Undying Hate~ Book Three

“You’re a liar,” Sylvie whispered so low she thought Lazuli wouldn’t hear, but the nail jamming into her ribs proved her wrong. Screaming and writhing away, she kicked and bucked from the other woman whose iron-coated claws dripped her blood onto the floor.

“I am. But not this time. The truth can often be the most powerful weapon, yes?”

“So he never touched you, but I know what he did to me. He still deserved what he got after that.”

“I sent him to your room that night, petal.”

No.

Sylvie hung on to the last shred of evidence she could think of. “His tree was rotting-”

“With demonic influence, yes, I’m well aware of what my meddling cost that dryad.”

Lazuli sighed and looked up as if reminiscing. “I do have a way of killing ancient trees. I hoped the one you were fond of in Evergreen may have done the job and killed you considering your emotional tie to it but no. I am glad about it now, though. I was rather hasty in my desire to kill you then, but now I think eternal torture would suffice.”

No.

Sylvie’s throat burned with acid.

“I do commend you on your killing of Trions tree. I would never have thought to use Flora occisor. Or perhaps that was Kerensa’s idea.”

Lazuli smirked and shrugged. “He died a hideously painful death and didn’t deserve it. Such a shame he couldn’t have shared his true feelings about his grandsiring. His pride in you.” She laughed, clasping a hand to her breast as Sylvie struggled for breath.

It couldn’t be true. It couldn’t. Her memories were real. She could still see his black eyes and shaven head. It was real. He couldn’t have loved her.

“Demonic Influence is a powerful thing, you know. First, it’s words, then actions. Sometimes beliefs if the possession is deep enough. I was never quite good enough to force Trion’s beliefs, but I got close. Whenever I felt his perversions slipping, I would weave my darkness over him, and the best part is that the mind stays completely intact. The puppet is simply trapped inside their skull while I make them do whatever I want.”

Had he suffered inside his mind while Lazuli forced him to touch her that night? Had he known she was the one that killed him?

Did he die thinking she hated him?

She had hated him. But now hating him felt wrong. He wasn’t hers to hate.

He was- he was a victim too.

Tears filled Sylvie’s eyes, but she lowered her head to hide them. Lazuli wouldn’t see her cry.

Lazuli sighed loudly as if she held the weight of the world on her shoulders. “It never worked on you, though, which is a shame. I would love to have watched you destroy everything you love without being able to do anything to stop it.”

“Too bad,” Sylvie croaked as she swished past her, stabbing another nail into her back. She screamed as Lazuli laughed.

“I would’ve made sure you didn’t hurt Kian, though. He is mine, of course. He will always be mine. But I’ve learned from my mistakes. I know I can’t make him love me. Not truly. But I’ve realised love is a weakness. It opens you up to disaster and ruin. No, I will make him fear me, and he will never leave me. In fact, how about we start now, my love.”

Her voice rose a few octaves, the sound echoing around them clear as a bell.

Please don’t come in here, Kian. Sylvie pushed all her will against him, wherever he was and begged him not to come through the cell doors. She had been wishing for his return, and now all she wanted was for him to be far, far away, out of reach of his abuser. Her abuser, too.

“Darling? Come into the light,” she trilled in a singsong voice. “I know you’re out there.”

“No, Kian! Stay away!”

“Shush, shush, shush. This is the finale of my plans. With Kian, I can take my Vampire army to Earth and rule the largest colony of all the realms.”

Stall.

She had to stall.

Please go, Kian. Stay away.“What about Evergreen?”

“Why would I go there? Those pretentious Fae never accepted me, not with my demon blood. They got what they deserved.”

Stone court flashed into Sylvie’s mind, along with the scent of burning flesh.

“You killed everyone,” Sylvie whispered, her voice cracking as Lazuli rambled unaffected.

“The earth realm has so many more people I can rule. I’d make a better Queen than you ever could.”

Sylvie raised her head, eyes burning with unshed tears.“I don’t want to be Queen,” she shouted. “I never did! You can be Queen anywhere. I give up my title. There. Happy? Just leave Kian alone.”

She laughed again and grabbed Sylvie’s face, turning it to face the doorway. “Too late, pet.”

In the doorway, blank-faced and shaking, was Kian. Blood coated his hands and shredded clothes, but none of it was his. It must’ve been the turned ones, but how long was he out there listening? Sylvie didn’t know how Lazuli’s influence worked, but she thought she had to touch the people for the power to be strong enough. Maybe she was wrong. Maybe Lazuli was stronger now.

“Come here, angel,” Lazuli purred, curling her finger with a feline smile.

Kian dragged his feet across the concrete as Sylvie watched in defeat. Her heart ached at his brokenness, a sliver of his scarred back peeking out beneath his torn clothes. The memories of their time together and healing stirred her gut.

He had worked so hard to let her touch him on those scars, to trust her with the part of him he hated. She spent hours upon hours convincing him how perfect he was despite the damage Lazuli caused.

All for it to be undone?

Just for Lazuli to win and hurt him all over again?

To torture and abuse him in the name of claiming him?

Fuck no.

