Narrowing her eyes, she leaned closer into the mirror. “I don’t think you really believe that.”
Inhaling deeply, Chrysa tucked a black curl behind her ear. The moon’s marking on her cheek glowed brightly tonight. But tomorrow, when the moon was at it’s fullest, would her powers be at their strongest. She had scratches all over her face, and the bloody wound the Huntsman had inflected on her abdomen, was now obviously healed but crusted over with dried blood. Chrysalis really should bathe more.
Her eyes were bloodshot and the skin beneath them an awful purple blue.
She needed to feed to keep up her strength.
“No, I don’t. I…I think maybe Lissa knows something about us.” She squeezed her eyes, grabbed her temples and shook her head. “I don’t know, I don’t know, maybe I’m wrong.”
“Or maybe you’re not, and maybe, just maybe…” Siria looked at her sternly “what we need to do is take care of this problem now.”
Siria was sure she hadn’t just imagined the tick under Chrysa’s right eye.
“Kill her?”
Chrysa’s eyes began to stray, going here, there, and every which way. Part of what she did when slipping and sliding into her psychosis. Shoving her hand through the mirror, Siria latched onto the girl’s chin and gave it a punishing grip with her nails.
“Look at me!” she snapped.
Nostrils flaring, the whites of her eyes bright and panicked, Chrysa reminded Siria of a wounded animal in that moment.
“Get a grip on yourself. What other option do you think we have? Hmm? I’ve warned you for years that that cat was getting too close, and now she’s paired up with that man. Nothing good can come of this. You know it, as well as I.”
Nibbling on the corner of her lip, Chrysalis said nothing for a while. In fact, she didn’t even seem to be fazed by the nails gouging into her skin. But finally, after several tense seconds of heavy breathing, she nodded.
“No choice. You’re right. No choice.”
Lifting a brow, she stared for a moment longer at the blue-eyed beauty before finally nodding and releasing her chin. “No choice. It’s either her, or us.”
“But…but what if—”
If there was one flaw Chrysalis had, it was her aversion to killing. And up until recently, killing had consisted mostly of rats and other vermin, until the ogre that is. Chrysalis had no idea half the things Siria now forced her to eat, the sun refused to feel guilty or wrong for making the girl do it either, the larger the prey the more strong she became. It was little more than survival of the fittest at play and it was Siria’s duty to see the girl thrived.
“It doesn’t matter. I was willing to leave her alone, so long as she left us alone, but she hasn’t.” She sighed, realizing she might be acting a little too harshly with the girl. “I am sorry for this. Truly.”
There wasn’t much more to say after that. Siria didn’t do goodbyes, so she willed the magic of the mirror away.
A loudly clearing throat from behind startled her. Siria yelped, nearly dropping the now simple looking mirror.
“What?” She snapped at Jericho who was leaning against the doorframe with his arms crossed over his muscular chest.
He’d taken to wearing more polished clothing as of late. Slacks and gray silk shirts that paired with his intense brown eyes and rich umber hair made him a sight to behold. And it bothered her that even while she detested him, the effect of Jericho still made her stomach bottom out.
She arched a brow. “You’re staring. Hasn’t anyone ever told you how rude that is?” Getting off the couch, she pretended to fluff up her cushions, and then walked the mirror back to the mantle.
Had he seen anything? Heard anything?
Her heart pounded so hard she felt she might choke on it. Her hands even shook a little as she adjusted the mirror.
Beings that Chrysalis was his goddaughter meant she had to tread lightly in this matter. Jericho could never know of what she’d done. She’d made certain to hide her trail all those years ago. Doing everything Rumpel had commanded she do in order to keep her deeds—or misdeeds as the case were—hidden.
Brushing the wrinkles out of her citrine gown she licked her front teeth, affecting an air of nonchalance. It wasn’t often that Jericho could get the drop on her. Because he was master of the night and she master of the day, they could only meet during that fleeting period between the sunset and sunrise.
It rattled her that she’d been so caught up in her conversation with Chrysalis that she hadn’t paid better attention to the exact time of day.
“Nothing,” he smiled, flashing her a set of pearly white teeth. “I was bored. My shift has ended.” He pushed away from the wall. “Where’d you get that mirror? I don’t recall ever seeing it before.”
She scoffed, fluttering her wrist. “I’ve had it forever. And you would know that, if you visited more.”
He shrugged. “Well, considering we’re rarely allowed more than a few minutes a day in one another’s company, you can’t really blame me. Now can you?”