Then I turn to Isolde, preparing myself for what I know comes next. Riven has been researching. He told me the rumors of how to speak to a god. I know what it entails. And I won’t let anyone else get hurt.
“All three of the ones with the ability to break the curses stand before us, each one of them has been marked by the gods,” Isolde says.
My hand raises without control, being forced to display the snowflake marking to the crowd. Ambrose’s vampire rune is on display. As well as both of Lumi’s snowflake and crescent moon tattoos.
Veltheris’s eyes widen. His entire body shifts, almost in fear. A man who is fearless as far as I’m concerned. A man whom I’ve always thought of as a god himself. The power he wields. The ability to keep his curse from taking hold of him. I’ve never seenanything like it. And yet, seeing the markings on our hands, it’s almost like he’s ready to bow before the gods.
“You’ll need my blood—” Veltheris starts.
“My blood, and the blood of the wolf shifter king,” Isolde says, pointing to Ambrose.
“Only one curse can be broken. I’m not going to give over my blood until negotiations and deals are made. And the blood has to be willingly given. It can’t be taken from me in order for it to work,” Veltheris says, the power in his voice returning.
“Ambrose, tell the vampire king about your blood deal with Lumi,” Isolde says.
Ambrose grinds his teeth as if he’s trying to keep his mouth shut, but then finally says, “I vowed to break the curse for the vampires.”
Isolde smiles. “So if the wolf shifter is Lumi’s mate, then they will break the curse for the vampires. And if the vampire lord happens to be her mate, then you have complete control over him to break the curse for the vampires.”
“What do you want, Isolde? What’s in this for you?” Veltheris asks.
“I want a way to break the witch’s curse. All the seers believe that once one curse falls, the rest will follow. I’m a patient woman. I just want the truth. I want the correct mating pair to complete the marking ceremony. I don’t want to watch another pair die in the attempt and have to start all over again to find mates that can break the curse. The only way to do that is to speak to the gods directly,” Isolde says.
Veltheris knows better than to believe a single word that Isolde says. But I know he’s desperate to break the vampire curse. That he’ll do almost anything.
“I’m going to regret this.” Veltheris slices across his wrist with his fangs. He holds out his arms as blood begins to drip quickly from his wrist onto the ground.
A witch from Isolde’s coven races over to him, collecting his blood in a small bowl. She carries the bowl to Isolde, who looks at Ambrose.
“Your wrist,” she says.
Ambrose holds out his wrist to her as she uses her magic to slice into his flesh. But I watch the other witch. The one holding the bowl. It happens so fast that I barely even notice it. But she collects a drop of the blood into a small vial.
I don’t know why Isolde wants the vampire king’s blood for herself, but I’m sure it can’t be good.
Ambrose’s blood drops into the bowl, followed quickly by Isolde’s.
Isolde holds the bowl up, and I know what comes next.
“Me—choose me,” I say to her, stepping forward.
She clicks her tongue. “You would be my first choice, but I do not get to choose. The gods choose. They will speak to one they have marked.” She nods toward the markings on the three of us. “And they will take one of us present here as the sacrifice. We do not get to choose either.”
And then she slams the bowl down onto the ground. The bloods mix. All eyes stare, none of us believing we are actually going to be speaking to a god. This is a fairytale. This isn’t real.
And then the blood starts moving, traveling in two directions. One toward the circle of chairs, choosing the sacrifice. The other is moving toward the three of us.
Lumi grabs my hand again, and I stare at the blood gliding in our direction. Begging it to choose me. Not daring to look at who the blood is choosing to sacrifice in the process.
Please, take me. Not them.
The blood slithers past Ambrose.
Keep going,I beg it.
And then it stops just in front of Lumi.
We all take a collective breath, and then, she vanishes.