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I nodded. “I’ve never seen them before—well, in real life. But Delfai said the Fates erupted the mountain to get to the diamond, leaving the area and surrounding hills barren.”
“Barren and gray.” Attes squinted as he turned back to the cell. “I saw the Undying Hills a long time ago.”
“I’ve been there,” Ash said. “There was a lot of rock—rock that definitely could be basalt since the Arae erupted the mountain, likely unearthing it.”
“I’ll get on it as soon as we’re done here,” Attes offered. “Which we have to be, sooner rather than later.”
I narrowed my eyes and glanced back at Callum. “Why is that?”
“The eirini,” Ash spat. “Attes was kind enough to explain that keeping Callum could be seen as a violation since he serves Kolis.”
My nostrils flared with a surge of anger. “Well, there goes killing him.”
“Unfortunately,” Ash said. “But he needs to be free before the moon rises.”
“Which is less than an hour from now,” Rhain said.
I shook my head. “I know I’ve said this before, but I’m going to say it again. The eirini is bullshit.”
“That it is,” Rhain remarked.
“Too bad we don’t have more time. If we did, we could let Thierran at him.” Attes glanced over. “He’s still here, right?”
“Yeah, but he’s been keeping a low profile,” Ash said.
So low, I had entirely forgotten the oneirou was here.
Rhain shifted, angling his body away from the cell. “Was your family able to say why Callum was there?”
“Not really.” I sighed. “Apparently, he was there for a few days and mostly kept to himself.”
The skin between Attes’s brows creased. “That’s odd.”
“He’s odd.” I stepped forward as the fingers on Callum’s left hand twitched. My gaze flicked up to his throat. The line there was barely visible. “He’s waking up.”
An intense silver glow filled the symbols etched into the bone bars with a wave of Ash’s hand. As the light faded, a section of the bars swung open.
Ash followed as I walked into the cell, mindful of the blood and chains that secured Callum’s slim wrists and ankles. The bonds were taut, preventing him from doing much more than wiggling around. I knelt at Callum’s side. His features were still slack under the golden paint. I looked back to those in the hall. “Can someone grab me some water and a rag, please?”
“On it.” Rhain took off in a blur.
Kneeling at Callum’s head, Ash asked, “Please, tell me you’re going to smother him with the rag and then drown him?”
I snorted. “That wasn’t exactly what I pla
“That’s disappointing.”
A low laugh escaped me as I looked Callum over, noting the width of his shoulders and the stark, tapered waist. He was thi
I kept a close eye on him until Rhain returned with a bucket and a cloth. Ash rose to retrieve the items. The metal bucket clanged off the floor as he set it by me. I quietly took the rag from his hand and dipped the cloth into the icy water.
Faint tremors ran along the Revenant’s body, but he didn’t stir. Not even when I scrubbed a little harder to remove the thick paint from his face, revealing a smattering of freckles along the bridge of his nose and across the tops of his cheeks. He didn’t have nearly as many as I did, but the sight of them was unsettling. I wiped at his brow, removing the paint there, and then I leaned back, taking in his heart-shaped face, angular cheeks, and full mouth—
I jerked my hand back as I stared at him. “Please, tell me you don’t see what I do and that I’m imagining things.”
Ash was silent for a few moments. “He looks…he looks like you.”
My heart started pounding as I dropped the cloth onto the floor. Not only that. He looked young. He couldn’t have been more than twenty—if that—when his life had ended and he’d been restored, forever frozen on the cusp of adulthood.
Attes moved closer to the bars. “But he looks more like Sotoria. Except for the hair, he’s damn near the spitting image of her.” A moment passed. “You two look like you could be cousins.”
“I always thought it was weird that I resembled Sotoria. Like having her soul placed in my bloodline somehow influenced my features,” I said. “I have my mother’s face for the most part. Except for the freckles. That’s all my father. His hair…” I thought of the painting and felt my stomach twist. My head cut to Attes. “I’ve only seen a painting of my father, but his hair was a deep reddish-brown color. Not the same as Nyktos’s. More like red wine.”
Attes jaw clenched. “Sotoria’s hair was that color.”
“Her soul was in your bloodline for hundreds of years on the Mierel side,” Ash said softly. “It’s possible that influenced more than just your appearance.”
“Could be,” Nektas considered. “Or you are of the same bloodline as Sotoria.”
My eyes flew to Ash’s. He shook his head. “If the vadentia doesn’t tell you,” he said. “Then only the Fates can.”
I nodded slowly. Either way, it was disturbing because I didn’t like the golden fuck.
With that thought in mind, I picked up the bucket of water and dumped it over Callum’s head.
The Revenant’s eyes opened wide, his back bowing as he drew in a ragged breath. “Fuck.” Gasping, he sputtered, spitting water as his arms curled. The chains clanged off the stone floor.
