Gathering Darkness (Falling Kingdoms 3)

She laughed, surprising him, and leaned forward to kiss him. “You’re so serious tonight, aren’t you? Don’t worry, a little blood doesn’t scare me.”

He wished he felt the same. His chest hurt more with each moment he hesitated—the invisible markings binding him to Melenia’s will, controlling him, day and night. “She’s making me do this. Please know . . . this is not my choice.”

Her smile faded and her expression became cast in shadow. “It’s all right, whatever’s troubling you. I’m here.” Then she hugged him, wrapping her arms around his shoulders to pull him closer. “We’ll figure all of this out together and—”

She gasped the second he sank his dagger into her stomach.

“I’m sorry, Lucia,” Alexius whispered. “This isn’t me. This is something more powerful, controlling me.”

He pulled the weapon out. She staggered back and dropped to her knees, touching her wound and staring with shock at her bloody fingertips. Blood flowed from the gash, soaking into her gown and pooling before her on the floor of the temple.

At the other locations, it had taken a great deal of blood to trigger the necessary effect—a tornado, an earthquake, a wildfire. The blood of slaves spilled on the road they were forced to build. The blood of rebel battles in a temple and in the mountains. Blood spilled from scores of mortals, three separate times, to trigger three elemental disasters.

Fate. All of it.

But the blood of a sorceress was more powerful than that of one hundred regular mortals.

Melenia had waited a thousand years for this moment. With Lucia’s blood spilled—here, now—the veil between worlds would finally dissipate enough for someone as powerful as the elder to escape her prison and claim what she wanted most.

Through his fog of horror, Alexius heard the screams of those who’d witnessed his violent act. They ran from the temple, leaving him and Lucia alone.

There were no heroes here to step in and save her.

Only a once immortal villain clutching a dagger.

Under Melenia’s spell, every rebellious thought he had or word he spoke caused him pain—but all of that was nothing compared to the pain he felt seeing Lucia suffer like this, enduring pain that went deeper than physical.

“What . . .” Lucia gasped. “What are you . . . why did you do this? Alexius . . . why?”

Suddenly, an ice storm gathered, triggered by Lucia’s blood, unleashing itself above the Temple of Valoria and shattering every window. Icicles as sharp as swords and as fast as lightning hurtled through the open windows, some impaling the floor and others shattering into a thousand pieces on contact.

Alexius just stood there, silently shaking as he watched Lucia bleed. She stared up at him with pain and confusion etched onto her pale face.

No fury or accusation, only confusion.

All the while the violent storm battered the temple. He had no doubt that anyone who’d set foot outside was already dead. There hadn’t been enough time for them to find shelter before the gales struck. Their bodies would be found around the temple, frozen and riddled with ice shards.

But their deaths were meaningless. Only Lucia’s blood mattered.

Melenia had been right about so much. But not everything.

Lucia could destroy him with a thought, but she didn’t use her elementia against him in defense. Right now she was just a girl who’d been betrayed by the boy she loved.

He knelt next to her and took her by her shoulders, struggling to speak past the pain that threatened to block the truth. “That wound won’t kill you, but the next one will. You must defend yourself from me while you still have a chance.”

Her agonized gaze searched his. “Alexius . . . stop this . . .”

“My mission is carved into my very skin, Lucia. Melenia has compelled me to obey her commands and I can’t stop this, I can only delay the inevitable.” Each word was a knife in his throat. “Melenia wants you to die, here and now.”

“Why?”

“Your blood holds the same magic as Eva’s blood—powerful enough to trap her, powerful enough to free her. She doesn’t want the Kindred returned to the Sanctuary. She wants it for herself and she’s planned this, waited for this, for millennia.”

Her eyes grew wider with every word he said. “You lied to me.” She drew in a ragged breath. “How could you? I trusted you!”

It took every ounce of his strength to resist the faraway command to run his blade into Lucia’s heart and steal her life completely. Melenia’s obedience spell burned within him, but he resisted. There had to be another choice . . .

He clutched the blade, his hand trembling violently. “You need to kill me.”