Second Chance with the Dragon King

Chapter Nine

ALLIE'S POV

I stared after Rígan in shock. Never had he spoken to me like that before, and he certainly had never forbade me from going anywhere. As the shock wore off, the anger kicked in. I wasn't angry at him, of course. This wasn't his fault.

It was hers.

Rígan hadn't noticed that Elizabeth was watching and listening. I had. The second I caught her scent—lavender and roses, of all things— I knew. She'd stayed hidden around the corner, too cowardly to come out. Or maybe she was just ashamed. What kind of girl wouldn't be after letting a man she didn't know use her for a night? I thought I could use her eavesdropping to my advantage, but I'd been wrong. He'd defended her. And she'd heard every word.

I was burning from the inside out. My fingers were claws at my sides, every muscle preparing to hunt down the wretched little slut, and rip her throat out. It took a lot of willpower to turn and walk away; away from Rígan, away from the hallway Elizabeth was in. I made myself walk out of the castle and then, when I was positive I was alone, I shifted and took off.

'She's worth more than you'll ever know.'

The words repeated in my head, over and over like a beesting. No, not a bee. Bees only sting once. This was half a dozen wasps, continually injecting me with poison. The way he'd kissed her last night. The sounds coming from behind his door. The way he'd looked at me just now. As if. . . he didn't care. That one stung the worst.

'She's worth more than you'll ever know.'

Or maybe that was worse.

It was mid-morning by the time the trees broke and the small cottage came into view, though 'cottage' wasn't exactly the right word. The place was more of a hole, built right into an ancient redwood. The thatch roof was overgrown with moss and the vines that snaked up the sides obscured most of what was underneath. Someone could walk right by and never take a second look. Briefly, I wondered if all witches lived the same way. I was a few steps away from the hidden door when it slowly swung open. My nose wrinkled against the sharp fragrance of burning incense. Her voice drifted to me, carried by the smoke and just as elusive.

"Come in, Allie."

I shifted and stormed inside. The smell wasn't as harsh through my human nose, but I didn't nearly trip on a pile of precariously stacked books. The room was tiny enough, but it was also overflowing with junk. Pots and cauldrons, books, herbs hanging from every avialable inch of the cieling. In the center of the room lay a hearth, alight with a low fire. It was astounding that the place had never gone up in flames. Sat cross-legged on the floor by the hearth, Agnes was smiling her toothy smile at me. She was just as always: withered, her wrinkled face framed on either side by her long, wild silver hair. And like always, her wild violet eyes sent a shiver down my spine.

"You knew I was coming?" I asked.

"I know when anyone is coming." She snapped her fingers. A black cloak flew from the wall. I caught it mid-air. "Cover yourself."

"You must know why I'm here then," I said as I pulled the cloak on. I levelled an icy glare at her. "You lied to me."

"I never lie."

"She's in my home! Rígan. . ." I couldn't finish. "I had a plan set in place. How could this happen?"

Agnes gestured to the spot on the other side of the hearth. "Last time, I showed you the truth. Now, we will see what happened."

From her pocket, she pulled an aged leather bag, reached inside and threw whatever the contents were into the fire. It rose instantly, the heated tendrils reaching in every direction. I flinched back and stared at Agnes through the flames. Her eyes were closed. Not as if she were tired, but in concentration. Her thin lips moved quickly, the words too soft for me to hear. Purple and blue smoke rose into the air. It curled in on itself with small rotations. Voices began to drift out, soft and dreamlike. Despite the fierce heat, I leaned forward again, intent now.

The smoke swirled into a circle. Then the middle cleared, and the voices were sharper, defined. A second later, it cleared in the middle to reveal the people talking. It was like looking into a pool of water—the image was slightly distorted, a little wavy, but still visible. My fist clenched as I watched.

"I've already seen this!" I hissed.

"Shh!" Agnes said. "Watch."

I tried to clamp down on the anger and do what she asked. In the vision, I saw myself seducing Liam Cole, Elizabeth's mate. Of course it worked like a charm; he'd hadn't been able to resist. I saw myself taking over the Black Forest pack, alienating Elizabeth from everyone she cared about and I had to admit, it was extremely satisfying to see her entire world crumble around her. As satisfying as it had been the last time I'd seen this.

But then the vision changed.

This was something I had not seen last time. It looked like we were the forest, but it was dark. Somewhere in the distance, I could hear music. Then I came into view, along with Elizabeth.

"What are you doing here?" she snarled.

The vision me grinned wickedly. I gasped as I watched myself attack Elizabeth, effectively slitting her throat with my claws in one clean strike. Blood cascaded from the wound fast. She fell to the ground, feebly clutching her neck. The vision me bent over her.

"This is your own fault, you know. If you had left when Liam first chose me, I might have let you live. But you just couldn't let go, could you? Even after he could no longer stand to look at you. I have to admit, it was amusing to watch you continue to throw yourself at him. But that's all over now."

Elizabeth coughed up bubbles of blood.

"Well, I guess we should get on with it."

Vision me stood, then produced a small glass vial from my bosom. Even through the distortion, I could tell it was Wolfsbane. I cringed as I watched myself swallow it, unable to help the reaction. That was nothing compared to witnessing myself drive a dagger into my chest. Everything happened very quickly after that. When Liam took my side, I wasn't even surprised. My performance was on par, one of my best ever. I had to admit, I was proud of myself. The last thing I saw before the smoke dissipated was Elizabeth on the ground, her eyes closing for the last time, her blood soaked form going completely still. She was dead. I had killed her.

It was absolutely silent for several seconds, and then Agnes spoke. "It would seem that you succeeded last time."

I blinked at her. "Last time?"

"What we have just seen. . . it has already happened. Elizabeth is no longer Luna of Black Forest. She has rejected her mate and now she is in Draganan."

"I don't understand. How can she be dead and alive at the same time?"

"Are you not listening or are you simply stupid?"

I stiffened. A low growl built in my chest but Agnes just shook her head.

"Let me explain it to you then," she sighed wearily. "Sometimes the Moon Goddess gives second chances. Clearly, Elizabeth remembers what happened, and so she decided to leave before you arrived in her pack."

My expression was horrified. "She. . . came. . . back?! No! No! You need to fix it! Undo it!"

She laughed. "Do I look like the Moon Goddess to you? I cannot undo what she has done."

I jumped to my feet in a whirlwind of emotion. "Then I have no choice. I'll just have to kill her again, and again if I have to, until she stays dead."