Page 194 of Of Masks and Fury

Kerralyn’s pen had stopped moving across her journal pages. Keek’s eyes blazed from her shoulder, unblinking and feral. Dare pawed at the floorboards as if he’d burst into bull form and rampage through the room.

But it was Trew who caught most of my attention.

His hand had been resting on my knee, a casual touch of connection. Now his fingers tightened. The air around him began to heat, subtly at first, then building until sweat prickled along my spine.

I looked up at him, and my breath snagged in my throat.

Trew’s golden eyes had turned to burning amber, his pupils blowing wide with a predator’s focus until only a thin, shimmering ring of light remained. The careful control he wore like armor had shattered, revealing the primal, lethal man beneath. Magic coiled around him in thick waves, making the air shimmer.

Pherin and Gavelle snarled in harmony, the sound raising every hair on my body. They stood on the back of the sofa behind us, their wings spread, twin flames of protective fury ready to rage across the world to protect us.

“He touched you.” Trew’s voice came out soft, deadly quiet. The kind of quiet that came before violence. “Spoke to you. Smiled at you while knowing—” He stopped, clenching his jaw so hard his teeth ground together.

Every interaction with Lord Alfred cascaded through my memory in horrifying detail.

All along, he’d known about the veil and my abilities. About everything.

He hadn’t watched me with desire. He’d been measuring me against some unknown standard, determining my worth, my usefulness because he’d lost the use of my sister.

And he’d stood at the altar, ready to claim me as his bride, knowing full well he’d tortured my sister in the west tower. Eagerfor the opportunity to do the same thing to me. How he must have laughed.

Bile burned up my throat.

Trew’s breathing had gone ragged, his chest rising and falling in harsh rhythm. “I’m going to destroy him.” The promise landed with absolute certainty. It wasn’t a threat but a vow.

I raised my hand to his face, stroking along his jaw, feeling the muscle jump beneath my palm. His eyes met mine, wild with rage and endless darkness. He’d snap soon and only the fates knew what he’d do next.

“Wewill destroy him,” I said.

His hand came up to cover mine, pressing my palm harder against his face. For a moment we stayed like that, breathing each other’s air, letting fury bind us as surely as love had.

“Who’s the second controller then?” Derren asked, dragging us back to the reality we couldn’t escape. “The red-haired woman. You said she was there.”

I closed my eyes, reaching for the memory I’d pulled from Addie’s mind. “She either hung in the shadows or kept her back to Addie.” When I opened my eyes, I found Trew’s again. “I don’t think it was Kira though.”

“Unless she’s using bloodfire magic,” Kerralyn said. “Then she’d age and rejuvenate. She could appear however she pleased.”

“Coralee’s research revealed that bloodfire bonds aren’t just forbidden because they’re cruel,” I said. “They allow the bonded to drain life force from their victim and use it to extend their own years.”

Addie’s face paled.

“The woman with red hair could be Kira’s grandmother or mother or even her,” Kerralyn said, her pen moving across the page again. “Or her great-grandmother. Someone who’s been using stolen magic to maintain youth.”

Trew’s expression shuttered. I felt his guilt and betrayal through our bond. He’d trusted Kira, promoted her. He’d brought her into his inner circle.

“If Kira’s involved,” I said. “We’ll end her.”

The parlor door opened, and Thorne stepped through. He must’ve read the rage and tension in the room, because his hand immediately went to his sword and he looked around.

“What happened?” His gaze swept over us, lingering on the blood still crusting Addie’s face and mine.

“Lord Alfred.” I forced the name through gritted teeth. “He’s one of the controllers.”

Thorne’s expression went hard as stone. “The suitor your father kept pushing on you?”

“Yes.” Trew rose to his feet and paced like a caged predator across the elegant parlor. Magic still coiled around him, barely leashed. “He was courting Isi while knowing he’d tortured her sister.”

Thorne shook his head. “The perimeter is secure. I don’t believe anyone’s noticed the subtle change in the wards.”