These Twisted Bonds (These Hollow Vows, #2)(97)

“I’m sorry if you feel trapped. If you feel—”

“No.” I shake my head, wanting to erase the words that feel like profanity in the face of the gift I’ve been given. Because when they knelt before me and called me their queen, my only thought had been finally. Finally I can make a difference. Finally I have the power to help.

Queen was the answer to the question that’s been haunting me all my life.

“Not trapped. I’m scared because I want to do it right. I’m scared because all I’ve ever wanted was to be able to help those who were powerless to help themselves, and now . . .” I squeeze my eyes shut. “I don’t want to fail.”

“I’ll be right by your side,” he says, his lips brushing my ear with each word. “And doing so will be the greatest honor of my life.”



“There has to be a way that doesn’t require her to go to the Underworld,” Sebastian snaps, his sea-green eyes blazing with frustration.

“Mab wants to see her heir, and we need to know how to fix the mess we’re in,” Finn explains again, rubbing his head. “We need to go.”

After our short stop in the woods, we rode directly to the Midnight Palace. We’ve been here for less than an hour, and the news of my supposed bloodline and my plans to go to the Underworld have sparked pure chaos among our friends. Sebastian’s struggling the most. Tynan, Kane, Misha, Pretha, Finn, Juliana, Riaan, Sebastian, and I are all gathered around the long table in the briefing room. The map of the Court of the Moon is spread out between us. We’re trying to plan the best way to get Finn and me to the portal, but Sebastian keeps circling back, hoping he can talk us out of our plans.

“I’ll go with her, then,” Sebastian says. “We’re bonded, and the bond will allow me to protect her.”

“The problem with that plan,” Misha says, “is that you’re descended from Deaglan, Mab’s greatest enemy, the one who killed her son. If we’re worried about Mab deeming anyone unworthy, sending you seems a little risky.”

“And I was instructed to take Finn,” I say gently.

He’s struggling, Misha says in my mind. The only thing Sebastian hates more than this plan to send you to the Underworld is the idea that Finn is your tethered match.

Why? I ask, flicking my gaze to the other side of the table, where my friend sits.

Tethering is a lifelong connection. Unlike the bond, the only way it can be undone is through death. The boy is jealous, though you and I both know the tethering is an easy place to direct his frustration. It’s harder for him to face the other truth.

And what’s that?

That your feelings for Finn have nothing to do with this predestined, divinely granted connection you have.

Kane leans over the table and smooths out the map. “This is where we’re going,” he says, circling the northern Goblin Mountains with one big finger. “The Mother Willow is here.” He taps the map at a spot he’s marked with a star, then circles that spot. “And this entire area around that sacred tree is called the Silent Ridge.”

“What’s the Silent Ridge?” I ask.

“No magic,” Finn says. “The bond will be rendered useless in that area, and so will your powers.”

“But if magic is life—” I say.

Finn shakes his head. “We won’t be there long enough for it to hurt us—assuming we’re not gravely injured. It’s the closest thing to the queen’s curse that exists in the natural world, but it affects all magical creatures. That’s why this part of our territory is uninhabited. People go there to hunt or for a brief reprieve, but no one wants to live there.”

“I’ve never heard of there being a portal there,” Sebastian says.

“And you’re familiar with the location of the Underworld portals?” Kane snaps.

Finn shoots his friend a look, his expression seeming to command Kane to ease up. “Perhaps it’s new, created just for Abriella.” He shrugs. “Or maybe it’s been there all along and is the reason the Silent Ridge exists.”

Sebastian scowls. “This could be a trap.”

Finn nods. “I’ve considered that, but if Abriella is Mab’s blood and the Great Queen truly wants us to visit, the portal will call to her once we’re close. If she doesn’t feel that tug, we’ll come back here. You have my word.”

“Come back here and what?” I ask. I hate the idea of relying on some mystical tug to know if this is the right course of action. “What if I feel nothing at all? What exactly will we do when we get back here?”

“We’ll wait for the next priestess to take the oath of the High Priestess at the temple,” Finn says.

“And in the meantime, we’ll fight his mother’s powerful kingdom with our broken one.”

“We will lose that battle,” Kane says.

Finn nods. “But we’ll go down with honor.”

I close my eyes for a beat and draw in a deep breath. When I open them, I level my gaze on Sebastian. “It’s our best chance to find a solution,” I say to him. “We’ve broken the kingdom, you and I. Something has to be done.”

“We’ll have goblins get us as deep into the mountains as we can,” Kane says, pointing to a spot on the map south of our destination. “Then we’ll go on foot. This far north, at these altitudes, it gets cold, so we’ll need to pack accordingly, especially for the part of the trip where we can’t rely on magic to warm us.”