“Just keep walking, Scion,” Ethan snarled, but his voice shook. “He wasn’t your brother, he was mine.”
I made the mistake of glancing over my shoulder at the painting Ethan had just passed. A man in tattered clothes lay stretched out on a table, agony etched on his face, his mouth open in an eternal cry of pain. Dark shapes loomed in the shadows at the edge of the painting, watching him. I wished I didn’t recognize the man, but I knew Ethan’s brother, Kyle, the moment I looked at the painting and I felt sick. It was my fault he was trapped forever, his torture feeding the wraiths. I’d thought I was doing my duty, protecting Shay, when I’d killed his partner, Stuart, and handed Kyle over to the Keepers for questioning. How many other choices had I made while serving the Keepers that had destroyed the lives of people I now called allies and friends?
A hand brushed my fur. I turned to find Shay watching me, his eyes bright with concern.
He offered me a thin smile. “I’m not trying to pet you. I just want to say that the past is the past. You didn’t know. Neither of us did.”
I pushed my nose against his palm as I tried to erase the horror of the painting from my mind.
We had turned the corner to enter the manor’s central corridor when Connor gave a shout. His blades flashed out, hitting something solid and then clanging off as the blow was deflected.
He spewed curses, stomping his feet and kicking the wall. “Statues! For the love—” He began to swear again.
“Connor, you’re making me blush,” Adne said, stepping forward to inspect the marble succubus.
I barked at Shay, wagging my tail. He flashed a grin at me, sharing the memory of my first visit to Rowan Estate. I couldn’t blame Connor for his reaction. The statues were just too realistic.
“You’ll have to watch out for that,” Shay said. “The statues are all over.”
“A ready-made army,” Connor said. He glared at the statue. “Just waiting.”
“An army that we fought during our last visit,” Ethan said. “Remember? How come these aren’t outside playing with their friends?”
“Rowan Estate’s creatures are still dormant.” Shay rapped his knuckles on the succubus’s stone forehead. “The minions outside must be the Keepers’ pets from Eden. That means Bosque isn’t here. He hasn’t summoned them.”
“Or he wants us to think he isn’t here,” Connor said.
Shay frowned. “I don’t think so. Only the wolves are fighting. Bosque had all his creatures in the mix in the last fight. He’s not here. Not yet.”
“Only one way to know for sure.” Connor made a rude gesture at the statue and then continued down the corridor.
My heart seemed to be stuck in my throat, beating hard as we stepped into the grand foyer of the manor. Suits of armor and more hideous creatures cast in marble circled the room, standing like guards before the immense staircase.
The Searchers’ footsteps and the clatter of our wolf nails echoed in the enormous space, bouncing off the walls all the way to the immense crystal chandelier hanging above our heads.
“Up the stairs,” Shay murmured.
Connor nodded and we began to ascend. With each step my body felt colder.
Ren brushed up against me. Did you really spend time here?
Yeah. I glanced around. Quite a bit, actually.
Ugh. He shuddered. You’ve got a stronger stomach than me.
It’s better when you don’t know the whole place wants to come alive and kill you. I flashed my teeth at him.
Oh, I’m sure it is. He nipped my shoulder.
When we reached the top of the stairs, Connor drew a long breath. Then he reached for the library door. The handle turned and I heard a soft click.
“Open,” he murmured. “I don’t think I can take this one as a good sign.”
“It’s not,” Shay said. “But I didn’t expect this to go well. Did you?”
“Go on,” Ethan said, jerking his chin at Connor. “No rest for the wicked.”
“Is that our slogan?” Connor asked as he pushed the door open. “Or theirs?”
“Take your pick.” Ethan lifted his crossbow.
A soft glow filled the library; the subtle light of lamps ensconced among the shelves made the room feel warm and inviting. If I hadn’t known any better, I’d have thought it a peaceful place to curl up with a favorite book.
My father stiffened as a growl rumbled in his chest. His nose crinkled up.
Emile.
Bryn began to snarl, her hackles rising.
Familiar scents drew my attention too. The Bane alpha was here, but he wasn’t alone.
“Welcome.” Lumine stood alongside the bookcase that contained the Haldis Annals. She extended her hand to us.
“We’ve been expecting you.” Efron smiled. He was sitting beside her in a high-backed leather chair. Two wolves lay at his feet, their eyes fixed on us. Sabine’s gaze was steady, while Emile’s gleamed with malice. Logan stood behind his father, his face fixed in a mask of indifference.
“That’s disappointing,” Connor said. “Now we can’t yell ‘surprise!’”
“Glib. How charming.” Lumine offered him a condescending smile and arched an eyebrow. “We can make you this offer. Leave the Scion alone with us and your lives will be spared.”
I snarled and Ethan lifted his crossbow. “That’s an offer?” His eyes were on Sabine, and he was gripping his weapon so tightly the blood had left his knuckles. She returned his gaze calmly, remaining so still she could have been one of the statues in the hallway.
“Not very tempting, is it?” Adne’s whip hissed along the floor.
“Fine.” Lumine’s ruby red lips parted, her smile revealing gleaming teeth. She raised her hand and began to draw a flaming symbol in the air.
“Here comes the wraith,” Connor muttered.
“I’ve got this.” Shay stepped forward as the fiery symbol exploded into a writhing, dark creature.
“Kill them,” Lumine said, waving her hand lazily in our direction.
The wraith slithered across the floor. Shay took two bounds and launched himself in the air, flipping across the room to land in front of the wraith.
“Now he’s just showing off,” Connor said.
