These Twisted Bonds (These Hollow Vows, #2)(22)

“At first glance, nothing. The treacherous mountains are so sacred that the goblins themselves won’t use their magic to bring fae beyond the foothills. But beneath those mountains, you can find our most precious resources.” He nods at my chest, where the necklace from Sebastian still sits. I don’t let myself think about why I haven’t taken it off. “The fire gems.”

I pull the necklace from beneath my top and study the softly glowing gem. “What do they do?”

“They make everything . . . better. Stronger. The fire gems are magical amplifiers.” He holds up a hand and wiggles his middle finger, where a canary yellow stone sparkles in the evening light.

“Wearing one can increase an individual’s magical range and strength several degrees.”

I scoff. “Knowing how the fae feel about magic, I’m surprised you’re not all dressed head to toe in them.”

He shrugs and looks almost bashful when he says, “I suppose we would be if there were benefits to wearing more than one, but wearing one fire gem amplifies an individual’s power the same as one hundred.”

“And what? There aren’t enough to go around? Is that why they’re fighting over them?”

“The fire gems found beneath those mountains are not abundant, nor are they infinite. For an individual, they are valuable, but in great amounts, fire gems are for far more than personal use. Our ancestors hoarded them, gifting them to their priestesses, using them to strengthen borders and to create tonics the likes of which could never be achieved without the fire gems.”

“Like what?” I ask, tucking the gem back into my shirt.

“Like the Potion of Life, or the restorative potion the golden queen ingested to survive the damage of the curse. Like the toxin they injected into those children to steal their powers. As an amplifier, the magic of one gem serves us for hundreds of years, but those potions and tonics take hundreds of gems and are for one-time use. By all rights, the queen’s reserves should’ve been depleted after the last two decades, but she’s been vigilant in her efforts to gather more.” Anger flashes in his eyes. “She’s not satisfied with what’s available on her side of the mountain range, so she’s going to resume the mission of her grandfather, who started the Great Fae War to claim the Unseelie’s side of the Goblin Mountains as his own.”

“He didn’t want the shadow fae to have access to the fire gems.”

Misha nods. His eyes go dark as he turns his head to look out at the bright, sunny day.

“Generations of Seelie rulers have sent their armies to fight for the land east of the River of Ice that cuts the mountain range down the middle, believing they could claim the land as their own. Countless golden fae have died for that mission, and countless shadow fae have died defending those lands. And now my sources tell me that history is repeating itself. I fear that this time the Court of the Moon will be too weak to protect their territory.”

Has Arya always been like this—so cold and heartless? Or did Oberon’s rejection break something in her?

“Perhaps a little of both,” Misha says, answering my unspoken question, and this time I don’t even complain about the intrusion. “She’s the youngest ruler her kingdom has ever had. She never should’ve been allowed to take the throne when she did.”

I shake my head. “War, fire gems, the queen—what does any of this have to do with me?”

“You alone hold sway over both Sebastian and Finn. You alone hold the power of the Unseelie crown. You could be the key to uniting the courts and helping protect future generations. If you will help me, help them, we can—”

“No. ” My chair screeches as I shove it back and jump to my feet. “I will not be manipulated again.”

“No one is manipulating you. I am asking for your help. You think this is all about power. You think that nothing you do will help people like you—fae who are victims of their own circumstances.”

“Get out of my head,” I growl. I’m so mad I’m shaking. I’m angry and I’m frustrated and I’m so sick of being used so that these spoiled males and their twisted courts can get the power they crave.

“There’s more I need to show you, Abriella.” He extends an arm, and another hawk swoops down and perches on his wrist. “There’s more to see. Don’t you want to know what happened after the throne rejected Sebastian?”

I shake my head. “No. I don’t want to see it. I don’t care. I’m done with faerie politics. They can destroy the whole damn realm for all I care. Figure it out without me.”

I turn on my heel and storm back to my room, even though it’s not really mine. Nothing’s mine, and I have nowhere to go.



I lied to Misha.

I said I didn’t care, but we both know that’s not true. I care more than I want to. My problem is I don’t trust—not Misha, not Finn, not even the emotions I’m feeling through my bond with Sebastian. I don’t trust anyone and don’t plan on that changing anytime soon.

Unfortunately, unlike Misha, I can’t read thoughts to find out someone’s true intentions.

Since I’m not sure how Misha’s power works, it’s not like I can use my shadows to spy on him.

For all I know, he’d sense my thoughts even if he couldn’t see me in the room, rendering my ability to hide in shadows useless.