Page 66 of Lethal Souls

“It explains why you had to be the one to wake her,” Juniper murmurs.

“All of it still puzzles me though.” I stab out my bloom. “All this time and all these years, I’ve never felt like I had any power. They said it took mating for me to tap into it, but why did they choose me? And why the hell does Selah want me dead?”

“She wants everyone dead,” Willow responds absently.

I cut my eyes to her. She’s staring into her teacup. When she doesn’t blink after a few seconds, I gently wrap my hand around her wrist. She snaps out of it, turning her gaze upward.

“Explain,” I insist.

She glances at Killian with dread. I can sense the anxiety coursing through her, and for once her thoughts are not guarded. They’re a jumbled mess and coming from every direction.

Arie. The crunching. Silver blood. The fire almost killed us. She burned it all down. I don’t understand. Warren…she infected Warren. Got him killed. This is all my fault. I shouldn’t have stayed. The fire…the fire...it almost killed us.

“Hey.” I shift in my chair and take her hand. “Don’t think about that right now. It’s okay. Don’t be afraid.”

“It’s impossible not to be afraid.” She takes a shaky inhale before releasing it. “Killian and I had a dinner with her. She told us about the gods from Earth. She said Decius was made from Kronos’s remains. Kronos was the god of war. Decius was basically her lovechild. I mean, all the Tethered were hers, but she seemed to favor Decius most. But then she just…ate him. She…”

“Ate him?” Juniper asks, frowning.

“Like dinner?” Rowan tosses in.

“Yes,” Killian grumbles. “Exactly like dinner.” His hands ball into fists on the tabletop, and he closes his eyes briefly. “Willow is right, Caz. We should be fucking petrified.” He opens his eyes to focus on me. “The things that woman did. The evil I saw in her eyes…there is no beating her. Regardless of the other Regals trying to stop her, she seems way more powerful than they’ll ever be.”

“Are you telling me you saw Decius again?” I ask, looking between him and Willow.

They nod in unison.

“How is that possible?”

“He was floating in a coffin above the ocean in the middle of nowhere,” Killian answers. “A commoner wouldn’t have been able to find him. Selah woke him, brought him back to Council Castle, and created this feast like we were celebrating. She told us a story about those gods on Earth and the other Regals’ betrayals, and then she walked straight up to Decius and ripped his fucking head off.”

“Love of Vakeeli,” Maeve whispers, pressing a hand to the center of her chest.

“She finished Decius off then she grew four times her size and ate Arie in a single bite.” Killian slouches back in his chair with wide eyes, like he’s still processing what happened.

“I don’t understand why she’d eat them. I mean, how does she even do that?” Juniper asks, shock written on her face.

“I don’t know, but they were nothing more than a piece of meat to her,” Killian says.

“I think eating them gave her more power,” Willow says. “Decius and Arie are already powerful and full of energy we know nothing about. She created them. Arie was a simple creation, but I think Decius is what really fueled her. He was already strong before. Consuming him basically amplified her strength.”

“And she wants me because I carry the Seed of Yuri.” I sit back in my chair, letting my eyes fall to the biscuits on the tray. “Having me will make her the most powerful Regal. She’ll be in full control here.”

“And she’ll kill everyone,” Willow whispers.

“Well, we must make sure she doesn’t reach you then.” Maeve shoves back in her chair, causing the legs of it to drag across the floor. “All this time I thought The Regals could be trusted. I spent so many years praying to them, begging them to look after my family, to protect us, and all this time they’ve wanted us dead.”

“Not they,” I say. “Just Selah. Korah and Hassha seem to be working in our favor.”

“Do you trust them?” she asks.

“No. But they’re all we have for guidance on this matter right now.”

“Didn’t you say all The Regals are connected? That if one of them dies, all of them die?” Willow asks, looking at me.

“Yes.” I nod. “Why?”

“If that’s the case, where is Yuri now? How did he die and not the others?”