“It was necessary for you to murder her?” My eyes were burning, but I blinked away tears as quickly as I could. There was no way in hell I would let Lumine see me cry.
She clucked her tongue with a soft laugh, and it was all I could do not to throw myself on her in a fury of claws and teeth. “Murder? Hardly, Calla. And I’m quite certain you wouldn’t see it that way if your mind hadn’t been so horribly corrupted by . . . outside influences.”
I dug my fingernails into the coverlet.
“You once believed in duty. In loyalty,” she continued. “Your mother failed in her most important role. And she paid the price.”
I glanced at my father, but he was still frozen. Neither looking at me nor Lumine, instead his gray eyes were lost in some unknown, distant place.
Lumine was still speaking. “Your brother’s punishment was a warning.”
“A warning,” I said quietly, a growl curling around my words.
“To the rest of your pack,” she said. “Treachery must be met by swift retribution.”
“He did nothing wrong.” I bared my teeth at her and she smiled.
“Didn’t he?” she asked. “Can you show me those deadly fangs and believe that your brother, who has always adored you, had no suspicions that you wanted someone other than your intended?”
Blood climbed from my neck into my cheeks as my heart began beating too quickly.
“Don’t you think he guessed you would risk your own life, and the well-being of your family and friends, all for a teenage girl’s infatuation?”
“Infatuation!” I shrieked. “I fell in love with Shay and found out you were going to sacrifice him! You wanted Ren and me to kill him!”
Despite my outburst, Lumine’s smile became more serene. The heat in my cheeks gave way to a creeping cold.
Damn it. She’d been provoking me and I’d just given her information. I didn’t want to give her anything. Except maybe some ugly scars.
Lumine appeared to interpret my sudden silence as submission rather than frustration.
“I can’t give you all the time I’d like, Calla.” Her voice wrapped around me like a python about to constrict. “But I’ve discussed this matter in depth with your father. Listen to him. Listen to us and everything can be all right. Even for your brother. And your pack.”
I met her eyes, searching for deception, but only found a confident, hard gaze.
“You’ll help Ansel?”
She nodded. “Everything can be as it was.”
As it was. My broken past made whole again.
“If you’ll help us,” she said.
I didn’t answer her. I couldn’t have spoken if I’d wanted to. My limbs were shaking, my head still throbbing, and my throat was parched.
“Stephen.” Lumine extended her hand to my father. He approached the bed warily. “Emile and Efron will arrive within the hour. Use this time wisely. As we’ve agreed.”
“Of course, mistress.” My father inclined his head as Lumine rose. She left the room with the wraith trailing behind her.
The moment the shadow creature was out of sight, I shuddered and slumped against my pillows.
“Here.” My father picked up a glass sitting on the nightstand. “Drink this.”
I eyed the glass and shook my head.
He smiled wryly. “It’s just water, Calla. I poured it myself.”
“Thanks,” I said hoarsely, taking the glass. I looked at the clear liquid for a moment, wondering if I could trust my father. Wondering if it even mattered. The water eased the pain of my dry throat as I drank.
“How long have I been here?”
“They brought you in the night before last,” he said. “You’ve been in and out of consciousness because they let the wraith continue to feed on you.” He growled, glancing toward the door. “So you’d be weak for questioning, open to suggestion.”
“What do they want?” I asked, handing the glass back to him.
“They want you to tell them where Shay is,” he said without missing a beat.
I crumpled a bit as relief blanketed my limbs. Shay wasn’t here. He was safe. That at least was something.
“I won’t,” I said, meeting his steady gaze. “I would never betray him.”
“I didn’t think you would.”
He was watching me closely, but I couldn’t read the emotions on his face. Confusion, maybe? Worry?
“Your brother . . . ,” he said carefully. “Is he—?”
“He’s safe,” I said.
“Is he well?”
I began to shake my head and something burst inside me. I cried out, burying my face in my hands. My body shuddered as I sobbed, the recent losses finally overtaking me. My mother, my brother, Lydia, Silas, Mr. Selby . . . and maybe others that had been killed after I’d blacked out. What had any of it been for? After everything I was back where I’d started in Vail, subject to the whims of my mistress. Maybe there wasn’t any way to escape destiny.
My father’s arms were around me. I was too distraught to react, though I knew I should be startled. I couldn’t remember the last time he’d hugged me. He’d often tussle affectionately with Ansel and me when we were wolves, but that served as a fighting exercise as much as a form of bonding. When we were human, my father was always reserved. Now his shoulders were shaking and he was weeping as openly as I was.
We stayed that way, leaning on each other, both lost in grief, until I pulled away. Rubbing my bleary eyes, I turned back to the window. Though my room was on the second floor, it wasn’t a far drop to the ground. Maybe this was my only chance. Maybe my father would come with me.
“No, Calla,” he said, resting his hand on my shoulder. “There are Banes all around the perimeter of our compound. You might be able to fight off two or three of them, but eventually they’d overwhelm you.”
I turned to face him, unsurprised that he’d read my thoughts so easily. After all, he’d raised me to think and act like a warrior, always seeking a way to gain the upper hand.
“Can we talk?” I whispered, searching his eyes for any sign of his true feelings about all that was happening around us. My father loved order, control. His world had devolved into chaos. And from the way he’d just held me and wept with me, I knew something inside him had been ripped apart by what the Keepers had done to our family.