Something inside her snapped, and the Lycan stepped into the forefront of her consciousness. She could sense her as if it were her inner voice, and this time, she had a fraction of control. But it was slipping. Seconds away from a shift, she gripped her Lycan soul and held it steady as Lazuli obliviously lulled Kian into a zombie-like state.

“You’re wrong.” Her raspy voice only momentarily caught Lazuli’s attention, her eyes briefly wavering from the approaching Kian.

“Oh? About what?”

“Love,” Sylvie replied, rotating her wrists as her nails lengthened into claws. “Love isn’t a weakness.” Her voice grew animal as her face morphed into her beast.

Still, Lazuli appeared too consumed in her success of capturing Kian that she didn’t turn as Sylvie tore her wrists free from the chains. With a grunt, she jammed her hand into her pocket, fetching the tiny vial of demon cleanser, popping off the cap and darted past, shoving it into Kian’s mouth.

“Run,” she growled, shoving him out the door as she let the beast take over. If love were a weakness in Lazuli’s eyes, Sylvie would make it her undoing.

She leapt forward, slamming the door shut to stop Kian’s advances and latched onto Lazuli’s wrist, jerking it to her snout and biting down until bones crunched between her molars and skin shredded apart. Never again would her molten iron-dipped nails scar another living being.

Lazuli screamed and repeatedly struck Sylvie’s head, chest and back until she dropped Lazuli’s stump arm and wrenched the other into her blood-filled mouth.

“No!”

No more.

She clamped down, turning her head and yanking until the other hand popped off from the wrist, some cartilage and bone still hanging from the bloody wound. Sylvie shoved Lazuli across the room and stared at the hands lying limply on the floor. Those hands had done so much damage. More now, she sensed as she rolled her stinging shoulders. Blood drenched her clothes, her face and her claws.

“This could’ve been different,” Sylvie bit out between her sharp teeth, her voice much deeper and gravelly. “I wanted more for you.”

Lazuli cradled both stumps under the opposite arm, likely to try to stem the bleeding, but it was too late for that. Her black dress was so blood-laden it glistened in the sunlight as she lay against the wall, her chin tucked into her chest at an uncomfortable angle.

“Don’t pity me.”

“I don’t. Your life could’ve been different. Why go to all these lengths?”

“I am a demon-”

“No, that cannot be it!“Sylvies shout filled the whole room, hurting her highly sensitive ears. She needed to shift back, back her anger only amplified her emotions. Maybe she would be stuck like a monster.

“You can’t just excuse everything with your genetics. You’re also half dryad. Why couldn’t you follow that side?”

“I lost my mother.”

“So did I!”

“I was there, Sylvie.” Blood spilt from her lips as she tightened her grip on her bleeding wrists.

“I watched her die. I was alone, but the demons noticed me. They accepted me. They taught me things. They made me stronger.”

Her teeth chattered. “They believed in me when Trion didn’t. He didn’t want me. I wasn’t his.”

She coughed, and a tear fell from her lips as her breathing laboured.

“It didn’t have to be this way,” Sylvie said, shaking her head.

“But it was.”

Slowly Sylvie’s face returned to normal. Her claws shrunk to blood-encrusted fingers with broken nails and cut palms.

“The demons told me about you before you came to Evergreen. Tried to kill you for me-” Lazuli coughed, and blood exploded from her lips onto her chin and chest.

“It could’ve been different.” Her eyelids tugged down as if the weight of them was too great. Her milky skin paled until almost translucent, and she whispered on an exhale,

“But you lived.”

Her head lolled to the side, papery lids closed, and her body went limp. Sylvie fought the urge to shake or try to save her when the shouting outside the cell started, and a strange lightness took over her body. She almost felt faint.

“Help me!”

“Help us!”

“Get us out of here!”

Sylvie turned, her whole body aching as she headed for the door. When she pulled it open, Kian was gone, and she called out weakly. “Hello?”

“Hello! Help us! We’re in the cells!”

Giving one last look at the wilting body of her aunt, Sylvie dragged herself from the room. It was almost over. Only one more person to face. As she wandered down a darkened hall, the door on either side of her began shaking and rattling.

Sylvie paused in front of one of them. “Who are you?” She asked, touching the locks carefully.

“Queen Sylvie?” A familiar voice called from further down the hall.

“Mila?”

She hobbled down the corridor and stopped at the door she heard her voice from. “Mila!”

“Yes, I’m in here! The Demon locked us in here so the turned would stop killing us all.”

“She’s dead.”

“We know.”

Sylvie fiddled with the locks, pulling the bar out of the locking mechanism and wrenched the door open as Mila flew out and offered her a quick embrace.

“I’m sorry for leaving you-”

“Think nothing of it. You’re here now, and that’s all that matters.”

Mila looked up and down the corridor. “Are Shan and Brodi with you?”

“They were. But I don’t know where they are now. Or if they’re even alive.”

“They are. I can feel it. Let’s free all these Vampires and get them to the town square.”

“Then what?”

Mila grinned. “We get out of here!”

Sylvie wasn’t following. She opened more doors, freeing vampires as she asked, “What do you mean?”

“Don’t you feel it?” an unfamiliar vampire said, his glassy eyes taking her in. “The division. It’s gone!”