Chapter 191: The Third Condition (1)

Seraphine's POV

The question hit me like ice water. Vespera? What the fuck?

Damien had just demanded money and Silverwood executions. Now he was asking about that bitch Vespera, the bitch who'd lured me with lies about my sister, who'd gotten Orion killed, who'd helped Damien kidnap me. I couldn't piece it together through the silver burning my veins.

Lucian went rigid. "Vespera? What does she have to do with this? This is between us!"

He moved closer to Kaelen, body screaming warning. His eyes scanned Damien's face, searching for the trap.

The Silverwood warriors looked confused. They had no idea who Vespera was or why she mattered now.

He's planning something. But what?

I could see Damien's boots shift. Hear the pleasure in his voice. Something felt wrong, dangerous. He knows something. This is a setup.

Kaelen's alarm spiked. His whole body went tense. I could sense his mind racing, calculating. Something bad was coming.

Cordelia leaned in close. "It's a trap. Be careful."

The silence stretched out. My breathing rasped wet and painful. Flames crackled in the distance. I fought to stay conscious.

Then Kaelen exploded.

He jerked his head up, crimson eyes blazing. "She betrayed Shadowmere!"

I watched his muscles coil tight. For a second I thought he'd charge. But Lucian's hand landed on his shoulder, holding him down.

"She was executed!" Kaelen shouted. "I killed that traitorous bitch myself!"

His claws dug into his palms, blood dripping. "She's dead and buried! Scattered across Shadowmere's borders as a warning!"

He was lying.

Through his eyes, I felt the deception. Felt him scrambling to protect something. Why hide it? What's he afraid of?

Cordelia's jaw clenched. She knew too. She knew Kaelen was lying. But she stayed silent.

Lucian's face went blank. That politician's mask.

Damien's eyes narrowed, watching Kaelen. He'd caught the lie.

His boots shifted. His breathing changed. The manic energy paused like he was testing Kaelen's words against what he already knew.

When he spoke, his voice went soft. Dangerous.

"Vespera..." He drew out her name, and I heard him move, standing up. "That was such an... impressive woman."

The false sentimentality in his tone made my skin crawl even through the pain.

"We go way back, you know. You could say we're... old friends."

His boots started pacing around me. Like he was strolling through memories. "She was loyal. Capable. Really knew how to get things done."

I could feel Kaelen's rage building through whatever connection we still had. His whole body trembling with the effort of holding back.

"We worked together for months," Damien continued, his voice dripping with fake nostalgia. "She helped me with so many things. Such valuable assistance."

He stopped pacing. The silence stretched out, heavy with implied meaning.

"When you came attacking my territory with your soldiers, I knew my dear friend must have failed. I was... very concerned about her."

Another pause. I could practically hear the smile in his voice.

"She means... quite a lot to me, you see."

Bullshit. He's lying. He's setting something up.

But I couldn't figure out what. My brain felt like it was drowning in silver poisoning and blood loss.

"If she's really dead..." He paused, letting silence build. "Then our negotiations might get very complicated. I don't trust people who kill my friends without consulting me."

The manipulation was obvious. But I felt it working through the bond. Felt Kaelen starting to panic.

The silence dragged on. Suffocating. Kaelen's control was fraying.

Near the Shadowmere lines, Derek and Jason moved closer. Ready to restrain him if he snapped.

The silence hit a full minute. Unbearable.

Then Kaelen broke.

"Why the fuck are you asking about Vespera?!" The words exploded out of him. Raw. Desperate. "What does she have to do with any of this?!"

There it was. The slip.

If she was really dead, he wouldn't ask. Wouldn't care. The question betrayed everything. She's alive.

Lucian cursed under his breath. Cordelia went very still, body coiled for violence.

Damien laughed. Pure triumph.

"So she is still alive." He drew the words out, savoring them. "I knew it. I fucking knew you were lying."

His hand grabbed my hair, yanked my face up. "Thank you for confirming that. Really saves time."

Through barely-open eyes, I saw Kaelen's face. Saw the moment he realized what he'd done. Horror flashed across his features.

He'd fucked up. And we'd all pay for it.

Damien's grip tightened, wrenching my head back. Fresh agony shot through my neck. "Before you try to lie again," his voice dropped cold, "let me save us the trouble. I know she must be in your dungeons, injured, brutally interrogated by you."

He released my hair. I collapsed, gasping. Fighting to stay conscious.

"So here's what's going to happen," Damien said, voice rising into manic cheerfulness. "We're moving to my third condition. This one's my favorite."

I felt him pacing again. Building up to something. The warriors went silent. Everyone frozen, waiting.

"You want her back?" Kaelen's voice cut through. Harsh. Desperate. "You want that bitch? Fine! Take her!"

The words rushed out. Panic-driven. "She's yours. She always was. I'll hand her over right now."

No. No. Don't.

I could hear it in his voice. Feel through the bond. He was trying to trade Vespera for me. Using the assassin as payment.

"She's in the dungeons. Badly hurt but breathing. You can have her. Just let Seraphine go."

The desperation was painful to hear. A man pushed past breaking, grasping at anything.

Lucian had gone pale. Jason and Derek exchanged worried glances. This isn't what he wants.

Damien's laughter confirmed it. High. Cruel. Delighted.

"Oh Kaelen." His voice dripped condescension. "You poor fool. You really think I want her back?"

More laughter. Darker now. Making my blood run colder.

"You think this is about recovering my old friend?"

He crouched beside me. Close enough I could smell blood and smoke and madness.

"No, no, no." Each word sharp. Distinct. "I don't need you to give her back. She was always yours. Your pack member. Your lover."

His breath hit my ear. Voice dropping intimate and terrible.

"And that's what makes this so perfect."

He paused. Building tension. Drawing it out.

Then he straightened. Turned to face Kaelen. When he spoke, his voice rang out clear across the courtyard.

"Here's my third condition."

He paused. Savoring it.

"I want you to marry Vespera. In front of your entire pack."