“You were taking too long to wake,” I said.
His head cut toward me.
Smiling, I wiggled my fingers at him. “Hello.”
Water dripped off his nose, and he inhaled sharply. “Bitch.”
Ash struck as fast as lightning. He grasped a handful of hair and jerked Callum’s head back as far as possible without snapping his neck.
“Fuck,” Callum repeated.
“Watch your mouth,” Ash warned. “Or we will get to see how your arms and legs reattach themselves.”
“I would like to avoid that,” I said. “So, as long as you behave yourself, we will.”
Callum’s lips peeled back over his teeth. His canines were longer than a mortal’s but shorter than mine. However, they looked sharp. “You’re violating the eirini.”
“Are we?” I raised my brows. “If that’s the case, we may as well just kill you. You know, might as well fully commit or some shit.”
Ash forced the Revenant’s attention back to him. “And guess what, fucker?” His smile was pure smoke and ice. “We know how to kill you.”
Nektas neared the bars. “I’m more than willing to open a vein.”
“He’s helpful like that,” I said as Ash released the Revenant’s hair and stood.
Unease skittered across Callum’s features, tightening the skin at the corners of his eyes and mouth.
“Or we can return you to Dalos before we’ve actually violated anything,” I said. “But to do that, you’re going to need to answer some questions.”
Callum said nothing as his glare locked on me.
“Why were you at Wayfair?” I asked.
“Why are you still alive?” he replied.
Ash slammed his booted foot down on Callum’s hand. The crack of several bones made me wince as the Revenant shouted. “For each question you refuse, another bone gets broken.” A lock of hair fell against his cheek. “Understand?”
Callum clamped his mouth shut.
Ash tsked softly under his breath. “Let me ask you again.” He ground his boot down. Blood drained from Callum’s face. “Do you understand?”
“Yes,” Callum rasped.
“Thank you.” Ash lifted his boot, and his eyes met mine. “Go ahead.”
“Why do I find you so…hot right now?” I asked.
“Fucking Fates,” Rhain muttered from the hall.
Ash winked, and that didn’t really help me behave appropriately.
I shook my head as he began circling Callum’s body. “Why were you there?”
“I wanted to visit your mother,” he said. “I find her quite interesting.”
My head tilted to the side. “Come on, now.”
The sharp crack of bone drew a shout from Callum. Ash had stomped his foot. “I…I answered her question.”
“You’re spewing bullshit.” Slowly, Ash lifted his boot. “That’s not going to fly either. Keep it up, and the femur bone will be next. That’s the most painful one to break.” Edges of his hair slid across his jaw. “It’s my favorite.”
Callum’s lifeless blue eyes darted between Ash and me. “You two…are perfect for each other.”
My smile was more genuine. “Aren’t we, though?”
Sweat beaded Callum’s upper lip as he shuddered. “I visit Carsodonia whenever I…I can.” His stare fixed on the ceiling. “It’s where I’m from.”
“I know where you’re from, jackass.” I sat beside him. “That doesn’t explain why you were at Wayfair.”
Callum’s gaze darted to where Ash had stopped. He stood by his hip and thigh. “Kolis didn’t…ask me to go.”
“Okay…” I waited for more of an answer.
“You’d better keep talking,” Attes advised. “Nyktos is eyeing that bone of yours.”
“You’re a traitor.” Callum lifted his head. “A fucking—”
I snapped my fingers in Callum’s face. “Focus.”
“I already told you the truth,” he spat. “The former Queen makes for an enjoyable companion.”
Ash lifted his boot.
“She does! She requires no idle chit-chat when with her,” he said in a rush. “I can just walk the gardens or sit with her in fucking silence.”
I held up a hand, stopping Ash. “You could do that by yourself.”
“And where would I stay? It’s not like there are many places there with spare rooms, and your i
I lowered my hand as the sensation of cold fingers tiptoed down my spine. “Once more? What does that mean?”
His stare held mine for a moment and then flicked away. “I figured I wouldn’t be making many trips to the mortal realm for the foreseeable future.” He closed his eyes, his features tensing. “And your mother? She respects me.”
“Because she thought you were a god.”
“So?” Tension bracketed the corners of his mouth. “I didn’t think you would show up. I figured you’d be busy making…bad choices.”
Someone who sounded like Attes chuckled under his breath.
I eyed the Revenant. My foresight was silent, so I looked at Nektas, remembering how sensitive the draken’s senses were. “What do you think?”
“All I smell is the stench of pain and death,” he said. “It’s masking everything else.”
Callum wheezed out a laugh. “You make it…sound like I smell bad.”
I pressed my lips together. Part of me thought Callum was telling the truth, and that was kind of sad. “Why weren’t you by Kolis’s side?”