The Elemental Cross sliced through its shadowy form. The wraith shrieked, its body boiling away into smoke.
I made the mistake of glancing over my shoulder at the painting Ethan had just passed. A man in tattered clothes lay stretched out on a table, agony etched on his face, his mouth open in an eternal cry of pain. Dark shapes loomed in the shadows at the edge of the painting, watching him. I wished I didn’t recognize the man, but I knew Ethan’s brother, Kyle, the moment I looked at the painting and I felt sick. It was my fault he was trapped forever, his torture feeding the wraiths. I’d thought I was doing my duty, protecting Shay, when I’d killed his partner, Stuart, and handed Kyle over to the Keepers for questioning. How many other choices had I made while serving the Keepers that had destroyed the lives of people I now called allies and friends?
A hand brushed my fur. I turned to find Shay watching me, his eyes bright with concern.
He offered me a thin smile. “I’m not trying to pet you. I just want to say that the past is the past. You didn’t know. Neither of us did.”
I pushed my nose against his palm as I tried to erase the horror of the painting from my mind.
We had turned the corner to enter the manor’s central corridor when Connor gave a shout. His blades flashed out, hitting something solid and then clanging off as the blow was deflected.
He spewed curses, stomping his feet and kicking the wall. “Statues! For the love—” He began to swear again.
“Connor, you’re making me blush,” Adne said, stepping forward to inspect the marble succubus.
I barked at Shay, wagging my tail. He flashed a grin at me, sharing the memory of my first visit to Rowan Estate. I couldn’t blame Connor for his reaction. The statues were just too realistic.
“You’ll have to watch out for that,” Shay said. “The statues are all over.”
“A ready-made army,” Connor said. He glared at the statue. “Just waiting.”
“An army that we fought during our last visit,” Ethan said. “Remember? How come these aren’t outside playing with their friends?”
“Rowan Estate’s creatures are still dormant.” Shay rapped his knuckles on the succubus’s stone forehead. “The minions outside must be the Keepers’ pets from Eden. That means Bosque isn’t here. He hasn’t summoned them.”
“Or he wants us to think he isn’t here,” Connor said.
Shay frowned. “I don’t think so. Only the wolves are fighting. Bosque had all his creatures in the mix in the last fight. He’s not here. Not yet.”
“Only one way to know for sure.” Connor made a rude gesture at the statue and then continued down the corridor.
My heart seemed to be stuck in my throat, beating hard as we stepped into the grand foyer of the manor. Suits of armor and more hideous creatures cast in marble circled the room, standing like guards before the immense staircase.
The Searchers’ footsteps and the clatter of our wolf nails echoed in the enormous space, bouncing off the walls all the way to the immense crystal chandelier hanging above our heads.
“Up the stairs,” Shay murmured.
Connor nodded and we began to ascend. With each step my body felt colder.
Ren brushed up against me. Did you really spend time here?
Yeah. I glanced around. Quite a bit, actually.
Ugh. He shuddered. You’ve got a stronger stomach than me.
It’s better when you don’t know the whole place wants to come alive and kill you. I flashed my teeth at him.
Oh, I’m sure it is. He nipped my shoulder.
When we reached the top of the stairs, Connor drew a long breath. Then he reached for the library door. The handle turned and I heard a soft click.
“Open,” he murmured. “I don’t think I can take this one as a good sign.”
“It’s not,” Shay said. “But I didn’t expect this to go well. Did you?”
“Go on,” Ethan said, jerking his chin at Connor. “No rest for the wicked.”
“Is that our slogan?” Connor asked as he pushed the door open. “Or theirs?”
“Take your pick.” Ethan lifted his crossbow.
A soft glow filled the library; the subtle light of lamps ensconced among the shelves made the room feel warm and inviting. If I hadn’t known any better, I’d have thought it a peaceful place to curl up with a favorite book.
My father stiffened as a growl rumbled in his chest. His nose crinkled up.
Emile.
Bryn began to snarl, her hackles rising.
Familiar scents drew my attention too. The Bane alpha was here, but he wasn’t alone.
“Welcome.” Lumine stood alongside the bookcase that contained the Haldis Annals. She extended her hand to us.
“We’ve been expecting you.” Efron smiled. He was sitting beside her in a high-backed leather chair. Two wolves lay at his feet, their eyes fixed on us. Sabine’s gaze was steady, while Emile’s gleamed with malice. Logan stood behind his father, his face fixed in a mask of indifference.
“That’s disappointing,” Connor said. “Now we can’t yell ‘surprise!’”
“Glib. How charming.” Lumine offered him a condescending smile and arched an eyebrow. “We can make you this offer. Leave the Scion alone with us and your lives will be spared.”
I snarled and Ethan lifted his crossbow. “That’s an offer?” His eyes were on Sabine, and he was gripping his weapon so tightly the blood had left his knuckles. She returned his gaze calmly, remaining so still she could have been one of the statues in the hallway.
“Not very tempting, is it?” Adne’s whip hissed along the floor.
“Fine.” Lumine’s ruby red lips parted, her smile revealing gleaming teeth. She raised her hand and began to draw a flaming symbol in the air.
“Here comes the wraith,” Connor muttered.
“I’ve got this.” Shay stepped forward as the fiery symbol exploded into a writhing, dark creature.
“Kill them,” Lumine said, waving her hand lazily in our direction.
The wraith slithered across the floor. Shay took two bounds and launched himself in the air, flipping across the room to land in front of the wraith.
“Now he’s just showing off,” Connor said.
The Elemental Cross sliced through its shadowy form. The wraith shrieked, its body boiling away into smoke.
