Chapter One Hundred and Eighty Eight
Chapter One Hundred and Eighty Eight
+25 BONUS
I was in the meeting room with Aric, going over the plan we had been working on, when I sensed her presence.
Empress Cynthia appeared out of thin air. I hadn’t expected her to answer my call, and I certainly hadn’t planned for her to be in the same room as Aric. But she was here now, and that was beyond my control.
“You couldn’t arrive at the pack like a normal person, could you, Cynthia?”
“Now where is the fun in that?” she answered.
From the corner of my eye, I watched Aric, half–expecting him to lunge at her.
I couldn’t believe what my life had become–I was working with the man who betrayed me and the woman who killed my parents. Though, with Cynthia, it was different. We both knew we weren’t friends or allies. The moment I got the chance, I would kill her. And I would relish it.
“I almost can’t believe my eyes,” Cynthia said, her gaze drifting past me to Aric. “He’s still alive–I could have sworn he’d be long dead by now. Maybe you finally realized you’ve always felt more for him than you were willing to admit.”
I didn’t give her words a second thought–she was only trying to bait me, and I wasn’t about to fall for it. Still, I kept my eyes on Aric, expecting him to strike. I knew he hated her; I could see it in the way his body tensed. But he never moved. He just stood there, silent.
“I hadn’t anticipated your arrival so soon.”
“Well I was hoping you had some really good news for me. I got curious and now, here I am. So spill, why am I here?”
“You’re here because I need your help.”
I doubted she considered my request for help as ‘good news,‘ and from the slight frown tugging at her lips, I was certain she was already regretting her decision to come. So, I pressed on quickly.
“The pack is under threat. We have far more enemies than allies. A war is coming, and I need all the help I can
get.”
“And what deluded you into thinking I would ever assist you in a war against your own kind?”
“Because you equally need my help in fighting the undead remember?”
Her frown deepens. “What are you doing, Kaida? Our agreement was that you would play your part if I helped you, and I did just that.”
I didn’t mention to her that her ‘help‘ was the reason we were in all these in the first place.
“I know, but you will never get such help from me if the Onyx pack defeats us.”
>>
“You stupid girl.” she hissed. “What did you think would happen? That I’d fly my soldiers over here on a goddamn plane to fight by your side? Some of them have never even been on a plane their entire lives. And we need our soldiers–we have our own wars to fight, and we don’t interfere in the wars of your kind.”
“Actually, I wasn’t thinking about planes at all. I just assumed you had a way to magic them here—no flight tickets necessary.”
“I cannot help you, Alpha,” she said, her voice clipped, firm, and edged with finality.
“Then I might not be able to keep to my part of the agreement.”
+25 BONUS
Chapter One Hundred and Eighty Eight
“I did tell you; I have other ways of making sure you do. So you don’t have to worry about that.” She said, and then she turned away from me, about to leave.
“Wait!” I called.
“This is getting really irritating.”
Ignoring her response, I pressed on. “I want to know where Aric’s sister, Rose, is.” From the corner of my eye, I caught the way Aric’s hands curled into fists.
Cynthia laughed, the sound rising, unrestrained. For a moment, I wondered if she was alright–if there was a thread of madness woven into her.
“She’s dead.” Cynthia said when she finally stopped laughing. “It was fun deceiving him–and you too. But don’t worry, I didn’t kill her. A sickness did. She’s been dead for years. He was never going to get her back, but I would have compensated him in other ways…”
She never got to finish.
Today’s Bonus Offer
