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“I don’t know. What Ido knowis, whatever spell Calliope used on you will take time to fully work out of your system. She knows more about what the elves are planning and my brother can pluck those details out of her mind. She’s not a blood witchyet. Her soul is still intact and as a mage, she has spare lives. She’ll come to within a prison cell, but when she does, the spell on you will take hold again.”
Griffin snorts, stopping in the foyer with his hands on his hips. “Then what was the point of saving me?”
“The keep is warded. As long as you stay within the stone walls in the forest, she can’t control you. Step outside, you might as well get the collar on your neck bedazzled. Understand?”
Pursing his lips, he nods, but the muscle in his jaw ticks, giving away his disdain for the situation.
“Good. Now, for the love of all that is sacred, put some clothes on.” I spin on my heels, but stop short of taking a step. “And the top floor is off limits to you.”
“Why?” It’s not the question he asks that bothers me, so much as the intrigued tone of his voice.
“Would you like me to toss you over the wall?” I arch a brow at him, glancing over my shoulder. He tilts his head as if weighing his options, a curiosity burning in his otherworldly blue eyes. Then he shakes his head no. “Then don’t ask stupid questions.”
11
Asmodeus
The fresh air hitsme the moment I step out the back door of the keep and I don’t wait around for Griffin to clean up. After being in that mansion, that grove, breathing in the sour decay of that witch, I need this. I need space.
My muscles are tense, the adrenaline still pumping through my veins as I ease onto the bench that overlooks the garden. It’s beneath one of the twisted trees near the base of the gigantic stone walls, blooming with vibrant purple flowers.
It’s hard to believe I planted them here long ago. They all but tower over three stories high. My mother’s favorite… When I was young, I wanted something to remind me of her, even if she was the reason I grew up in this place instead of the castle in Hell Hold. The reason Grim was more of a father to me than my own flesh and blood.
It seems dumb now.
Picking up the flower that has fallen from the branches above, I circle my thumb over the soft petals. I breathe deeply, the scent of pine and wet earth grounding me, reminding me of a world that thrives on simple, uncomplicated beauty.
Then there’s a thunk followed by a string of curses behind me.
Griffin.
“That was fast.” I drop the flower onto the ground.
“Yeah, well, excuse me for being eager. I’d like to forget about the last three days as quickly as possible.” Griffin plops down into the seat beside me, wearing his own clothes.
“I see you managed to summon your things.” Sometimes it’s easy for me to forget that he’s not just fae but half druid. He lets his beast side show often, but I’ve hardly ever seen him use his magic.
“It only took five tries, but yes.” Legs wide, he leans back into the stone seat. “Thank you.”
“For?” I tease, my lips pulling up at the corners ever so slightly.
“You know what for,” he scalds under his breath.
Before I can taunt him further, he stiffens, and those cerulean eyes of his flare bright, his beast skimming just beneath the surface.
“What is it?” I follow his gaze, drifting from the meticulously kept gardens to the wild, untamed forest that skirts the keep's boundaries.
“Something is out there.”
I squint harder, standing from the bench and venturing a couple steps forward, deeper into the garden in an attempt to see or feel what he has. Reaching out with my magic, I search the courtyard, then push my awareness deep into the forest that surrounds us. My magic creeps over the ground, pulsing into my fingertips and down through the earth beneath my feet, scouring for movement, but coming up empty-handed.
Checking my palm, I stare at the dark circle tattooed there. No lights gleam around its inked edge, and the enchantment is strong. I’d cleared the woods here mere hours ago. If something crossed that wall since, I’d know.
“Are you sure?” I ask, turning in place until Griffin’s far too pale face comes into view. He nods silently. I huff out a breath, shrugging out of my tunic. I already need to wash witch blood from the cuffs. Might as well not add more. I toss it next to him on the bench and he gives a startled jump, ripping his eyes from the forest for the first time. “Stay here.” It’s not a question, but a command. And whatever is lurking in those woods… It scares him enough that he doesn’t argue.
Wandering out of the iron gate of the courtyard, I venture toward the forest. The heat of the hell flame radiates down upon my bare torso, warming my blood. Something shifts in the shadows of the trees, catching my eye. It's fleeting, a mere shimmer that could easily be dismissed as a trick of the light. But there's a tug in my gut, an inexplicable pull toward that glimmer. It’s as if the darkness that lives within me recognizes it somehow or can see what my eyes can’t.
Without a word, my strides lengthen, eating up the space between me and the forest. I tread softly, my boots barely making a sound against the grass, the world around me holding its breath. There's something there… Something bright—glowingeven.
