What’s happening?
“Poor Aflora,” the deep voice murmured, Constantine’s tones familiar and recognizable. “Always choosing her mates over herself.”
I couldn’t see him, but I felt him all around me, his power pulsing against mine, demanding I stay put until he finished toying with his prey. My mind stroked through his spell, trying to learn the nuances of it and how to counteract it, but the yanking on my strands had me focusing on the here and now and my innate need to hold on. They rooted deeper, securing themselves to my soul… their voices beginning to return...
“Did you know that stonepecker is how I first confirmed your connection to my grandson?” Constantine asked conversationally, like I wasn’t being ripped apart by the vines digging into my hands. “I originally sent it with the expectation of it being found among his things during the search. But a falcon disrupted my spell. A familiar. Your familiar. Which I found deeply fascinating at the time. Until I realized why that familiar had interfered.”
Aflora?Kols’s voice trickled through my mind on a whisper, the soul in my palm vibrating.
I’m here,I told him. I’m—
“You mated my grandson, the heir to the Midnight Fae kingdom. No doubt because you bewitched him with your abomination magic. I’d hoped he’d be stronger. I also had hoped the Death Blood was lying. Alas, here we are. And it seems Shadow was attempting to outmaneuver me, too. But I’m the one holding the final play in this game.” He paused. “Actually, no, that’s not quite right. You are holding it.”
The souls writhed against my palms, their agony touching my soul as the space began to move, stretching them… taking them from my heart.
“Who will you sacrifice?” Constantine asked, his voice low and menacing. “Which soul will you release to survive?” His energy kissed my skin. “Let the trial begin.”