“And what did Scylla say about you, Aria?” he asked. His tone held an intangible quality, and when I didn’t react, his eyes narrowed.
“That I should be careful who I trust with my secrets.” Tapping my forehead, I smirked at him before rising from the settee. “Oh, wait. That was you. Shouldn’t you be sleeping instead of eavesdropping on us defenseless girls? Or is that what gets you off, Zyion?” I asked in a soft, seductive voice. “Don’t lie to me because I’ll know if you do. Is that even your name, Vicious?”
Zyion stepped closer to me, which prompted Esme to rise behind me. His eyes didn’t leave my face as I lifted my hand, running a finger over the curve of his jawline.
“My name is Zyion Vicious, Crowned Prince of the Vanir, Head of the Queen’s Guard. It isn’t Zyion of the Blah-blah-blah, Aria, Princess to the Kingdom of Fire. You may address me as whatever the fuck you want, ocean eyes, so long as it isn’t ‘Blah-blah-blah’. Understand?”
“Not quite. Is it two ‘blahs’ or three?”
Zyion rattled quietly, and the sound had Ember stretching from within me even as Esme slammed against the floor. I rattled back, but instead of him reacting as Aden or Griffon had, Zyion’s eyes began glowing sea-green with gold scattered within them. My eyes also glowed similarly when I was turned on, or pissed off. I swallowed past the unease, and his brows shot up as the color drained from my face. ‘Abort’ was all that screamed through my head.
“Bloody fucking hell,” he growled as turned and stalked from the room, slamming the doors with a jarring thud.
“What the fuck just happened?” Esme demanded from her position on the floor.
“I don’t know,” I admitted and then jumped as she screamed again. This time, Fennia and Fennix were rubbing against her. “They’re harmless.”
“You don’t know that! My mother said if you feed them after dark, they turn into monsters!”
“Someone’s mother watched Gremlins,” I mused. “Let’s get some rest. I’ll take the critters with me so you don’t have to worry.”
“With them in here?” she demanded, with horror dripping from each word.
“Of course, with them inside. Where else would they sleep?” Her eyes widened at my words, forcing me to fight the smile itching to tug the corners of it up. When she didn’t respond, solely staring at the critters, I spoke softly, for her ears alone. “You remember when we first met?” At her sharp nod of confirmation, I continued. “I need to do that again. If what I think is about to unfold, then I need to see Knox. There’s something not right, but I can’t put my finger on it, Esme.”
“I felt it too,” she agreed as she sidled closer to the wall, peering at the sleeping creatures. “It’s malevolent of nature. I didn’t feel it from Griffon, but the moment the men entered the hall? I felt it crawling over my flesh. As if something was learning me intimately.”
My eyes widened at her words. “I meant with the world, but you need to elaborate on that, Esmeralda.” As I watched, she once again began chewing on her thumbnail. “You’re not the least bit tired?” I asked, which caused her to release the hold her teeth held on her thumbnail. “Spill it, now.”
She whispered so softly that I had to strain to hear the words. “I don’t know what the hell it was. Your uncles, brothers, and Aden’s men flooded the hall. Griffon sought to steer the conversation away from you, but this man kept asking things. Things he didn’t need to know. When Griffon refused to entertain his direction of conversation, I felt needles poking into my head. As if he was stealing the answers from my mind. If I hadn’t been so fucking exhausted, I would’ve known what was happening. Instead, it took me entirely too long to force him out of my mind. But I’m not even positive it was him who did it, Aria. I lost half the night from whatever he did to my mind.”
“Fucking brilliant,” I muttered.
“I’m sorry.”
“I’m not upset with you. It wasn’t like you willingly allowed whoever it was into your mind. As I said before, we stay together. If we have to leave this place quickly, it will be much easier to succeed without having to track each other down. If you feel it again, tell me and I’ll counter it, Esme. No one fucks with us while we’re here. No one. Not even the grumpy bastard who is listening outside the door. Do you hear me? I wouldn’t suggest you fuck around. I’d hate to show you what it feels like to find out how much of a petty bitch I can be,” I called, but wasn’t certain what I expected in reply. I grinned fiercely at her bewildered look, tightening her features.
“Is it me? Did I do drugs while you were gone? Because I’m pretty sure you came back a lot weirder than when you left here. Dead grandma, strange pets, random grumpy asshole . . . what’s next?”
“I have a rendezvous with another asshole.” Lowering my voice, I stepped closer, pressing my nose against her soft, obsidian strands of silk. “Watch my body until I return? Pretend you’re asleep, but do try to not fall asleep until I return?”
“Fine, but if you moan? I may stab you. My libido’s been stuck on overdrive since we entered this realm. It’s another thing that is worrisome. My skin is crawling with awareness, but what is it aware of? Who the fuck knows? I feel as if I need to inhale every scent until I find the perfect one. It’s freaking me out, Aria.”
“If I wanted to sniff everyone and everything, I’d be a little freaked out as well.” There was only one scent I wanted to inhale, and I couldn’t find his unique scent within this realm. “I’ll be quick. Once I hear you snoring, I’ll begin.”
Chapter Ten
Aria
The moment I heard Esme’s soft footsteps coming to my chamber, I slipped from the bed and searched for magical incantations. Once I checked that there was no other magic in the room that could affect the spell I was going to perform, I breathed a sigh of relief and quietly returned to bed.
The first time I’d cast this spell, I’d ended up leading Knox on a wild goose chase, which had ended in my meeting Esme. That seemed like eons ago. In fact, it felt like so long ago that, looking back, I could scarcely recall what life outside of the Nine Realms had been like. Perhaps it was helpful. Those inside the human world had the luxury of being oblivious to the war brewing so near to them. Being oblivious wasn’t the worst thing to be, honestly.
Softly laying back onto the bed, I let my nails slide free to cut deeply into the palms of my hands. A hiss left my lips as magic began filling the air of the chamber. Using my blood, I drew the runes to allow my mind and spirit to release from my physical body. My lips parted as the words smoothly leapt from my tongue, spilling the incantation that would force my spirit to the place I held within my mind.