Blood of Two Crowns (Hallowed Fates #2)

Chapter 43

Chapter

Forty-Three

ASTERION

I ’d spent the last two sleeps—there were no windows or clocks to tell time—watching the people trapped in this enormous maze of a subterranean dungeon beside me, trying to determine just how many of them were worthy of a life cut short. Because someway, somehow, I would get this fucking palladium collar off me, and raze this Akash- forsaken place to the ground. The demons, humans, fae, and other beings inhabiting Azrael’s realm were all pretty wretched.

In all fairness, I couldn’t imagine there were many decent creatures here outside of the all-female prisoners Azrael had cleverly locked me up with on the off chance I figured out someway to remove the collar. Like by bribing one of my fellow nephillim—and throwing caution to the wind by unleashing my powers, killing everyone in my vicinity so I could escape.

After Mareina had been taken, Azrael appeared an entire breath later and slapped a palladium collar on my throat and a dart in my neck.

I’d woken up to the sight of a gaping, black hole with whisps of black magic pouring into it that had appeared near the farthest wall, only a few feet away. Outside of our cell, much to my dismay . It blended in somewhat against a dark backdrop of shelving and other storage items that seemed to have been haphazardly left there.

The females stuck in the cell with me yelped as a long, crooked branch suddenly jabbed through the portal, wiggling around.

What the fuck is that?

I cautiously stepped toward the bars of our cell and attempted to reach through them to grab the wriggling thing. One of the females ran up to stop me—the one who had helped me keep my calm and sanity—especially when I’d first arrived. She had power I’d never come across before. She could influence people’s emotions and, thus, their actions.

“Don’t. You have no idea what might happen?—

I shrugged her off. “If I do what? Grab a stick? It’s not like they can pull me through these palladium bars.”

She frowned, flicking a glance toward the portal just as the branch disappeared. My heart sank. Fuck.

Heaving a sigh of disappointment, I returned to the wall opposite the presumed portal and sat heavily. Praying that something, anything , would happen. Hours passed, and I’d just nodded off to sleep when I heard the female’s gasps and hushed murmurs. I snapped awake, heart pounding, to see the branch being swung around violently.

I leapt forward, squeezing my arm through the metal bars and reaching as far as I could. The branch incidentally slammed into my palm. A grin split my face as victory purred to life in my chest—what victory, only Akash knew—and I yanked on the thing as hard as I could.

A tall, lithely muscled male wearing a fancy pair of fighting leathers, with tousled blonde hair and skin covered in tattoos, bodily slammed into the bars of my cell. His eyes went comically wide at the sight of me as he backed away, taking in the sight of our bleak surroundings.

A harsh look carved his features as if I were the one who’d put the portal here. “Who’re you? And where the hells are we?”

I narrowed my eyes in disbelief.

“You’re in a prison. In hell. If anything, I should be the one questioning you.”

The male’s brows leapt.

“You don’t happen to know anyone by the name of Mareina do you?”

Hope ignited in my chest. Even if it was at the chance for someone else to escape this hell. For someone I’d only met once, despite the innate familiarity I’d felt towards her. Something deep inside me knew that the female I’d followed to that riot had a capacity for good. For greatness.

“Are you here to help her?”

I saw that hope mirrored in the blonde’s gaze, though I could see the distrust wavering behind it.

“So you do know her?”

“Four wings. Kills in droves. Has a surly temperament.”

The male’s eyes went round as saucers. “Oh, fuck…”

The male leapt backwards as he took one final scan of our surroundings before turning back towards the portal.

“No! Wait!”

Before the words had finished leaving my mouth, the male disappeared. With a roar of frustration, I gripped the cell bars as if I could pull them free.

The female with the strange gift appeared at my side, laying a hand on my shoulder and channelling peace into my very being. My heart rate slowed, and I breathed in a calm breath as I peered down at her—she was quite small. Pretty and fae.

“Thank you.”

She gave me a sad smile before silently returning back to the group of females against the wall. With a heaved sigh, I laid back down on the ground, staring at the portal with near-unblinking eyes for a mind-numbing period of time.

Not that I’d ever experienced it for myself, but I’d heard that there was a significant difference in the way time passed in other realms. While It could be hours, days, months ? —

Before I could finish the thought, two males stepped through. I gradually sat up at the sight of them, shocked to see a Nephilim who had come from outside Vassileo, dressed like some warrior king, no less. A blonde drakonati male stood beside him who had the distinct air of someone who had spent his life in the military. In unison, their eyes met mine before taking in the near-endless rows of individual prison cells.

Several more people appeared behind him, all wearing a look of dismay.

Fearful they’d turn around and leave again, my words came out in a rushed. “I know Mareina.”