Landing hard on the frozen grass, she heaved at the sensation and her body rejected the teleportation as it did every time.
He reached down and curled his fingers in her hair, pulling her up and glaring down into her face.
"You tried to kill me…" he growled but then let go of her as his fingers were suddenly burning with the cold.
She pushed herself up and dusted off her gown, looking to the lich.
"Epharis, why do you have to be so difficult? If I wanted to kill you, you'd already be dead," she demanded, frustrated finally by his antics. "You are fully aware that we are on a time restraint, and you decide now to be difficult?"
"I want something in return," he snapped, and she paused, curious by the revelation.
"What do you want?" she asked, her cold indifference fading slightly in the new situation.
"You agree to help me depose Alaric, then I'll give you my magic."
She was completely floored by that turn of events, staring at him with lips slightly parted.
"You want me to help me remove Alaric from the throne?" she demanded, and he nodded. "Why?"
"He needs to be punished for what he did to our child. For what he did to you, and his instability. He is not fit to rule."
"And you think you are fit for the throne?" she asked, genuinely wondering.
"I am more suitable than he is. If I have you at my side."
There was the catch, and she narrowed her eyes at him, suspicious. "What does that entail?"
"You are my side, my Queen and confidant, adviser. You at my side, and in my bed."
She snorted at his words and shook her head, turning her eyes to the city in the distance.
"I'm not going to be your plaything again, Epharis," she said, heading back in the direction of the city.
He gripped her wrist and immediately let go when she looked down at his hand.
"I will not touch you until you are ready. But I will require an heir."
"Find yourself a consort, it matters none to me. Have a whole harem for all I care."
He gritted his teeth, moving to block her path. "I would have no woman but you."
She might have been flattered; had she not been contemplating blowing him into lich bits.
"You will not touch me if I do not wish it?" she clarified, and he nodded.
"Should you desire it, we will have an heir," he said calmly.
She contemplated that, the fact that she could refuse him forever and throw women in his path for him to hopefully latch onto. But then she recalled what Sobek had said, and she was irritated to know that she was the only reason a lich could procreate, but Bast had blessed her that even if he did try to force her, she would not bear him a child again.
"Very well Epharis. I will help you, but you must perform your magic today."
He extended his hand, and she took it, his smile wide while she felt frustrated that he had entwined her in his life once more.
It was she who opened the gate back to the room and as she stepped through, Daemon let out a breath and Epharis stepped through after her, still entirely intact.
"He has agreed," she said simply, her protectors exchanging a relieved sigh.
Her eyes turned to the twins, Jaia staring hard at her and Kai looking like he was going to cry.
"What is your answer?" she demanded, and the twins exchanged a look.
"Etani please just let us explain," Kai whimpered but her cold stare silenced him.
Jaia nodded once and she looked back to him, his stern expression faltering under her cold glare.
It was the second time that man had ripped out her heart, but now her heart was frozen. She would never give him a third chance.
"Where is my gem?" she asked Versalis. He stepped forward; the thing still lifeless around his throat.
Turning her eyes to Daemon, he studied it and then looked to her with a significant glance. Loki had been right; they needed the lich and vampires.
"Come to my rooms, we will do this there," Epharis said, glancing at the gem.
She swept across the room and Epharis growled at the demon who had made to follow her.
"Shut up, lich. I'm not leaving you alone with her," the demon growled, but she waved him down.
"Calm, my love I will be safe."
Daemon looked doubtful but he accepted her words and stepped back to Uzo and Jagum, his smirk blatant on Jaia at her choice of endearment.
Jaia looked like he had swallowed glass and his eye was twitching, Kai gripping his arm to keep him from making any stupid moves.
"I'll be back for you two tomorrow," she told the twins and left the room, the lich taking her arm and guiding her regardless of the fact that she knew where to go.
"You shouldn't torture them," Epharis scolded gently, and she looked to him.
"I never thought you would be one to defend them, especially with my past relationship with Jaia."
"The key word there is 'past'. That vampire has as much chance of being with you as I do."
She snorted her agreement, and he squeezed her arm, guiding her into his cluttered room where he stopped to have three, then five humans brought up.
In silence they set to work removing the books and papers from his table and he motioned to her chest.
