Page 38 of Fate of the Fallen

My stomach turned when she finished that statement, suggesting that … the one I was after was … the child?

That couldn’t have been.

Not even a monster would want that.

Maisy had clearly piqued Sebastian’s interest this time, and his anger. I couldn’t tell what fueled it exactly, but I guessed it was either that I’d left the job undone, or that whatever intel hethoughthe had wasn’t as accurate as he believed it to be.

“A child,” Sebastian said to himself, his thoughts drifting as he paced, nearing a window that had been blacked out with dark paint. “Hm.”

“It would be a glorious feat for the kingdom if the child were to be seized and sired, Your Highness. Once the family has been done away with, nothing would stand in your way from yielding the little one to serve only you—a powerful hybrid to obey and do your bidding, to revereyouas his or her father.”

“Silence, Maisy,” Sebastian hissed, shutting her up immediately. He turned to Blaise to speak. “This changes everything.”

Blaise nodded, agreeing, but next his gaze was set on me. “If she’s right about this thing thirsting for the kid’s blood, that could present a slight conflict of interest. It might be impossible to keep both in our possession withoutthisone trying to take bites out of our hybrid.”

I was disgusted hearing them speak of two lives so callously, as if they wagered a business deal.

“You bring up a good point,” Sebastian replied, distracted as he thought.

“Unless, Maisy being the one who created him, can somehow fix him? Make it so he and the child could co-exist?” Blaise suggested.

The idea made Sebastian turn toward Maisy. “Can it be done?”

My eyes flitted to her, too, wondering if … maybe …

However, her expression turned dim right before answering. “His existence is bound by my magic. What’s done is done,” she concluded, admitting she had no more control over me than I had over myself.

Sebastian was clearly disheartened by this information when he sighed. “Very well then.” With a quick look exchanged between him and Blaise, he gave clear instructions. “I suppose we have ourselves a hybrid to capture,” he sighed. “But first, begin the siring process. The quicker we get the Liberator started on my blood, the sooner we can put him to work.”

“And what about the witch?” a soldier called out.

Sebastian cast an indifferent glance toward Maisy before sealing her fate. “She’s just said herself that she’s useless to us. Kill her and make it quick.”

“No, please. You’re Highness, I … No!”

She was hauled beyond the thick cinderblock walls, and her screams seeped right through them. I could only guess how Maisy met her end, but the moment of her death was marked by eerie silence.

She’d brought me here today, hoping for Sebastian’s favor, but all she’d done was get herself killed moving me from one prison to another. Only, as ten soldiers inched toward me with menacing grins on their faces—one carrying a bucket of thick, red liquid and a short hose—I was positive Maisy had kept her word.

She promised she’d drag me right to hell with her … and this was certainly that.

Hell.

Chapter Twelve

Evie

“Sure you’re ready for this? Ready to be the center of attention,” Beth clarified.

I lifted my gaze toward where she sat on the end of my bed, giving the only answer I had. “Doesn’t matter if I’m ready. We’re out of time.”

She rushed over as soon as she got my call—unloading all my problems on her, because, well … that’s what best friends are for.

My condition was, technically, supposed to stay within the family, but she was exactly that to me. She knew all my secrets—how I lost myself when Liam was down, how I nearly self-destructed, and she had my back through it all. It didn’t feel right keeping the biggest news of my life from her, nor did I see the point in hiding that, tonight, during the rally Liam spread the word about, I would finally step out from the shadows. It was time the people knew I was ready for this.

Born for this.

As the sun sank below the treetops just outside the window, Beth was seated across from me. I leaned against the headboard, thinking of how weird it felt being in this room. I hardly came in here anymore, into this space Elise had so carefully furnished with me in mind. Most of the things I used on the daily had migrated to Liam’s dresser, his drawers, his closet. The transition was gradual. I hadn’t made a huge gesture by deciding to haul my things in all at once, but with each day, the line between what was his and mine blurred even more.