AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Stop. It doesn’t matter if he doesn’t love me. He wants to be uncursed. He wants to die. And I don’t want the man I love to suffer, so I’ll do everything I can to help him. If we break the curse, his torment will be over.
And I’ll be on my own again.
Slowly, Marrok withdraws with a kiss and pads to the bathroom. The door closes. Water runs. I gather a pillow against me, sink my face into it, and sob. God, why didn’t I listen to my head before I lost my heart?
Chirp, chirp.
The odd sound comes from directly above me. I open my eyes to the sight of a little white bird. Freaky. How did a bird get into the room when the windows are closed against the November chill?
“Olivia,” the bird says. In my father’s voice.
Even freakier. Am I supposed to speak to it?
“Yes?”
“I’m outside. Invite me in. I’ve got something to share that will help Marrok. I want to prove you can trust me.”
I glance at the bathroom door. Marrok is in the shower. And my father is outside, waiting for me. Marrok would insist I be careful. He’s been working tirelessly to keep me safe. “I don’t have the power to invite you in.”
“All right, then. I’m just outside. Come quickly! This will only take a moment.”
How much can really happen within spitting distance of Bram’s house?
Tossing on a T-shirt and jeans, I creep downstairs. At the front door, I hesitate. Why is my father here in the middle of the night? Why can’t he share whatever he’s got in the morning?
On the other hand, if my father has something that would help Marrok, why wait?
Cautiously, I open the door. My father stands in the distance, at the edge of the property, breathing hard, as if the hounds of hell have been chasing him. Biting my lip, I look back to see if Marrok has followed. He’s not there. But maybe it’s better this way. He and my father only ever fight. Besides, if I need help, it’s only a scream away.
Wrapping my arms around myself to ward off the cold, I head for Richard Gray, then scowl. As I close the distance, he looks really pale. If he was running or fighting, wouldn’t he be flushed and sweating? “Are you okay?”
He grabs my arm and pulls me close. “Are you alone?”
He’s jumpy and jittery. Stiff. What the hell has gotten into him?
“Yes.” I shrug free of his grip and rub my hands over my suddenly chilled arms.
“Look!”
As he extracts something from the pocket of his slacks, I lean in to glimpse the glinting thing in the moonlight.
My jaw drops.
Chapter Fifty-One
The other emblem!
Ruby-encrusted, this half is shaped like an M. And suddenly, I understand the symbol on the front of the diary. M and L overlapping—Morgana Le Fay.
“How… I thought Mathias had this? What did you do?”
“I filched it.” His smile stretches from ear to ear. “I waited until most of the Anarki were gone and snuck in. I knew where Mathias once hid it. I feared he had moved it, but no!”
“You know where Mathias is hiding?” And he didn’t tell anyone?
He nods. “He’s ensconced in the same lair he’s always kept. I was shocked, but he hasn’t changed the location or erected protections against me.”
Seriously? “Where was Mathias while you took the emblem?”
