I decide to answer truthfully. “She took the men I love. She poisoned one into betraying me. I have debts to pay and bridges to burn because she used me. Used me to take out people like Xavier. Like Andi and thousands of others around the city. I’m not waiting for another death, for her to make another move.” I push her through the door before adding, “I’m not trying to win, Anita. I’m just trying to hold on and do what I can for the people I care about. Even if I don’t make it back, I can assure that they do.”
Chapter 19
Bunny
Casteel waits outside the door, just as he has for the last twenty-four hours. Obviously, the Queen wants me to know the pressure is on, that she expects the portal to reopen soon. I don’t mind. I’m eager as well, but I have no control over the slow-setting oil paint or the elements of magic infused in every brush stroke.
The commander of the Morrigan’s army doesn’t trust me. I see it in his face, in the way he watches my every move. I trust it’s both from his encounter with Dylan previously and the fact I betrayed Morgan. Sure, I did it for his Queen, but spies make people nervous and I know he’d have no qualms taking my life if it weren’t for the value of my skills.
I press a finger against the canvas, feeling for the stickiness. The hardened fabric springs back—implying it may finally be dry. With a glance at the doorway, I mutter the words that will bring the portal to life, barely registering the shadow on the other side. The colors swirl, all my efforts in creating the perfect image now a mess of impressionism. The runes lift, interlocking with one another until they twist and separate. I feel the familiar gust of my former realm, the heat on my face.
I have one task on the Otherside and I plan to accomplish it today. I’ll bring the third back to the Morrigan and seal the gate forever.
Chapter 20
Morgan
Even Anita can’t hide her awe when I bring her into Bunny’s studio. His work is amazing. Overwhelming, even. It’s like being in the presence of a truly gifted master, and I know now that this gift is what doomed us all.
I drag her before the painting that called to me the last time we were here. Something in my gut tells me it’s the right one. I don’t know if the Shaman gave me that sense or if I had it all along. It doesn’t matter now.
“This is your big plan?” Anita asks. “Taking me back to my Queen? Sure, sign me up.”
“You’re a means to an end,” I snap back. “But I’m glad you’re happy to be headed to the gallows.”
She laughs, the same cackling, deranged one she’s had since her brother died. “How much of your soul did you pay to access the gate? Fifty percent? All of it?”
“Shut up.”
I step before the painting, already feeling the churn of magic. I put on a good face but I’m terrified. Petrified, really, of what’s on the Otherside. But there’s no other choice—not that I can see—not that Dylan has given me. Christensen told me this would be the way. I would make the sacrifice; so even in my fear, I’m ready.
I’m ready.
The word the Shaman gave me is on the tip of my tongue when a cold gust blows through the studio. Frigid air tosses papers and tips over jars of brushes and tools. Canvases crash to the floor. I glance at Anita, but she’s staring at the painting, a look of gleeful delight on her face.
I follow her gaze and see that the painting is no longer of a castle, it’s a twisted swirl, shimmering and alive. Focusing on the tiny window, the one I’d seen a figure in days before, I watch as it moves from yellow to gold and widens larger and larger until the whole space is consumed by a gaping hole.
I step forward, dragging the still-bound Anita with one hand as I unsheathe my sword and hold it before me. Only the gods know what waits for us, but that cold air and dank smell make me think it’s nothing friendly.
“Don’t try anything,” I say to Anita.
“Oh, you don’t have to worry about me,” the girl says, her blue eyes vibrant with life. “But I can’t say the same about him.”
*
Bunny stands i
n the portal, copper eyes behind his askew glasses and hair gleaming. He looks drained and exhausted, but there’s something else. Something dangerous, like a wounded animal or desperate man.
Something tells me he’s both.
I hold the sword between us, the jewels Damien forged in the hilt glinting. “How dare you come back here,” I say. “I should gut you.”
“But you won’t.” It’s not a question. The cold wind of the portal still rips through the room. “Give her to me. That’s all I want.”
“I’m sure it is.” I shake my head. “You fooled me once, Bunny. You don’t get the option to do it again.”
“Give her to me,” he says again. “It’s how we end this.”