Page 31 of Twist of Fate

No one argued. They simply stared, focused and intent. Luke met the Consort’s gaze, hoping he didn’t have another obstacle in his way.

Then Cosmo smiled, slow and amused. “How refreshingly inconvenient,” he said. “Very well.”

Luke didn’t relax.

Not yet.

“You may go,” Cosmo continued lightly. “Finish your…unfinished business. The feast can wait.”

There it was. Agreement. Or at least permission.

Luke let out a slow breath.

“Try not to die,” Cosmo added, almost as an afterthought. There was a twinkle in his eyes, though, and…was he trying not to laugh? “It would make things terribly awkward.”

Luke almost smiled. “I’ll do my best.”

He didn’t wait after that or give anyone the chance to reconsider. He retrieved his backpack from beside the chair, slung it over one shoulder, and turned toward the exit. “Um, how exactly do I get out of here?”

Connal moved with him immediately, close enough that Luke could feel his warmth beside him.

“Brothers,” Connal bellowed.

Luke shivered at the fierceness in Connal’s tone. Within seconds, the three giants from the alley surrounded them. A sparkly magic circle opened in the air beside them.

“Definitely a concussion,” Luke grumbled.

Connal stepped through first. One moment he stood beside Luke; the next, the circle swallowed him.

Zer gestured toward the opening. “Go.”

Luke tightened his hold on the backpack strap and stepped through.

The world folded. He braced instinctively, knees bending as the ground seemed to drop out from under him for half a second before snapping back into place. The castle dissolved into cold air and concrete.

Connal waited on the other side, already scanning the alley for threats. He moved back to Luke immediately—too close, too solid, like Luke had become his center of gravity.

Luke rolled his shoulders once, grounding himself and forcing his attention outward instead of inward. He scanned quickly—alleyway, narrow, familiar enough to blend into the city grid without standing out. No immediate movement. No obvious threats.

“You are not safe here.”

Luke huffed out a quiet breath, already moving. “Yeah, you’ve mentioned.”

Connal fell into step beside him. The other brothers disappeared into the shadows. Luke clocked that and didn’t comment, even though every instinct warned against proximity and visibility.

“We need to move,” Luke said, cutting across the next intersection without slowing. “I was pulled out mid-op—er—anyway. That’s not something that goes unnoticed.”

Connal’s gaze swept the street, sharp and assessing, but there was a tension to it now that hadn’t been there before. Not uncertainty exactly.

“This place is exposed,” Connal said.

“It’s a city,” Luke shot back. “Everything’s exposed.”

Connal did not look reassured.

Luke ignored that too. He reached into his pocket, pulling out his phone and checking the screen as he kept walking—no missed calls.

That was worse.