Onyx Eclipse (The Raven Queen's Harem 5)

Dylan’s expression is neutral but I see the wheels turning in his head. “You’re serious.”

Nevis smiles and her eyes twinkle. “How old do you think I am?”

Upstairs, when she was nothing more than my servant, I thought she was a girl—a teenager. Younger than me. Her skin is smooth and her black hair is sleek and shiny. Once she saved me I saw more wisdom in her eyes but not much more age. I take a guess and high-ball it. “Twenty-five.”

The others agree.

“Sixty,” she announces. “This is the year I turned sixty.”

“Years old?” Sam asks. Bunny watches the whole thing from the side, unable to hide his incredulousness.

“Yes.”

“That’s what you used on their wounds right? I noticed they’d started healing before I even came in here.”

“Water,” Kuwan says. “Nothing else.”

There’s a moment of quiet as we reflect on this. Dylan is the first to speak. “So you think this water may help cure the virus plaguing the realm we’ve come from?”

“The properties may shift from one realm to the other, but it’s worth a shot.”

The idea is exciting, liberating, but introducing a miracle cure back on Earth seems too good to be true. It’s also life-changing—the kind of thing that alters the fate of mankind. The uneasy look on the Guardian’s face tells me they realize the ramifications as well.

“Are you offering this to us to take back to my people?” I finally ask. The glance between Nevis and Kuwan make it clear it’s not that easy. I didn’t think so.

“We’re willing to share—at the very least you can take it to your medics and they can assess its purposes,” Nevis says.

“But…” I prompt.

“But the Morrigan must be destroyed.” Kuwan stares at me. “And we can’t do it alone.”

I feel every male around me tense. Every single one of my guardians shifts into protective mode. A low growl rumbles behind me and I’m not sure who it comes from, but I hold up my hand. ?

?So you want to trade our services for the cure?”

“Possible cure,” Clinton bites out.

Nevis flinches from his tone, aware of the lethal power behind his words. She speaks in a calm voice. “It’s not like that. We know you’re already here to stop her and cure the virus. We can help with the virus, but please don’t just take it and leave. We just hope that future generations can live above ground—free and not bound to the Morrigan.”

I assess my men. Their expressions are hard, complicated masks. But I know they’ll do what’s right. Or at the very least, try. Sure enough, Dylan confirms this.

“Then we fight her,” Dylan says. “We’re strong. A forceful unit at maximum power. It should be easy to take her out.”

“After, we’ll leave,” Sam says. “We go back and give the cure to the sick.”

Damien nods. But his face is stoic—staring right at me. I mutter my agreements and look away, securing the blade in my boot.

It’s solved. Easy as that.

Or so I want everyone to think.

Chapter

Morgan

The tunnel is different—leading from another part of the cavern. Nevis declares it will take us directly to the Queen’s quarters. Dylan demands to go first—as is his position. The others will follow. I’ll take the back—the safest place. If it goes wrong, I can run—Nevis and her people will keep alert.

She hands me six vials of water, each capped tight and wrapped in cloth.