The Rebel Queen (Outlaw #1) - Lexi Blake Page 0,59
know about that. I remember the first time around. Most of it. I drank a lot back then. No matter how many times Felix tried to wipe away the memory of that stint in Hell, it lingered. It still does, though I can handle it better now.”
Lily had been taken to Hell on her twenty-fifth birthday, payment for her mother’s power. “I know it bothered Sarah.”
Lily chuckled. “Sarah had Felix. I swear there must have been something in his dick because she moved right on. I’m sorry. I know that’s not fair. She handled it better than I did. I think in a weird way she almost viewed that time as penance for what she did to you.”
That felt like three lifetimes ago. Sarah had put me in a bad position years and years before. I’d forgiven Sarah’s betrayal almost as soon as she’d committed it. She’d done it for Lily. “She did it to save you.”
“She failed and then you saved us all.” Lily sat back. “I don’t think I ever properly thanked you for that. I’m afraid I was a bit lost then. And after I got my act together, you were the queen and it felt weird to talk to you. I’m sorry for that, too. It shouldn’t have been. That was my problem, not yours.”
“I didn’t need thanks,” I replied. “If Sarah had told me what was happening, I would have helped you.”
“And that is why you’re the queen,” Lily pronounced somberly.
I had to laugh at the thought. “I’m queen because I’m married to Daniel. I don’t know that I’m queen at all anymore.”
“Oh, you’re the queen. Myrddin is the pretender. Never doubt that,” Lily said with a sigh. “I lost most of my coven to that asshole. Only three of us made it out. The rest…well, they drank that Kool-Aid right down.”
“He’s a legend in the witch world.” There were entire covens who worshipped him when he hadn’t walked the Earth plane, when he’d been trapped in his crystal coffin.
“Yes, he is, but we also used to be honest about him,” Lily pointed out. “We knew he was a source of power, but we also knew he had ties to Hell many of us didn’t want. He’s convinced even some Earth witches that he’s the way to save our kind. That this is our time to rule. Like witches were some sort of left-behind creature.”
“I think all of the supernaturals have members who feel that way. For some, it’s true. I mean there are entire populations of werecreatures who died out because the wolves and panthers and tigers ate them.” Our world could be brutal, and the separate factions had been at war from time to time. “But witches had a place at the table with Daniel.”
“And Myrddin offered them the whole table. For some that was intoxicating. They’re not thinking about the balance. There will be a cost, but that’s not important to them now. For all the power they have during these years, they will be serving demons for many more. Forever, since if Myrddin gets his way, there won’t be a Heaven plane to escape to.”
“Do they know what he’s planning?” I asked.
Lily shrugged. “I don’t see how they can’t. They aren’t thinking. They’re caught up in power. I suspect the ones closest to him are also caught in his web. Myrddin has…you would probably call it charm or charisma. It works specifically on witches. Especially younger ones.”
“But it didn’t work on you?”
She shook her head. “No. Because I see him for who he is. I see the face that lies under the mask.”
It was good to know there were some witches his power didn’t work on. “Sarah never fell for his charm either.”
“Because we both spent time on the Hell plane. I suspect that’s why we were immune,” Lily mused. “I often see through demonic guises. Sarah did from time to time, but I suspect being close to Felix healed a lot of her scars. I didn’t have an angelic protector shielding me from the worst of it. It’s funny that now I view that time as a strength. It prepared me for this moment. If I hadn’t gone through what I did, I would likely be in the Council building kissing Myrddin’s feet.”
It was interesting that Myrddin’s charm didn’t work on Sarah or Lily. We might be able to use that in some way. “So do you think they can come back to our side?”