Without a word she began to tug down the heart neckline and his eyes lingered on the curves of her breasts in the brassier, adding spectacular new heights to their plumpness.
Sitting on the edge of the table, he moved in front of her and stared down at her hungrily, but her returned stare was indifferent.
He sighed and hitched her back on the table, allowing her to lie down on it and she stretched her arms up in the air above her, her silver nails glistening in the light.
"Will you fill me in on everything that happened since the twins returned?" he asked, and she glanced at him, shrugging.
She began to fill him in while they waited, reaching down to itch at the spot around the golden anklet and she smiled at his sucked in breath when she hitched up the skirt to her knee to better reach her ankle and the fabric slid down to expose the length of her thigh.
She had to admit she was enjoying the attention of the man who should have no sexual desires, but there he was wanting her like a hormonal teenager.
She hadn't bothered to tug her skirt down when the humans were brought in and the guard's eyes almost bugged out of his head at the sight, her eyes turning to him with her breasts partially exposed, her exposed thigh and those eyes that could seduce any man.
"Run along now," she purred at the guard, and he backed from the room, unable to tear his eyes off her until the door closed.
"You're going to make their heads explode," the lich said jealously.
She laughed, the sound low and slightly sexual as she slid the fabric with deliberate slowness back down towards her knee.
All eyes were on the hiss of fabric over skin and the lich shivered, growling at her before he set to work.
She had his promise, regardless of how much she teased him and rubbed it in that he was capable of sexual need. She knew it would drive him crazy with lust and she was enjoying the scent of his desire.
He forced himself to focus on his task and he took her hand, his lips touching her wrist and she flinched as his nail cut along the crease in her skin. He caught the blood in his cupped hand and when the healing had the blood stopping, he licked her skin clean.
Without a word, he picked up the amulet and placed it over the first humans' head. The man looked terrified and she smiled at the remembered course of events.
One by one the men dropped, one by one the amulet began to glow and then he was at her head, using the last of the blood to trace the ruin on her skin.
He placed the leather strip between her teeth and she exhaled slowly, preparing herself mentally for what was to come.
The amulet felt heavy against her breast and he closed his eyes, his fingers splayed against her head.
The pain began to dig into her and she gasped, her own eyes clenching shut but she didn't fight it this time, letting he teasing coldness creep into her.
It burned like acid and she screamed through the pain as it reached down through her body and encircled her racing heart.
She was ready for it, not wanting to risk her success against it being what had allowed her to stay mostly herself.
Swiping at the tendrils, they seemed oddly more aggressive and her screams cut off into a terrible silence as the tendrils of cold ripped through her.
Throwing herself downwards, she found herself standing before that strange childlike figure.
"We no play with Fae," it said and it was he who shoved her down, landing lightly at the door of her soul home.
The demon was waiting for her, his grin wide.
"So you're the one Daemon has been so obsessed with?" he asked. She only smiled slightly.
"And you're the reason he found me?" she asked, and his grin grew wider.
She had suspected that this demon had been how her demon had found her, but he had clarified her suspicions.
"I hope you don't plan to fight me again," she said, the demon shaking his head.
"No, little Faerie Queen. I will not waste time trying to fight you, I only came to repeat the process and let you move on. We are all counting on you to stop the Creators."
She lifted her brows, as he approached her, his fingers light on her jaw.
He stepped past her, her soul moving forward to meet him, his hands going into her core and she sank to her knees, pain ripping through her.
He withdrew his hands, smiling at her before he vanished, leaving her alone with her soul.
Letari seemed to melt into focus beside her, the pale beauty smiling down at her and helped her to her feet.
Immediately she pulled her twin into her arms and the two embraced tightly.
"I'm so glad you're back," Etani whispered and Letari laughed gently, clinging to her.
"Me too E, I missed you so much."
They hadn't had time to be together and even then she could feel her body pulling at her.
"Go and kick the lich for me," Letari said and she laughed, kissing her twin's cheek before allowing herself to be drawn up.
She gasped as she sat up, her body humming with the energy of the dead humans and she turned to look at an exhausted Epharis.
Moving to him, he inched over to give her room in his seat and she kissed his cheek gently.
"The demons are rooting for me," she said and he laughed softly, slipping his arm around her and she settled into his side until he recovered.