Chapter 552
I felt my skin ripple as she pushed me back. Rowan growled so loud, everyone turned to him. They thought he was freaking out because Garith had raised the knife to plunge directly into my heart. He watched my mate’s face greedily as he moved closer to the bubble. “I’m doing her a favor. You know that, right? A final gift to my very own granddaughter. To save her from the suffering of a slow and painful death from silver poisoning.”
“If you lay one finger on her, I swear to the goddess, you won’t be found for years to come.”
Garith seemed to freeze. “What do you mean?”
“I mean I will take you, and chain you somewhere dark and cold. I will feed you enough to keep you alive, but I will cut your fucking tongue out so you can’t whisper your fucking magic to anyone. There will be no one to save you, not even your fucking whore of a daughter.” Rowan spun, and his hand shot out, catching Verity by the throat.
Her hand trembled around the silver blade, but Rowan squeezed until she dropped it. Her hands scrambled for purchase around his fingers. “Rowan, please,” she begged.
“While everyone is distracted, my love, cast the spell for concealment.” My eyes darted to the side where I could hear my grandmother’s voice. I saw Garith shake his head, as if he heard a fly near his ear. “Hurry before my spell breaks in here. Conceal what Nix is doing, project your hurt body before Nix starts to shift.” Garith shook his head. “Now, Amy!”
“Ib cor nit sha plugh corfa.” The spell settled around my shoulders as I felt the first joint crack.
“Stay silent, little one. They see what you want them to see, but if you make a noise, the spell will shatter.” With a soft kiss, she was gone.
Garith turned to me, and I watched as he checked all around me. “What are you playing at, girl?” His voice was low, but I stayed silent, biting through my flesh and swallowing the blood that filled my mouth.
“Father!” Verity panicked as her face turned bright red. Rowan was allowing the tiniest bit of air into her lungs, allowing her to beg, keeping the attention from me.
“You can kill her if you want; it won’t save your mate,” Garith sneered. “She means nothing to me. Just another disappointment, and like I said, Amy is already dead.” He chuckled as he looked me over one more time before turning back to face Rowan. “I’m actually saving everyone the pain of watching her wither away.” He grinned as Verity paled.
“Father!” She clawed at Rowan’s hands. “You can’t mean that.” He snorted. “I’m your daughter.”
“Of course I mean it!” He went to grab me, but I shifted back, afraid of what he would feel. “She is my granddaughter…if I can kill her, why would you think that your death matters to me?”
“But I follow you,” she cried. “I did everything you asked of me.”
“And yet you failed every fucking test I gave you. Your sisters had more fucking potential, and they weren’t even mine.” Garith shook his head in disgust. Then he turned back to me and waved me closer. “Come here willingly, or I will make it worse for you.” I rolled my eyes but stepped beside him. I watched as he raised the knife to my heart and placed the tip there, turning back to Rowan with a smirk. “If I pushed even a little, she would be at peace.” Rowan growled, but that just made him grin more and press the knife harder into my skin, earning a drip of blood.
“I will kill her.” Rowan looked a little crazed as he watched the blood bloom on my chest.
“Do it. And I will cut the heart of your beloved before this shield fails.” Garith pressed harder into my chest, but Nix was stretching. Something shifted, my eyes sharpened, my nose tingled with the scent of blood; everything was different.
“Do it,” I whispered to Rowan.
His eyes met mine, and I pressed him to understand. His eye color flickered between stormy gray and the ice blue of Erubus. “Amy…”
Garith turned to me with a grin. “You want to die?”
I shrugged. “You said it yourself. I’m already dead.” I turned my head toward him. “At least this way I get to watch Verity die.” I grinned as he snarled at me.
Garith whirled as Rowan tightened his hand, and Verity started to choke. “Are you really going to fucking push me right now, Rowan? I have her heart in my fucking hands right now.”
Rowan glanced at me, and I nodded. “Do it.”
He turned back to stare at Garith as he slowly tightened his hand. Verity went from choking to completely silent; all the air was cut off. Her face cycled through the new colors as she hit, kicked, and fought for her life.
But Rowan squeezed until a sharp crack was heard. Verity slumped. “I swear I will cut her fucking heart out,” Garith screamed as he turned towards me, the knife pressing into my chest. But he froze when he looked down to find his heart already in my hand. He coughed once, blood pouring from his lips. “How?”
I dropped my concealment spell and watched as his eyes grew wide. I was still short for a Lycan at six foot seven, but my black fur covered my wolfman body, and my fangs glistened in my snout. “Lycans can always shift.”
Then, I ripped his heart back through his chest and dropped it on the ground.