke the fucking veil. Don’t play games.”

“She stole power that belonged to me.”

Farris. Fuck.

“Just because you wanted it doesn’t make it yours.”

She choked. “Tell that to yourself tonight before you fall asleep alone.”

I squeezed until I was sure she couldn’t draw a breath. “Stay away from her, Vesalia. You know how that will end.”

Her eyes widened, and she managed a nod. Maybe I’d spent too much time chasing down my destiny and not enough time putting these assholes in their place. “She killed Farris, collected the power he’d been stealing and used it to break the veil. You will blink once for yes and twice for no. If you lie, I’ll set your prisoners free and have you banished.”

One exaggerated blink.

“Ezra was there?”

One blink.

“He told her everything, didn’t he?”

Two blinks.

“Does she think she’s safe?”

Her face turned purple. I released my grip enough for a single ragged breath to squeeze past my palm. Still, she didn’t answer.

“Does she know the danger she is in? Yes or fucking no?”

Vesalia lifted a shoulder.

I threw her to the ground in frustration, ignoring the dramatic cry of pain. “You have a choice to make right here and now. You either stay in my good graces, or I will take it all, Vesalia. You’ll lose your power, your memories, and every comfort in the world. You’ll spend eternity in the Forgotten and all of time will become obsolete. Don’t fuck with me. Don’t fuckwith her or I will end you. You and I both know my bite is far worse than Ezra’s bark.”

“Ezra’s in Requiem,” she said quietly, eyes to the floor, no longer the goddess vying for control, but rather in her place. “I hear he’s waiting for you to find him.”

“Good thing he’s shit at hiding,” I said, slamming my palm into the door and storming out.