Page 51

CAMI

T he world spun in spirals of darkness and chaos.

Darkness and life.

Darkness and death.

I… I couldn’t see. I couldn’t breathe. But I could hear .

Vivaxia’s voice was everywhere, in my ears, my mind, my fucking soul.

My fingers curled into fists, causing a chilly bite to shoot up my right arm. I didn’t understand it at first, the temperature change at odds with the numbness stealing over my body. But a pulsing in my palm reminded me that I still held the death stone.

And it seemed to be trying to communicate something important.

Something vital .

What is with this damn stone? I wondered, dizzy from my inability to breathe.

A responding energy pulsed in my chest, one that felt oddly familiar. Like it was important. Like I should focus on?—

“You’ll thank me later,” Vivaxia murmured, her words loud in my head despite the whispered quality of her voice.

Ugh, she’d been droning on and on about the Virtuous Fae Realm, how she intended to restore it to its beautiful state.

And it seemed she wasn’t done.

“I’ll re-create you and your mother,” she went on. “Then you’ll worship my Source. Obey me. Exist to amuse me.”

I wanted to frown at her, to ask how that sort of existence would be enjoyable for anyone. But it seemed all Vivaxia truly desired was to be revered as some sort of creationist Goddess. She wanted minions to serve her in every way imaginable.

Except, no. She’d had that in the past, when she’d owned Az. When she’d tried to manipulate Typhos.

I… I remembered some of it. Because of Typhos’s memories…

The stone pulsated again, grounding me as my knees finally gave out. I was surprised I’d lasted this long. When was the last time I took a breath? How am I even still alive?

“And I shall be inside the Source,” Vivaxia continued. “Showering you with power while I observe from my ascended place from above. It will be glorious.”

What? I wanted to ask her. Ascended place from above…?

That sounded divine in nature, like she was trying to become some sort of supreme being. A creator from the sky. But in a non-corporeal form. Magic redefined .

That last thought reverberated through my mind, stirring something deep inside me. A knowledge. An understanding. A realization.

Typhos redefined his magic.

After siphoning his parents’ essences.

And creating his own light .

He thought Vivaxia didn’t know about his past, that she wasn’t aware of him being a siphon.

But she’d known all along.

She’d planted a virus inside of Vita, a corrupt little morsel that had allowed her access to Typhos’s mind for millennia. He hadn’t sensed it because it’d been deep inside Vita’s pages, lost in his mother’s entries.

Every time he’d released a memory for storage inside Vita, Vivaxia had been there to review it. And a handful of those memories—very specific ones regarding Vivaxia—had been tucked away for good.

Such as the day he’d realized that she knew he was a siphon and she was one, too.

Part of him had always known that, of course. He’d felt her presence over the years, testing his gates, playing with those portals. But he hadn’t considered her a significant threat because a few key moments from their history had been hidden from him.

Memories from the day of his fall.

I saw them now, playing out in real time.

“Oh, sweet Typhos,” Vivaxia had cooed, her palm on his cheek, her expression affectionate. “I knew your soul would reject mine.”

Typhos had said nothing, his expression not giving anything away.

But I was in tune with his mind now. His memories. His life .

And I felt that thread of uncertainty inside him, the thread that worried he’d missed a detail. Because he always missed something when it came to Vivaxia and her games.

Her lips curled into a grin, one that suggested she, too, knew his thoughts.

“Now you owe me a sacrifice. One underlined in blood .” She drew her sharp nail across his cheek and down to his mouth, her gray irises following the movement.

“You’re going to fall for me, Typhos. You’re going to assume that’s the price I require.

And I’m going to let you believe that for a very, very long time. ”

My heart skipped a beat as I watched— learned —this history. It… it was so strange to hear and see. Because I knew I still stood in the Strigoi throne room, yet every part of me was tuned in to this history. Reliving it. Observing it.

“Your power needs some fine-tuning,” she went on. “But you’re well on your way to greatness, my love. I can feel it in your light, see it in your strength. Your fall is going to irrevocably alter the Virtuous Fae Source. Well, that and Melek reneging on his deal with me.”

Typhos’s jaw clenched. “What deal?”

“The one that says he has to pay homage to me.” She cocked her head. “In exchange for me not mating you. Little did he realize I already knew our bonds would fail. But he’s going to be very upset indeed when you fall. And I fully expect him to react appropriately—by betraying our deal.”

“Homage?” Typhos repeated. “How was that term defined?”

