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“When?” I asked.
“That I don’t know, only that it’s soon. That’s why Kaden needed the book so quickly.”
So he had a date and a plan the whole time, and I had been none the wiser. He’d kept everything from me. Had he planned to sacrifice me as well? Or did he not trust me at all? I had been so dumb to stay as long as I had, but I could do nothing about that now.
“Who else knows?”
Caleb swallowed a lump in his throat. “Everyone in his court. Except you.”
“Why?” The words seeped out like acid.
“I don’t know.”
“Julian lied to me about having information, and so did you. Shame on you. Even your mutts leave behind prints, and I have a witch that told me what I already knew. Whoever you sent after me needed a pretty powerful nose to track me all the way to Camilla’s borders. They also needed to know how to hunt so that a god or I could detect them. Isn’t your cousin a photographer?”
His pulse skipped beneath my palm.
“I noticed the frames on the screen when Kaden showed them. They were amateurish and at a poor angle. Whoever took them was trying to sneak up on the World Ender and me. I also remember him bragging about the new camera you had gotten him. A birthday present, wasn’t it?”
His eyes never left mine “You can’t blame me. Kaden commands, and we do. It’s how it’s always been. I must do what I can to keep my family safe. You, of all, should understand.”
I nodded slowly and clicked my tongue. “I do.”
My hand tightened on his throat, and I dropped the wall of flame.
“That’s why I want them to watch as I kill you. Then I’m going to eat your pack, and when you watch from the other side as they die screaming, I hope it rips you apart as it did me when she died.”
With a brutal twist, I ripped his head off and tossed it to the center of the room, the thud echoing in the room.
“I am curious,” I said as I turned around, shaking the blood from my hands. A dozen wolves snapped their teeth at me, their snarls a chorus of death as they slowly approached. “How many wolves does it take to make a fur coat?”
Sixteen
Samkiel
You’re running out of time.
An unknown voice whispered in my head, but it was more than a voice. It was a feeling, and one I couldn’t explain. The first snowfall of winter began to dust the world in a light flurry. It landed upon the street and sidewalks, a nice coat of white over the city. I stood amongst the mortals and celestials as they went about their busy day. Several people stopped to take pictures on their phones, but for the most part, they did not bother me. Some stared too long, but they kept their distance even as they whispered and gawked.
I should be accustomed to it. I have had nothing but beings praising me since the minute I was born. Their symbol of hope and peace and a promise of a new world. A responsibility I soon learned to dread. I pushed off the lamppost and turned toward the large window. My reflection shone back, the long coat hanging to my knees over the dark shirt and pants. I sighed and looked past it, staring inside. Logan got up from his seat, the older gentleman brushing remnants of hair off his shoulders as he smiled and laughed. Logan slipped him more than enough money to pay for the haircut. The man tried to decline but failed. The door chimed, and Logan joined me on the street, people moving out of his way.
I handed him a coffee, steam dancing off the top.
“You know the Guild has barbers, too?” Logan accepted the cup gratefully and took a sip as we started down the sidewalk. We towered over most of the mortals, and they moved out of our way almost instinctively. Silver City had become one of the most popular places in all of Onuna. It had grown substantially since it was first established, now a bustling city with buildings that reached past the clouds, filled with businesses, shops, stores, and homes as far as the eye could see.
I glanced at him as I sipped my drink. “Yes, there are, but I needed to get you out of the Guild. If you are not holed up there, you are gone all night.”
His eyes cut to mine. He didn’t explain why he had been gone so much, but I knew. Logan still searched for Neverra. He would until the mark on his hand burned out. So far, there had been no trace of her in this realm, which seemed inconceivable.
“Besides, think of it as a gift for how you helped me not look so,” I searched for the right word, “rough, I suppose.”
He had spent so much time worrying about everyone else he had let himself go. His hair had been unruly, and a beard had obscured his face for a while now.
“Thanks.” He forced a smile, but it didn’t reach his eyes. Nothing had existed in his eyes but rage and despair for weeks. I was losing him. I knew that, and I refused to let it happen.
“Do you want to talk about it?”
Logan chuckled. “It’s funny hearing you say that to me. When you first got back, it was I who asked.”
