Blackbird Crowned (The Witch King's Crown #3) - Keri Arthur Page 0,111

beams of light into the corners of the room. Multiple hisses filled the air, and the rapid shuffling of steps echoed. The Darksiders, desperate to avoid the searchlight-like sweeps of light.

It was tempting, so damn tempting, to feed more energy into that pulse, but I resisted. I couldn’t risk him doing any more damage to Mo. Not until I knew for sure he was telling the truth.

“I see you have the crown,” he said, almost conversationally.

As if he had all the time in the world and all the right cards.

From his point of view, I guess he did.

“I did steal it from your people, brother, so why does that surprise you?”

He smiled. It made my heart ache. “I’m just surprised you dared bring it here, but it does at least save me the trouble of trying to find it once you’re back in Darkside hands. Now, drop the sword.”

My gaze darted his way. He stood half in, half out of Elysian’s light, dressed in dark jeans and a natty, three-quarter length dark blue coat, the cut of which was somewhat spoiled by the strap of the sheathed sword that had been slung sideways across his back. Not a position from which he’d be able to draw her easily, but maybe he didn’t need to. Maybe he could use the fake without actually drawing her.

“I won’t fucking do anything else until I know for sure Mo’s not already dead.”

“As you said in your message, Gwen, I’m not foolish enough to kill my one ace before I got everything I needed.”

“Just because I said it doesn’t mean I actually believed it.”

His gaze narrowed. “Drop. The. Sword.”

“Proof. Of. Life,” I echoed, then quickly added, “But hey, if you want to risk a repeat of the London mess, I’m more than happy to comply.”

He studied me for several seconds, the silver in his blue eyes shining brightly in Elysian’s gleam. It added an edge of coldness to his face—a face that was still as handsome as ever. I really wished it were otherwise. Wished his looks matched the blackness that had consumed his soul.

“Fine,” he eventually said, and made a motion with his free hand. It was only then I noticed he wasn’t holding the end of that dark thread; it had instead been inserted directly into the veins at his wrist.

Dear god, he was siphoning her strength and maybe even her magic.

I took an involuntary half step forward and then forced myself to stop. To remain calm. To watch rather than react, even if that was the hardest thing I’d ever had to do in my life so far.

Energy stirred around his wrist, then some sort of electrical charge ran down the thread and around Mo’s neck. Her body jumped and twitched for several seconds and then her eyes slowly opened. For several, gut-wrenching seconds, they were entirely blank. There was no recognition—no situational awareness—within.

Then her gaze focused and came to mine. Love, regret, determination, and most of all pride shone so fiercely in her eyes that I had to blink back tears. She opened her mouth and attempted to say something, but it took several seconds before she succeeded.

“Do,” she said, her voice a mere husk of its usual self, “what’s necessary.”

No, no, no, I wanted to scream. I can’t. I won’t.

But my gaze remained locked on hers, and I nodded, a movement so small I doubted my brother would have even seen it. A smile tugged at the corner of her lips, and the pride and love in her eyes grew.

I wanted to cry.

Wanted to raise Elysian and end my brother’s life, right here and now.

But that oily slick and the presence of the dark elves very much suggested that the minute I even attempted such a move, Mo wouldn’t be the only one to die.

If that was going to be my fate today, I was damn well going to ensure Max got there before me.

The electrical charge reversed, and Mo’s awareness slipped away. I sucked in an uneven breath and returned my gaze to my brother. I wasn’t sure what he saw in my eyes, but he actually retreated a step before he stopped himself.

“Now,” he said, the anger more visible this time. “Drop that sword.”

I didn’t. Instead, I drove her into the flagstones. “If you want her, you can come and get her.”

His narrowed gaze swept me. “Drop your knives.”

I tugged Nex free and flung her down. Her point hit the flagstones close to Elysian’s blade, but rather than