I grabbed his hand, forcing him to stop his movements. “Clearly, this is meant to upset you. To make you act out of anger and grief.” I looked at Declan. “This has Adreona written all over it.”
His wings twitched behind him. “You think so?”
“Yes, it’s payback for my escape. She and Lorenzo are buddy-buddy after all. She wants Luka to act irrationally. She wants something to use against us, to turn others against us like we’ve been doing to her.” I put my hands on my hips, steeling my shoulders.
“But we will not do any such thing.”
“What’s your plan?” A glimmer of hope broke through Luka’s eyes.
“We need to figure out what’s going on in the Blood Court, we need to know what else Adreona and Lorenzo have planned.”
Luka and Declan stared at me. “We’ll go to Arlo’smemorial. We will be calm and collected. Lorenzo and Adreona will be expecting us either not to come, or to show up with a crazy plan to take them down.”
“And we’re not going to do that?” Luka asked. “Go in with a crazy plan?”
“No. He was your grandfather, I am your wife. We will go to mourn his death. To show our respects peacefully and then we will leave.” My mind spun as my plan formed. “While we are distracted at the funeral with Adreona and Lorenzo, Luce, Kara, and Nico will dig around and see what they can figure out.”
“Count me in, too.” We all turned, finding Zienna, Nico’s sister, strolling down the hallway. “I had a few loose ends to tie up at home, but I’m back now and at your disposal, Your Majesties.”
I gave Zienna a small smile. “Thank you, that will be great. Adreona doesn’t know you, it will be perfect.”
“And you still owe me lunch.” Zienna smirked, it reminded me of Nico. “You bailed on the last one.”
“Sorry, my sister got kidnapped, and then I gave myself up in her place and spent a month being tortured.”
“So you’re saying you owe me two lunches?”
I laughed. “I think you owemelunch!”
Zienna pulled me into a hug. “I know we don’t know each other well, but I’m glad you’re okay.”
“Thank you.”
“Thanks for being here, Zee,” Luka said as Zienna released me.
“Of course.” She pulled him into a hug. “I stayed away for too long.”
“Never again,” Luka said.
“Never again.”
26
LUKA
I still felt numb as we gathered everyone back together in Lennox’s office.
My grandfather was dead.
His head removed from his body as an act of revenge and sent to me as a gift.
My grandfathers fucking head.
I didn’t care what Lennox said, I’d fight her for Adreona’s death. We could tag team it as long as I got revenge.
I wanted to feel her blood on my hands. I wanted to watch the life leave her cold cruel eyes.
Arlo wasn’t a saint by any means, but he was still my grandfather. The last true family I had left, besides Lorenzo, who had never felt like family. Not really.
