Red Blooded
Page 70
The Prince’s face was stony, his eyes fully reptilian. He nodded once, accepting her words, but it was going to take more than that to get him to come around. I wondered if they had Underworld therapists.
I cleared my throat and glanced at the Princess, meeting her gaze. Her irises are a beautiful mossy green. “So you knew what Lili was up to the entire time and you went along with it having no reservations?” I asked.
“Of course,” she replied, shrugging. “Ardat Lili has been conniving, but fooling no one but herself for centuries. I am Princess of this realm for a reason.” Her irises lit with a snippet of light green, which must be from her nymph side. Demons didn’t seem to have the same internal spark as other supernaturals. “When Lili brought me the Scriptures she had uncovered, along with a plan to overthrow the Underworld in her favor, I saw the words as they were intended—for me, not her.” The Princess’s power radiated outward. Surprisingly, I found it almost as heady as mine. “I spent that time planning my own ascension to the throne, undermining Lili at every turn, but making sure she believed I pandered to her. She never doubted my intent for a moment, but it was easy to fool her, as she’d always been consumed by her own ego and strength. She held more power than I did, so she never considered me a threat.”
“Still, you willingly let her kill you,” I pointed out. “That was incredibly risky. What if I hadn’t figured out how to revive you?” It hadn’t exactly been an easy conclusion for me to reach.
She shrugged as she slipped off the gurney. She stood a head shorter than I was, but she held herself with quiet determination. “I had no doubts. If my interpretation of the Scriptures had been incorrect, then death was what Fate had intended for me all along—something I could not argue against. I made my peace with it long ago.”
Eudoxia strode forward and I glanced between the two women, a shared power now swirling among us. I had given the Vampire Queen my blood, and in turn she had given me her fae magic, and I had revived the Princess with it. I nodded toward Eudoxia. “Did you have any idea what was going to happen here?” I asked the Vamp Queen. “That we would end up sharing power like this?”
“No,” Eudoxia admitted, her voice ringing with its regular petulance. Her skin softened as I watched, taking on a peach tone. It had lost most of its bone whiteness. She appeared… almost human. “I’d only had a chance encounter with Ardat Lili many, many years ago. In the short time we were together she hinted about her place on the Coalition, as well as the female Lycan who had sent her to Hell, and of one who would be born again. She sought information from me, and gave me just enough to make me eager to learn the truth. But I had to dig for that truth for centuries. I hired an army of spies, and even with all my resources, I never gained a clear picture.” Her voice became irritated. “Not much is known about the Coalition for a reason. Its inner workings are well kept by the Guardians of our Lore, as supernaturals would clamor to get near them. As I was forced to accompany you here,” she nodded toward me, “against my will, none of this was in the forefront of my mind. How could I have known Lili was still alive? Or predicted such a thing? But once I saw her, and realized what she’d been up to, the pieces came together easily. The new regime of our time has begun, triggered by the events that have happened here today. Now we have no choice but to wait and see what comes next.”
“There’s something else,” I said quietly. I wasn’t exactly ready to divulge what I’d seen, but I had to. What I’d done now affected us all. “I was shown some images when I held Lili’s heart. You’re right, a new regime has begun, but it wasn’t supposed to happen now”—I drew in a deep breath—“it was supposed to happen a hundred years from now.” There were several utterances of surprise. Rourke growled low and Ray whistled, all of us knowing the impact of my words. I glanced at the Princess, who did not look the least bit surprised. “Did your demon Scriptures tell you something would go wrong if Lili died right now, instead of later?” I asked. “Please tell me there is a stipulation in the Scriptures for changing Fate’s plan by one hundred years.”
The image replayed in slow motion in my mind and I cringed.
Rourke sensed my distress and reached out to me. I slid into him for comfort, his chest bracing me and calming me instantly.
The Princess glanced at the floor. “I could not stop her. Lili had been on a tangent for years. Once you made your first shift into a wolf, and the supernatural world found out, she was adamant about luring you here. She had a special influence over… the Prince.” She would not meet his eyes. “It was out of my control. I let Fate move us forward as it saw fit. If Fate hadn’t willed this, then I was content to believe we would not end up here. It was as simple as that.”
“I don’t think that’s exactly how Fate works,” I said, shaking my head. “Eudoxia’s aunt, who is an oracle, told me once that we had choices, and you can choose wrong. To keep things on track you have to listen to your heart. And right before I took Lili’s life, a moment of doubt stayed my hand, but I deliberately chose not to listen. I actually don’t think I was coherent enough—I was too upset by the images of Lili killing everyone she’d ever met—but in the end that’s no excuse.” I dropped my gaze to the ground. “I think… I made the wrong choice. I believe that’s why Lili disappeared completely. Fate has erased her from existence. All of this was supposed to happen, but not right now, and I think it’s because none of us are ready for this. I set something into motion that we may not fully recover from.”
“I don’t believe that,” Eudoxia stated, crossing her arms. “I am ready. I have been ready for eons.”
“It doesn’t matter if you’re personally ready,” I said. “I’m talking about all supernaturals not being ready for such a huge change in leadership.” I turned to meet the Vamp Queen’s silver-edged stare. “The turmoil I just unleashed will be felt in every Sect. I saw it. Lili was supposed to have completed something before she died. Something major. And when I killed her, Fate was forced to shift again.” I glanced around the room and met each pair of eyes. “I know you all felt it.”
