with such force, my knuckles turned white. But I didn’t care. The simmering hate for this queen stirred and stewed inside me with renewed vigor.
Ashor’s devilish voice brushed against my mind. “Careful, luv.”
I scowled. She intentionally brought up the blood oath between Ashor and herself to get under my skin. It was obvious from the devious sparkle of joy in her eyes. I wouldn’t give her the satisfaction, and set my features to neutral, forcing my fingers to relax.
“Ah, yes. First I see Cayden, and then we’ll iron out the details, but until then, have you thought about my other offer?”
“Indeed. I have, and I am willing to accept your alliance, Prince of Darkness, if you pass the test,” Verena agreed, and a breath I didn’t realize I was holding whooshed out of my lungs.
This was huge. With her court behind us, we might stand a chance at preventing Kali from starting a war in her quest to become Supreme. But a selfish, vengeful part of me kind of hoped that Ashor would deliver Verena to his mother. For all that she had put me through, I wanted her out of my life. Permanently. I never wanted her in the same kingdom as Ashor again. Call it a mad case of jealousy.
Ashor showed no visible reaction, only continued to stare at the queen as if he could sense her agreement was contrived. “What kind of test do you have in mind?”
“You already passed your test,” she said, pressing her glass to her lips. Her gown pooled over the white floor, and the gold bangle bracelets at her wrists chimed. Then the queen’s cunning gaze slid to assess me.
Me!
Not Ashor.
Fuck. My. Life.
“The test is for your mate,” she informed him, a twisted smile appearing over the rim of her glass.
“No.” It was a single low command from Ashor’s lips, but the coldness radiating behind the word frosted the room.
The hand clasping the crystal flute tightened. “You refuse me? A queen?” I swore my ears picked up a spike in her tone.
Razor-sharp tension coiled in Ashor. “What is this? A ploy to prolong your decision? What is the point of a test? She isn’t part of this.”
The fucking bitch had the audacity to smile. “Isn’t she? She is connected to you; therefore, she is every bit as involved as you are, Prince. I need to know she is loyal to me.”
My spine straightened. “What kind of test?” I inquired, chiming in before Ashor could protest, hardly believing I was entertaining the idea of a test for even a second. Yet, what other choice did I have? We needed her alliance to stop Kali from fucking over all the worlds, mine included.
“It’s nothing you haven’t done before,” she assured, brushing it off like it wasn’t a big deal.
All my internal alarms went off. I highly doubted it. She was too excited for there not to be a catch. “What’s in it for me?” If I was going to play along, then I was damn sure going to know the house rules, as well as get something out of it.
“Besides my agreement to stand against a fellow queen? How about I grant you what your heart most desires? Will that suffice?” Her deviant stare shifted to Ashor.
The Queen of Envy saw too much. My mother had warned me that Verena could see inside your soul. “You think you know what I truly desire?” I was giving her a little test of my own, but I was also deathly afraid she knew what my purpose was for coming back to the underworld. Yes, it was for Ashor. Our situation was complicated, which made what I desired tricky.
Her glossy lips puckered. “Desire is my specialty, my daughter. There is no question you desire your mate, but anyone with eyes can come to the same conclusion.”
“Thank Lucifer,” Ashor said dully. He was feigning boredom, when in fact a turbulent sea of darkness swan within him. If given the chance, he might strike the queen dead at her dining table.
She gave me a feline grin. “There is something else you long for.”
Ashor’s gaze was on me. Gone was his usually disinterested expression, and I swallowed.
“What you want is to release the prince from his oath to the Wild Hunt,” she said, lowering her voice. “I have the power to break such an oath.”
I went still.
“Devious, luv.” His voice was playful, but he was furious with me. “We’re going to need to work on your poker skills. Never show