Queen of Myth and Monsters (Adrian X Isolde, #2)(75)

“Adrian treats me as his equal,” I said.

“You do not know the man you married,” she said. “Adrian sees a use for you just as he sees a use for everyone else he allows into his life. He just happens to fuck you.”

“You don’t know what you’re talking about,” I said, my fingers tightening around the hilt of my blade.

“You think Adrian wants to be free of Dis?” she asked. “What he really wants is to take her place.”

“What’s so wrong with being a god?” I asked.

“It’s not becoming one that’s the problem; it’s who has to die for him to get there.” She paused, and then said, “But you know he is dangerous. Or at least you did—he’s why you created the book.”

“You’re lying,” I said, but the shock of her words straightened my spine and I hated how truthful they felt.

She smiled and shook her head. “I am many things, but I have never been a liar, Yesenia.”

“Time changes people, Ravena,” I said, and I reared back and shoved the blade toward her, but unlike last time, the mirror only shattered under my blow.

Her laugh echoed in my room, and she was gone.





Twenty-Two





Isolde

I left my room for Adrian’s.

I did not wish to remain there, not after Ravena’s visit. Her words weighed heavily on my mind, most of all, what she had to say about Adrian.

You do not know the man you married…he’s why you created the book.

I could not remember it, could not imagine it, and I did not believe her.

Clutching the spell book tighter, I entered Adrian’s chambers, finding him sitting on the edge of the bed, his head in his hands.

I halted, immediately concerned. “Are you all right?” I asked.

“Just a headache,” he said, but he did not look up.

I set my book on the table and crossed the room to the wash basin, where I soaked a cloth in cool water before bringing it to Adrian.

He looked up when I approached, squinting, and I pressed the cloth to his cheek and then his forehead.

“I am sorry you are unwell,” I said.

“It is no fault of yours,” he replied with a small smile. Then he tugged on my hand as he fell back against the bed, and I followed, landing atop him.

“Where have you been?” he asked.

“Looking for summoning spells.”

The air hung heavy between us, and I knew it was because I had things to tell him, but I did not want to add to his troubles.

I adjusted the cloth on his head. “I have never known you to have a headache.”

He touched the corner of my mouth, and I realized I was frowning. “It is nothing to worry about, my sweet. Did you find a spell?”

I rested my head upon his chest. “I found symbols,” I said, and then paused. “What do you remember of Ravena?”

I was not sure what information I was really looking for, but I was curious about his observations.

“Not much,” he said. “I only paid attention after your death. I watched her stand at Dragos’s side until I invaded Revekka, and after I murdered him, I pursued her, but it was like she vanished from the face of the earth. I hadn’t seen any sign of her until the crimson mist. Why do you ask?”

“I just wonder what motivates her,” I said.

“I imagine what motivates most of us in this world,” he said.

“And what is that?” I asked.

“Survival.”

“I think it has gone beyond that,” I said. “Has it not for you?”

“No,” he said. “Why do you think I like what I am?”

***

A scream drove me from sleep. I sat up, heart racing, and the only reason I did not think I was dreaming was because Adrian was awake too.

“Did you hear that?” I asked.

Another scream.

We shot from the bed, searching in the dark for our clothes. I had just managed to pull on my robe and get the door open when I came face-to-face with Sorin.

“The castle’s under attack,” he said. “There are vârcolaci roaming the halls.”

Vârcolaci were a type of werewolf. They were large and could rise onto their hind legs and fight using their clawed hands.

“How?”

“We do not know, but they did not come in by any usual means,” said Sorin.

Adrian drew his sword, and I turned to look at him. He was shirtless, wearing only the trousers he’d managed to find in the dark.

“Please stay,” he said, kissing my forehead. “Sorin, watch her.”

Then Adrian was gone.

I stepped into the hallway long enough to watch him, the muscles in his shoulders tense as more screams sounded throughout the castle.

I looked at Sorin. “I think I know how they got in.”

“How?”

“Ravena,” I said, unwilling to completely admit that I had summoned her, that whatever connection I had established earlier had not fully closed. “We have to go!”

I took off down the hallway for my chambers.

Sorin did not try to stop me; instead, he followed, racing beside me. When we came to my hall, I skidded to a halt, finding the door to my chambers in ruins. Part of it hung off the hinges, part of it looked as if it had flown off and hit the opposite wall, and there were splinters of wood everywhere.