Total pages in book: 90
Estimated words: 84864 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 424(@200wpm)___ 339(@250wpm)___ 283(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 84864 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 424(@200wpm)___ 339(@250wpm)___ 283(@300wpm)
I sat back in the chair. How the fuck was I supposed to accept that?
The door behind us swung open and Saint stormed in looking more haggard than normal, and the look in his eyes—
I stood. “Saint?”
“I know where he is.” He blew by without another word, shoving through the infirmary doors and heading upstairs.
“Go,” Grace said. “He needs you.”
I moved quickly, scooping her into my arms. “I’m not leaving you to navigate the steps on your own.” Glancing toward Gabriel, I nodded out of respect. “Thank you for all you continue to do for my mate.”
The answering bob of his head was sad.
I sped Grace up the steps, then followed the sounds of arguing to the library. Seconds later, we made it into the room just ahead of the other assassins, who had all come running.
Spotting an empty couch in the two-story library, I slowed and gently set Grace down, then turned to face Saint and Jocelyn, who weren’t keeping their voices down despite Alek standing with his arms crossed beside them.
“Because I know the territory!” Saint seethed, his hands curling into fists.
“And you dare insinuate that Luna would know? That she’d shelter that bloodmad lunatic?” Jocelyn shouted, her hair beginning to rise around her.
Oh shit.
Benedict sped by me in a whirl of air, putting himself between Saint and his mate. “That’s close enough.”
“Fuck me,” Zachariah muttered, moving closer to Saint. Every hunter in the room did.
Every assassin? They stood in front of Jocelyn.
Scratch that. They tried to stand in front of her. She shoved her way through the line of males to stand at Benedict’s side. “If she knew, she would have told me.”
“Be that as it may, I’ve seen flashes of the house Aurora was taken to at first,” Saint growled. “And it’s in Greenbriar territory. Witch territory.”
“The Greenbriars were tossed off witch land,” Jocelyn argued, baring her teeth. “My sister is a good queen. An honorable queen. She wouldn’t allow that coven to exist in her territory.”
“I know what I saw.” Saint glowered at her, giving her a look that would have sent seasoned fighters running for the hills.
“What you saw?” Jocelyn tossed back. “Where?”
“In Aurora’s nightmares!” he snapped.
Fuck. Zachariah and I shared a look, and the hunters moved closer to protect our brother. The assassins looked…green.
“You can see inside her dreams?” Alek asked, narrowing his eyes on Saint in a way that elevated my blood pressure.
“I can,” Saint spit out. “I can alter them, too.”
Alek gave us all a once-over, his eyebrows rising when he realized that none of us looked shocked. “And you all knew.”
Zachariah stepped forward. “It wasn’t exactly a power that was looked upon with any acceptance in our day. I’ve known more than one dreamwalker who lost his head over the ability.”
Shit, I wanted Grace out of here. Now.
Alek’s eyes flared. “And you thought I would take his head for it?”
“We weren’t going to take the risk.” I edged myself between Saint and Lachlan. The second-in-command was a big fucker and a phenomenal fighter, but I had literal time on my side. And I never lost.
“You have to be fucking kidding me.” Alek ran his hands through his hair and looked at everyone—including his own assassins, shaking his head in disappointment. “At some point we’re all going to have to trust each other. You get that, don’t you?”
Silence was the only answer as seconds ticked by on the giant grandfather clock.
“You’re going to have to start trusting me!” Alek’s voice rose.
“In our defense, you did want us to kill Saint,” Dagon said, digging something out of his boot with the tip of his dagger. “That didn’t exactly give us warm, fuzzy feelings.”
“When I thought he was the one who kidnapped Avianna!” Alek argued. “When we thought he was bloodmad!” Color rose in the king’s cheeks.
“And if the second part of that was still true?” Saint asked, his icy tone far more lethal than Alek’s shouts. “Would you order my death?”
Alek took a single step, putting him within inches of Saint.
I shot Lachlan a look that dared him to come any closer.
“Don’t forget that I can see inside your mind,” Alek said to Saint. “You may walk the edge, even wobble a little, but you have not fallen over the line. If you can see inside dreams, then you provide us—” he motioned to all of us who had managed to cram ourselves into the space between the farthest couch and the nearest bookshelf, “—with an unparalleled weapon for interrogation. I would have welcomed the gift you were so intent on hiding. I still do.”
Saint’s chin rose. “Then believe me when I tell you that I saw the Greenbriars welcome Samuel as he dragged Aurora into the house. Believe me when I say it’s in the territory of the witches.”
“I do believe you.” Alek nodded at Saint without even looking Benedict’s direction to see if Saint told the truth, and I took an unsteady breath. “I believe that you saw the house. I believe you know where it is.” He glanced at Jocelyn. “I believe that Luna is unaware of its existence.” He brought his focus back to Saint. “I also believe that there’s an explanation as to how both truths can exist at the same time.”