Starkeeper of the Fractured Crown

She laughed quietly, looking me over as she circled me. “Look at you, a learned little human, aren’t you? Well, if it makes it easier to give him up, I suppose I can share with you some…insights,” she whispered, sliding her hand across my shoulders, her touch painfully cold.

I remained still. I was not alone. The weight of the collar was evident. One thought. Just his name was all it would take.

Evanora stopped in front of me, her hands at her sides, the silver magic widening, growing. “But,” she began, her smile turning wicked, “the thing is that I don’t know what magical being you have hoarded away, so how can I tell you what you want to know if you don’t tell me what I need to know?”

The rational voice inside of me begged me to stop, but in the last week, I cared less and less about whether or not I survived, which was a dangerous state of mind to be in. “I don’t care what your plans are,” I explained evenly. “I don’t care about your displays, who you kill, when you kill, all I want is for you and yourpets,” I spat, jutting my chin towards the Gerodia’s, “to stop going after my brother.”

She chuckled lightly. “That just isn’t going to happen. Raymond, come here please. Kyra, from the kindness of my heart, I will give you one last chance to change your mind, or the consequences will find you soon enough.”

Raymond joined us, his eyes softer than they had been the last time I had been here. “Hello, Kyra.”

Confusionfilled me. I pulled my eyes from him back to the witch. “Do whatever you need to do,” I explained, Trick’s name at the top of my mind. “You will never get my brother.”

Evanora lifted her hands in resignation. “Very well.” She turned to Raymond and nodded before heading back to her seat.

My eyes found Raymond’s just as he stepped forward. He slid his hand around the back of my neck, grabbed my hand, and jerked me forward painfully.

His lips slammed against mine.

My eyes widened as his lips worked against mine, too cold to feel real.

I grabbed his tunic, trying to shove him away, but it was like he suddenly had super-human strength. His hand kept my head in place as he forced my lips open and shoved his tongue into my mouth, the taste of green apples coating my tongue.

I growled, trying to slam my foot on his toes, only to find that my feet were planted. I couldn’t move.

Why couldn’t I move?

Panic filled me as he deepened the kiss, real panic. What the fuck was happening? I slammed my teeth down, blood exploding across my mouth.

Raymond snarled, ripping his mouth away. “What the fuck?” he snapped, wiping the blood away from his bottom lip.

I wiped my lips aggressively, heart slamming. “What was that?” I spat, looking at Evanora. “You can’t have him fuck me into giving up my brother!”

She was smiling. “Have a good day.”

The dismissal was clear, and I had no problemlistening.

I spun on my heel and headed for the door. “Mark will never be yours,” I tossed back and stalked out.

It took everything I had in me not to run. I couldn’t run, that would be weak. They would know they had gotten to me, I couldn’t run.

“Trick,”I called as soon as I hit the alley.

He appeared so quickly, part of me questioned if he hadn’t been there the entire time.

As soon as he saw the blood, rage filled his eyes, his shadows so black, they sucked up any sort of light around them.

I spit out what I could. “It’s not mine,” I told him, wiping the back of my hand across my mouth again.

He slowed, studying me, but I had to admit, that rage did something to me. “What happened?”

He reached out for me, and I let him take my chin. I let him carefully run his thumb under my bottom lip, the anger diminishing quickly at the way he looked at me.

“I told them they couldn’t have Mark,” I explained, his eyes lifting back to mine, “and then Evanora had Raymond kiss me.”

Trick’s eyes turned near black with rage again. “Raymond kissed you?”

I swallowed, the copper bitter. “I couldn’t move. I think Evanora did something to me, so I bit him.”