Kingdom of the Feared (Kingdom of the Wicked, #3)(38)

“Allow me to refresh your memory,” he said. “You went searching for the Seven Sisters. You found them and the Triple Moon Mirror I was after. Do you recall where?”

“Why does that—” I sat up, wincing at the resurgence of pain. My skin was beginning to burn up, like a fever was overtaking me. I looked at the roots on the ceiling, piecing together what Envy was getting at. And my stomach sank. “There was a tree in the Sin Corridor. I had to feed it blood to open the secret door in its trunk.”

“Do you know why I sent you after the mirror?” Envy pressed, his tone taking on a bit of urgency. I shook my head. “Because the key to unlock the magic on the tree requires hell god blood. Goddess blood. No one else can get that doorway to open. And I mean no one, no matter how powerful.”

“Blood and bones.” My head ached. “If Wrath even managed to somehow break free, he can’t find me. The Sin Corridor blocks our bond. And even if he found the tree, he can’t access it.”

“The tree has roots, but it often moves around, making it nearly impossible for any demon to track. Which means we need to devise an escape plan.” He glanced at my wound with disgust. “And we need to do so quickly before you’re of no use to me at all.”

“Your concern for my welfare is truly touching.” I sighed when Envy nodded in agreement, clearly missing the sarcasm in my tone. “I can’t melt the bars. I doubt I can burn our way out. I can tell my sister I’ll agree to giving her my mortal heart, but if she gets to my heart before we can subdue her, I imagine my acceptance will be enough for her to act. What do you suggest?”

Envy paced around the small cell, running a hand through his hair. He worked his jaw as if he’d come up with an idea but was silently arguing with himself. Finally, he stopped and turned to me. His expression was cold. His eyes twin pits of fathomless hatred. “Your sister wants me.”

I blinked as his meaning sank in. “You’re going to what? Offer to sleep with her?”

“We are on the brink of war, Emilia. I’ll fuck her senseless if I must. I’ll use my sin and make it so good she’ll envy any other lover I take after her. It might buy you time to slip out of the cell.”

“What about you?” I asked, hating that I’d even consider going along with something that clearly made him look on the verge of experiencing my husband’s sin. “If I slip away, you’ll still be trapped. With her. There’s no telling if she did murder Greed’s commander. And I’d hate to see what she’d do to you if you betray her.”

“Your concern for my welfare is truly touching,” he quoted back to me, earning himself an offensive hand gesture. “I’ll move so I’m near the cell door. Then I’ll shove her toward the mattress, be as rough as she likes, and slam the door before she knows what we’re doing. If we’re lucky, I won’t have to touch her more than the prodding toward the bed.”

“I don’t like it. There’s—” A low, rattling cough startled us both. I shot the prince an accusatory look, and he shrugged. “How did you fail to mention there was another person here?”

“Regenerating a heart is no small task. I awoke shortly before you did.” Envy strode over to the bars, peering into the semidarkness. “Who’s there?”

Another cough. It didn’t sound good.

“Hello?” I asked, coming up beside Envy. “Wrath?”

“Emilia?”

My heart clenched painfully. It wasn’t my husband. I couldn’t tell if I was relieved or more worried for his welfare. But still, I recognized that voice.

“Antonio?” He coughed again, the sound closer. As if he were in a cell beside ours. “Are you imprisoned, too?”

His quiet laugh turned into racking coughs. “She promised I’d see my mother again. If I did everything she said. She wanted me to pretend I killed those girls. If I played my part, she swore she’d bring my mother back. Just like she did to the wolf. Angel of Death. That’s what I’d thought. Who else but an angel could bring back the dead? I thought maybe she’d bring the witches back, too. I didn’t know… I didn’t know she wanted vengeance against their families.”

I closed my eyes. His actions made sense. He’d never been the same after his mother’s death. Had abruptly joined the holy brotherhood, withdrew. Grief wasn’t simply a shadow that followed people around; it was the worst sort of companion. It was an emotion that could either encourage someone to wither away through sorrow and tears or turn them into a monster. Craving vengeance like blood. Justice. Retribution. As if spilling blood would bring that one person back. I would know. It was the very same spark that ignited my current path.

It was cruel of Vittoria to dangle that sort of impossible hope in front of his face. Inhuman. I grasped onto the belief that some noble side of her was still left. Something redeemable. A bond between us that could never be broken. If there wasn’t, then perhaps Greed had been correct. Maybe she was not meant to be saved.

“She deceived us all, Antonio. Even me.”

Envy flashed a look that stated he hadn’t been deceived, and I motioned for him to keep his troublesome mouth shut. He held up his hands in mock surrender and went back to his corner to lurk and plot. Goddess, grant me strength to deal with superior, arrogant demon princes.