Chapter Forty

***REMI***

I lurch awake.

The bed is cold and empty and for a moment, I’m completely disoriented and forget where I am.

But then I feel his scent, dark and smoky, with an edge of sharp steel.

“Xaden?” I called.

There’s no answer.

I sit up, the cold stone beneath my feet a stark contrast to the soft bed. Xaden’s room is high in one of the castle's towers, much smaller than the luxurious quarters the twins occupy. In fact, I wouldn’t be surprised if it were originally a broom closet. But I can see why he chose it. It’s dark inside, the stone walls closing in around me, but it offers a sense of security, a fortress within a fortress.

I walk beneath a leaning piece of stone and approach the circular window facing the North. It’s half-pressed open, allowing a cool breeze to filter in. A thin ledge beneath the window is cluttered with various inks and quills, as if Xaden spends his nights here, lost in thought or sketching out plans.

The view is breathtaking, and I lose myself in it. This is the highest I’ve ever been. From this vantage point, I can see the entire city sprawled out below, a mosaic of winding streets and clustered rooftops. To the left, the vast forest stretches out, a dark sea of green that seems to pulse with life. Beyond the forest, the jagged peaks of the mountains rise, their tops dusted with snow. And beyond the mountains, the ocean sparkles under the moonlight, an endless expanse of shimmering silver.

For a moment, I forget everything—the Witches, the ceremony, the blood. The beauty of the land holds me captive, a silent reminder of the world outside this dark tower.

“Xaden?” I call again, my voice softer, almost a whisper.

Still no answer.

I turn back to the room, taking in its sparse furnishings. A simple bed, a desk cluttered with scrolls and books, a single chair. It’s clear that Xaden values function over form, a stark contrast to the opulence of the twins’ rooms.

I move to the desk, my fingers brushing over the scattered papers. Maps, diagrams, notes in a language I don’t recognize. I feel a pang of curiosity, a desire to understand the man who occupies this space. Xaden is a mystery, a shadow within the shadows of Kieran’s court.

The door creaks open, and I whirl around.

Xaden steps in, his red eyes gleaming in the dim light. He carries an air of tension, his movements sharp and purposeful.

“You’re awake,” he says, his voice a low rumble. His tattoo's are brilliant in the morning light, twisting and writhing like some dark vines up his arms, shoulders, and muscle. He looks like a doll with his perfect glass skin, one with eyes of rubies and hair of near white-gold.

“I didn’t know where you went,” I reply, trying to steady my racing heart.

He crosses the room in a few long strides, stopping just short of me. “I had some matters to attend to,” he says, his tone curt but not unkind. “How are you feeling?”
“Like I’ve been hit by a carriage,” I admit, a small smile tugging at my lips despite the lingering pain.

He nods, his gaze intense. “You should rest more. Part of my agreement to live here is that my doors are warded against Keiran himself. But eventually…you’ll have to face him.”

I shiver at the reminder. “Xaden... the Witches. They’ve been stealing my family's power. I felt it when I was in the water.”

His expression darkens, a flicker of anger in his eyes. “I know. Kieran and I suspected as much. That’s why we have to act quickly.”

“Act quickly? How?” I ask, desperate for any glimmer of hope.

“There’s a way to break Kieran’s bargain with the Witches,” he says, his voice dropping to a conspiratorial whisper. “We have to travel to a place called the Sanctum of Stars and retrieve the Essence of Power. If we get it by midnight tonight, every soul in this city will be saved.”

The weight of his words settles over me like a heavy cloak. The enormity of the task is almost overwhelming, but it’s also a lifeline, a chance to save myself and everyone else.

“Where is this Sanctum?” I ask, determination hardening my voice.

“It’s deep within the forest, past the mountains,” he replies. “It won’t be easy, but we don’t have a choice.”

I nod, steeling myself for what’s to come. “Then we’d better get moving.”

Xaden’s eyes soften, just for a moment, then he laughs cruelly. “You, little helpless girl, are not coming.”

I press my lips into something that’s between a pout and a scowl. “But I have magic--"

"Untrained, meaningless magic," he cuts me off.

"But I saw where it is, the Black Pearl, my sister showed it to me in the water--I’m the only one who knows where it is!"

The tattoos on Xadens shoulders are tense. “I don't care if you saw the key to life itself, absolutely not.”

I take one step from his side towards the door. The Demon Slayer halts my progress.

I whip around and face him, his jaw clenches. “I said no.”

What is up with these controlling, asshole men?

“And I said yes.”

Xaden pulls me towards him. I slam against his chest and he nearly snarls. "Are you serious about that?" His hand trails up my cheek, and the tension between us goes electric. Xaden does something different to me than the other males, something darker. And even though he's saved me, something teetering on the edge of hatred and insanity still fires in the air between us.

“The little girl would do well to listen," his hand turns harsher, against my skin, more pressing and dark and dominant. "I’ll chain you to the bed if I have to.”

My jaw slackens. Chain me to the bed? Is he serious?

“And that makes you better or worse than the men you said break little girls like me for fun?”

"I don't care what it makes me--"

"You said no more."

For once in his life, the legend goes quiet. His grip on my wrist slackens.

I pull myself from his side and head for the door. He doesn't try to stop me this time.

“I need to see Kieran,” is all I say, and the Demon Slayer, hands in his pockets, quietly follows me.