“I felt it,” Danny admitted. “It was as if someone punched me in the stomach and took all my breath away for a solid minute.”
I cleared my throat and glanced at the Princess, meeting her gaze. Her irises are a beautiful mossy green. “So you knew what Lili was up to the entire time and you went along with it having no reservations?” I asked.
“Of course,” she replied, shrugging. “Ardat Lili has been conniving, but fooling no one but herself for centuries. I am Princess of this realm for a reason.” Her irises lit with a snippet of light green, which must be from her nymph side. Demons didn’t seem to have the same internal spark as other supernaturals. “When Lili brought me the Scriptures she had uncovered, along with a plan to overthrow the Underworld in her favor, I saw the words as they were intended—for me, not her.” The Princess’s power radiated outward. Surprisingly, I found it almost as heady as mine. “I spent that time planning my own ascension to the throne, undermining Lili at every turn, but making sure she believed I pandered to her. She never doubted my intent for a moment, but it was easy to fool her, as she’d always been consumed by her own ego and strength. She held more power than I did, so she never considered me a threat.”
“Still, you willingly let her kill you,” I pointed out. “That was incredibly risky. What if I hadn’t figured out how to revive you?” It hadn’t exactly been an easy conclusion for me to reach.
She shrugged as she slipped off the gurney. She stood a head shorter than I was, but she held herself with quiet determination. “I had no doubts. If my interpretation of the Scriptures had been incorrect, then death was what Fate had intended for me all along—something I could not argue against. I made my peace with it long ago.”
Eudoxia strode forward and I glanced between the two women, a shared power now swirling among us. I had given the Vampire Queen my blood, and in turn she had given me her fae magic, and I had revived the Princess with it. I nodded toward Eudoxia. “Did you have any idea what was going to happen here?” I asked the Vamp Queen. “That we would end up sharing power like this?”
“No,” Eudoxia admitted, her voice ringing with its regular petulance. Her skin softened as I watched, taking on a peach tone. It had lost most of its bone whiteness. She appeared… almost human. “I’d only had a chance encounter with Ardat Lili many, many years ago. In the short time we were together she hinted about her place on the Coalition, as well as the female Lycan who had sent her to Hell, and of one who would be born again. She sought information from me, and gave me just enough to make me eager to learn the truth. But I had to dig for that truth for centuries. I hired an army of spies, and even with all my resources, I never gained a clear picture.” Her voice became irritated. “Not much is known about the Coalition for a reason. Its inner workings are well kept by the Guardians of our Lore, as supernaturals would clamor to get near them. As I was forced to accompany you here,” she nodded toward me, “against my will, none of this was in the forefront of my mind. How could I have known Lili was still alive? Or predicted such a thing? But once I saw her, and realized what she’d been up to, the pieces came together easily. The new regime of our time has begun, triggered by the events that have happened here today. Now we have no choice but to wait and see what comes next.”
“There’s something else,” I said quietly. I wasn’t exactly ready to divulge what I’d seen, but I had to. What I’d done now affected us all. “I was shown some images when I held Lili’s heart. You’re right, a new regime has begun, but it wasn’t supposed to happen now”—I drew in a deep breath—“it was supposed to happen a hundred years from now.” There were several utterances of surprise. Rourke growled low and Ray whistled, all of us knowing the impact of my words. I glanced at the Princess, who did not look the least bit surprised. “Did your demon Scriptures tell you something would go wrong if Lili died right now, instead of later?” I asked. “Please tell me there is a stipulation in the Scriptures for changing Fate’s plan by one hundred years.”
The image replayed in slow motion in my mind and I cringed.
Rourke sensed my distress and reached out to me. I slid into him for comfort, his chest bracing me and calming me instantly.
The Princess glanced at the floor. “I could not stop her. Lili had been on a tangent for years. Once you made your first shift into a wolf, and the supernatural world found out, she was adamant about luring you here. She had a special influence over… the Prince.” She would not meet his eyes. “It was out of my control. I let Fate move us forward as it saw fit. If Fate hadn’t willed this, then I was content to believe we would not end up here. It was as simple as that.”
“I don’t think that’s exactly how Fate works,” I said, shaking my head. “Eudoxia’s aunt, who is an oracle, told me once that we had choices, and you can choose wrong. To keep things on track you have to listen to your heart. And right before I took Lili’s life, a moment of doubt stayed my hand, but I deliberately chose not to listen. I actually don’t think I was coherent enough—I was too upset by the images of Lili killing everyone she’d ever met—but in the end that’s no excuse.” I dropped my gaze to the ground. “I think… I made the wrong choice. I believe that’s why Lili disappeared completely. Fate has erased her from existence. All of this was supposed to happen, but not right now, and I think it’s because none of us are ready for this. I set something into motion that we may not fully recover from.”
“I don’t believe that,” Eudoxia stated, crossing her arms. “I am ready. I have been ready for eons.”
“It doesn’t matter if you’re personally ready,” I said. “I’m talking about all supernaturals not being ready for such a huge change in leadership.” I turned to meet the Vamp Queen’s silver-edged stare. “The turmoil I just unleashed will be felt in every Sect. I saw it. Lili was supposed to have completed something before she died. Something major. And when I killed her, Fate was forced to shift again.” I glanced around the room and met each pair of eyes. “I know you all felt it.”
“I felt it,” Danny admitted. “It was as if someone punched me in the stomach and took all my breath away for a solid minute.”
