From Slave To Queen (Athena and Michael) novel Chapter 133

Chapter 133

“Cassian.” He rolls the name on his tongue. “He broke you. Or at least, he thinks he did. You lost control so completely you couldn’t think rationally. Your nature is bloody, Flara. This might happen again if you don’t learn to control what you are.”

-What ar

The question escapes my lips almost as a plea. I need to know what I am. I need to name it. Edon’t want to feel lost or alone. I want answers. Atarothz must read my expression better than I think, because his gaze softens and he places his hund over mine despite my reluctance.

“If what you need is a name, you are my daughter, is that enough? There’s no name for what you are. We can explore the extent of your powers and abilities little by lille. Maybe you are a demigoddess.”

“A demigoddess!”

“As I said—you are my daughter, I am a god.” He frowns. “Though you do have some traits that make you, different.”

Seeing the confusion on my face, he waves his fingers, conjuring a mirror before me. I run my lingers over my face in awe. My skin looks paler, delicate like porcelain and soft like velvet. My lips are tinted a deep red without needing any pigment, but the most surprising thing is my hair. It’s still long and black, but on both sides of my face are strands of a different color. I grali ne between my fingers, examining it. It’s silvery gray.

It’s the mark,” he cribes

“The mark?”

“I am Atarothz the Gray. Those strands in your hair mark you as my descendar. No one will be able to refute it”

“You have them too?”

He lifts his hand to his left side and raises port of his hair, revealing a strandl the same tone as mine, only his renuims helden. Mine are clearly visible.

“And you might want to check your teeth. Your hair isn’t the only thing that’s changed.”

I force a smile at the mirror and lose my breath at what it reflects. I bring the tip of my finger to the sharp fang and gasp when it pierces the skin and a small drop of blood emerges. My nostrils flare as a wild srent floats through the air.

“That’s why I can’t say you’re definitely a demigoddess.”

“You have part vampire in you–and part god. You are, without a doubt, an extraordinary creature, Elara Nothing can define you. You are something new and powerful”

I feel pressure in my temples, as if my head has reached its limit and is now overflowing, trying to rid itself of the extra weight of this information. I massage my temples under the watchful gaze of the god

Your mother has contacted me, be blurts out. She wants you to know something.

ok him straight in t

in the eyes and then search for her, as if mentioning her would make her materialize in the room. However, it’s just us in this

She’s not here, she’s in the Pits.

Why?

God gave her to the fallen angel Lucifer after Lilith gave birth to her children. He save it as a punishment, and Lucifer coveted her for being the mother of demons

Then how did you two miret

He lifts his lund and brushes a strand of hair from my face in a gesture far too gentle for my heart not to flutter. It’s intimate, familiar. Something dur always should have been

Maybe another time I’ll tell you how we met. He tucks the strand behind my rar For now, you need to listen to me. Lilith predestined you to Cassian Draven. Her most powerful daughter for her most powerful son.

He says it with a slight grimace of distaste. That means you complement each other. Everything he does, you can undo. You are the counterpart. You are not Broken. Elara. You just needed to rest, so get out of here, little one.

I shake my head. I can’t. I’ve spent days, weeks, maybe months wandering like a lost soul. I can’t leave this place, l’in trapped in this barren land.

1/3

12:27 PM c d

Chapter 133

I don’t know how. I admit

There’s a thread that ties you to Cassian, a thread that cannot be broken. He lets his hand fall on my shoulder as need. Find it, visualize it, make it tangible and pull it. Follow the thread to the surface.

is if that

might

at instill the strength I

Even if I can’t trust him, he’s my only chance of getting out of here. I do as he says and close my eyes, but behind my eyelids there is only darkness. I see nothing. feel nothing different. 1 look at Ataroth and shake my head. He looks at me without moving a muscle, and then that violet mist emerges from him and wraps around us both. He nods, a signal for me to close my eyes again. His fingers press gently against my Temples, cold and

soft.

Think about that thread, think about something that would push you to pull it

I think of Cassian, of all the words spoken and the ones never said.

I think of the family I lost and the one still waiting for me.

1 think of my true parents, who made me powerful for a purpose.

I think of that purpose, the one I refuse to fulfill. Instead, I think about making it clear who I really am–certainly not a breeding bitch.

1 think of Ragna, of her people, and how I will kill them one by one to make her feel the same pain I felt.

think of the Viralle castle, of the salamander waiting for me in the library, of its confidence in thinking I’m the only one capable of warming the cold heart of a vampire who has spent centuries hating humans.

I think of betrayals.

I think of friendships.

I think of love

Then, a violet thread materializes behind my eyelids with a unique glow.

I see it

Good. Now grab it tightly and pull, climb to the surface. Get away from here.

I imagine wrapping the thread in my hands, and to my surprise, I feel tingling in them. I smile with my eyes still closed, but the smile vanishes quickly when a thought crosses my mind.

Willi

see you again!

I’m not ready to be near him, but I also don’t think I can live a full life now that I know he exists. I need more answers.

The warmth of his hands on my shoulders is comforting; however, the silence between us is suffocating until he responds.

am always with you. We will see each other again.

Deep down I’m not convinced, but all I can do is believe his words. This is not my place–grear things await me, vengeance to claim. So I grip the thread tighter between my hands, pull on it, and feel it grow taut beneath my palms. I pull and take another step, clenching my teeth until my lips bleed from the effort. I climb the imaginary slope with the violet thread cutting into my flesh, not stopping to lament.

Remember who you are.

Ataroth’s voice comes like a whisper carried by the breeze. I want to open my eyes to see him again, maybe for the last time, but something tells me that if I do all of this will vanish. It’s possible he’s no longer beside me, maybe I’m alone. So keep climbing, one step at a time, without stopping. The burning in my palins is unbearable, and still I don’t stop. I grit my teeth and keep moving, driven by the memory of everything. lost. Minutes pass in which agony strikes me relentlessly. There are moments when uxygen seems to disappear and my lungs burn. The pressure in my head also increases and then all at once, everything disappears, giving way in a lightness that makes me feel like I’m simply a feather carried by

The wind.

Somewhere, there.arlight. My eyes hurt. I take my time to prepare myself and try to open them again. I cry from the brightness, blinking several times to soothe the sting. Little by little, the world stops being blurry and I see a room I don’t recognize. There are velvet red tapestries, gold- framed paintings, tall windows covered by heavy curtains. Next to the bed is an empty armchair, and on the nightstand several books are piled up

I try to speak, but my throat is dry. I lift any hand in front of my eyes and confirm that the paleness is still there, and my fingers look like tiny wigs from a tree. As I examine everything around me, a scent like night itself snakes beneath my nose, more intense than ever. I clear my throat, trying to speak

1 cough and try again.

Chapter 133

I don’t know how I manage to hear the hurried footsteps outside the room, still, I do. Their owner doesn’t arrive immediately, he takes his time. 1 expect to see Cassian’s face when the doors open; instead, it’s pink eyes that meet mine,

Cassian… 1 say again.

Ciro approaches me, slowly forming a smile. He’s dressed impeccably.jus

■ I remember, with a vest over his shirt and the collar perfectly pressed.

He sits in the empty armchair and holds my hand in his, I don’t feel cold when his skin touches mine.

You’ve returned, darling

色