Page 95 of Treasured

The priestess smiled. “If having this bond broken means that Eleyta may one day be in better hands, it will be worth it.”

These openly treasonous words kindled hope within me. Eleyta was a cruel, cold, hard place, but maybe there were others like Genevieve, Odette, and Beaufort who would celebrate the queen’s death. Maybe others might work with us, not against us.

I hoped so.

* * *

The voices in the Void were louder than ever. They cried out as we moved through the darkness, their words tinged with echoes of pain and sorrow.

“Death is coming.”

“Darkness is here.”

And then, after a few moments, the refrain shifted. The temperature dropped, the voices deepened, and the blackness of the Void became even more absolute. It was as though light had never existed here. “The Queen of Shadowssss must die,” they intoned.

“Death, death, death,” the chorus of voices chanted. “Death to the queen.”

And under it all, one low voice said, “Failure issssss not an option.”

Even after the shadows deposited us in our room and I stumbled over to the bed, cradling Sebastian in my arms as best I could, their chilling refrain still echoed in my mind.

Death was coming.

* * *

I dozed on and off throughout the day, checking on Sebastian every time I woke. It wasn’t until early the next evening that his eyes blinked open. I dropped the damp cloth I’d been wiping over his face and quickly kissed him.

“Hey,” I whispered. “How are you feeling?”

His black eyes swept over mine as he moved, pushing himself up to sit next to me. “I feel… different.” He rubbed his chest. “Lighter.”

I sucked in a breath. “Do you mean…”

“I think it worked.” Sebastian’s lips twitched. “I can’t… the queen’s presence used to be something deep within my mind. I could always feel it, but now, it’s gone.” His shoulders loosened. “She’s gone.”

The last word escaped him on an exhale. A lightness I’d never seen in Sebastian covered him, as though he’d been carrying a massive weight on his shoulders, and now it was gone.

“I’m so happy for you, Sebastian.” I rested my head against his shoulder.

Queen Marguerite was horrible, and I wasn’t even bound to her. I could not imagine being tied to her, especially not for over three centuries. Sebastian was a saint for having put up with her for so long.

Sebastian stared at me for a long moment before a disbelieving laugh escaped him. “I’m free of her.” He peppered kisses all over my face, my jaw, my chin. Cupping my cheek, he looked deep into my eyes. “We’re going to do this. We’re going to kill the queen.”

He sounded so confident. So sure.

“You think so?”

He nodded. “Yes. The Maker’s bond is gone. We will succeed, Luna. I know it.” He grinned and kissed me again.

“Alright.” It was infectious, this confidence of his.

Reaching inside to that place where the Tether resided, I pulled on the magic. The connection between us opened, and his emotions flooded into me. Shades of red filled the room, and I stared at the glowing magic linking us.

For so long, it had been a curse, but now…

The Tether was a blessing.

With its help, Sebastian and I could do this.