She clucked her tongue with a soft laugh, and it was all I could do not to throw myself on her in a fury of claws and teeth. “Murder? Hardly, Calla. And I’m quite certain you wouldn’t see it that way if your mind hadn’t been so horribly corrupted by . . . outside influences.”
I dug my fingernails into the coverlet.
“You once believed in duty. In loyalty,” she continued. “Your mother failed in her most important role. And she paid the price.”
I glanced at my father, but he was still frozen. Neither looking at me nor Lumine, instead his gray eyes were lost in some unknown, distant place.
Lumine was still speaking. “Your brother’s punishment was a warning.”
“A warning,” I said quietly, a growl curling around my words.
“To the rest of your pack,” she said. “Treachery must be met by swift retribution.”
“He did nothing wrong.” I bared my teeth at her and she smiled.
“Didn’t he?” she asked. “Can you show me those deadly fangs and believe that your brother, who has always adored you, had no suspicions that you wanted someone other than your intended?”
Blood climbed from my neck into my cheeks as my heart began beating too quickly.
“Don’t you think he guessed you would risk your own life, and the well-being of your family and friends, all for a teenage girl’s infatuation?”
“Infatuation!” I shrieked. “I fell in love with Shay and found out you were going to sacrifice him! You wanted Ren and me to kill him!”
Despite my outburst, Lumine’s smile became more serene. The heat in my cheeks gave way to a creeping cold.
Damn it. She’d been provoking me and I’d just given her information. I didn’t want to give her anything. Except maybe some ugly scars.
Lumine appeared to interpret my sudden silence as submission rather than frustration.
“I can’t give you all the time I’d like, Calla.” Her voice wrapped around me like a python about to constrict. “But I’ve discussed this matter in depth with your father. Listen to him. Listen to us and everything can be all right. Even for your brother. And your pack.”
I met her eyes, searching for deception, but only found a confident, hard gaze.
“You’ll help Ansel?”
She nodded. “Everything can be as it was.”
As it was. My broken past made whole again.
“If you’ll help us,” she said.
I didn’t answer her. I couldn’t have spoken if I’d wanted to. My limbs were shaking, my head still throbbing, and my throat was parched.
“Stephen.” Lumine extended her hand to my father. He approached the bed warily. “Emile and Efron will arrive within the hour. Use this time wisely. As we’ve agreed.”
“Of course, mistress.” My father inclined his head as Lumine rose. She left the room with the wraith trailing behind her.
The moment the shadow creature was out of sight, I shuddered and slumped against my pillows.
“Here.” My father picked up a glass sitting on the nightstand. “Drink this.”
I eyed the glass and shook my head.
He smiled wryly. “It’s just water, Calla. I poured it myself.”
“Thanks,” I said hoarsely, taking the glass. I looked at the clear liquid for a moment, wondering if I could trust my father. Wondering if it even mattered. The water eased the pain of my dry throat as I drank.
“How long have I been here?”
“They brought you in the night before last,” he said. “You’ve been in and out of consciousness because they let the wraith continue to feed on you.” He growled, glancing toward the door. “So you’d be weak for questioning, open to suggestion.”
“What do they want?” I asked, handing the glass back to him.
“They want you to tell them where Shay is,” he said without missing a beat.
I crumpled a bit as relief blanketed my limbs. Shay wasn’t here. He was safe. That at least was something.
“I won’t,” I said, meeting his steady gaze. “I would never betray him.”
“I didn’t think you would.”
He was watching me closely, but I couldn’t read the emotions on his face. Confusion, maybe? Worry?
“Your brother . . . ,” he said carefully. “Is he—?”
“He’s safe,” I said.
“Is he well?”
I began to shake my head and something burst inside me. I cried out, burying my face in my hands. My body shuddered as I sobbed, the recent losses finally overtaking me. My mother, my brother, Lydia, Silas, Mr. Selby . . . and maybe others that had been killed after I’d blacked out. What had any of it been for? After everything I was back where I’d started in Vail, subject to the whims of my mistress. Maybe there wasn’t any way to escape destiny.
My father’s arms were around me. I was too distraught to react, though I knew I should be startled. I couldn’t remember the last time he’d hugged me. He’d often tussle affectionately with Ansel and me when we were wolves, but that served as a fighting exercise as much as a form of bonding. When we were human, my father was always reserved. Now his shoulders were shaking and he was weeping as openly as I was.
We stayed that way, leaning on each other, both lost in grief, until I pulled away. Rubbing my bleary eyes, I turned back to the window. Though my room was on the second floor, it wasn’t a far drop to the ground. Maybe this was my only chance. Maybe my father would come with me.
“No, Calla,” he said, resting his hand on my shoulder. “There are Banes all around the perimeter of our compound. You might be able to fight off two or three of them, but eventually they’d overwhelm you.”
I turned to face him, unsurprised that he’d read my thoughts so easily. After all, he’d raised me to think and act like a warrior, always seeking a way to gain the upper hand.
“Can we talk?” I whispered, searching his eyes for any sign of his true feelings about all that was happening around us. My father loved order, control. His world had devolved into chaos. And from the way he’d just held me and wept with me, I knew something inside him had been ripped apart by what the Keepers had done to our family.