“Oh, Typhos.” She drew her nails down along his bare chest. “You know the kind of homage I enjoy.”

My jaw clenched, her little purr on the end of that final word making me want to break out of this strange little recollection and kill her.

But she wasn’t done speaking.

“The offer was for one single instance, at a time of my choosing. No longer than sixty minutes. Only me and him. And he defined the limits.” She arched a brow.

“You taught him well, darling. However, there were some fine-print details that he may have overlooked—such as the one that states no violence .”

Her gray eyes seemed to glitter with triumph.

Meanwhile, all Typhos felt was dread.

Because he already saw where this was headed.

“He thought I meant it as a sensual limit.” She smiled. “Can you believe that? Me? A sadist?” She laughed a little, the sound grating on my nerves. “Does he not realize how alike you and I are?”

Typhos remained silent, his expression still giving nothing away.

However, I felt his emotional state. Experienced it as though it were my own. Yet somehow I could see him.

Or maybe…

Maybe I couldn’t see him. Maybe I just felt the image he thought he was exuding.

He was clamping down his external reactions, ensuring that Vivaxia couldn’t sense anything on the outside. And therefore his memory showcased him as such.

Except, I couldn’t help wondering if that was true at all. His viewpoint was somewhat unreliable.

Hell, everything about him was unreliable. Not because he desired to be cryptic or mercurial, but because Vivaxia had manipulated him in this manner.

She’d tampered with his mind.

Even now, I could feel the effect of her weaving her essence into his and redefining this moment.

Making him forget every word.

“As I’m sure you’ve deduced, our sweet Melek is about to feel quite violent.

” She glanced off to the side. “And wouldn’t you know?

Our hour has just begun, as it was by my choice, after all.

Which means even the slightest punch will nullify our agreement.

And, well, you know how the Virtuous Fae Source feels about betraying our vows. ”

Typhos’s mask began to slip, his fury a hot wave to my senses that had me quivering inside. God, this feels so real . Yet I could still sense the Strigoi Palace around me, even while seeing Typhos standing in this idyllic scene. Right in the center of a beautiful courtyard.

One I recognized.

Because I’d been there with my mother. While lost in Vivaxia’s mirage.

Is that what this is now? Another visual trick?

But no. No, this didn’t feel like an illusion at all. Not like the ones I’d seen and previously experienced.

“Do you think Melek will be cast out?” Vivaxia went on. “ Indefinitely ? I mean, we are beings of peace, are we not? Our deals are founded on loyalty. To break a vow risks our very foundation.”

Typhos scoffed at her words, despite his inner turmoil mounting. “Our games are for us to enjoy, Vivaxia. Leave Melek out of them.”

Her long lashes fluttered as she gave him a coy look, one that contradicted the malice brewing in her gaze. “You invited him to play when you sent him for this.” She held up a journal, one I recognized as Vita’s past.

And everything suddenly clicked.

This isn’t an illusion. This isn’t Vivaxia’s doing, either.

This is Vita.

She’s showing me her history.

Showing me how this all began.

Because this is the moment that changed everything.

Typhos eyed the journal, confused as to how she had it in her hand. He’d taken it from her nightstand earlier in the day.

Or had he?

Vivaxia was a fan of her illusions.

What journal did I actually take home? he wondered, the words echoing through our strange little bond, like he was here now, thinking those very words.

“You’re going to change everything, my sweet Typhos,” Vivaxia murmured, her voice affectionate and warm. She palmed his cheek again, her eyes crinkling. “One day, you’ll remember this moment, darling. Realize how I’ve been ten steps ahead the whole time. And instantly understand why .”

He attempted to step away, but Vivaxia’s hand moved to the back of his neck to hold him near.

Then he jolted as the journal touched his palm, his fingers automatically closing around it.

“Use it as a vessel for your mind,” she whispered to him. “You’ll need the outlet with all that power growing inside you. Share your memories. Your burdens. Relinquish your fears. And grow.”

The words were clear and understandable, but a hint of magic wove through each of them, the hum of a spell forming beneath the commands.

I could taste it.

See it.

The strands were all Vivaxia’s, her smoky tendrils clear to my eyes but seemingly invisible to Typhos’s.

Those ribbons wove around him, forming his decisions, taking charge of him in a way Vivaxia had done to so many others. A version of her infamous pet spell , I thought, watching in horror as the magic seeped into Typhos’s being, melding with his spirit.

Fury grew inside him.