He whirled, and his gaze raked over me. Confusion laced his scrutiny, and for a moment, he looked dazed. His skin paled, and he inhaled a sharp breath.
“Marin?” The name was soft on his lips, almost a plea instead of a question.
“No, it’s Liana. I didn’t mean to disturb you.”
Recognition flooded his features, and he stuffed the sea glass back into his pocket. “What are you doing up here? It’s late.”
The resignation in his tone almost compelled me to ask who the mysterious Marin was and if she was the reason he preferred to spend his nights curled up next to a bottle. But something in his eyes told me not to go there.
Instead, I feigned ignorance. “I couldn’t sleep. I thought coming up here and watching the waves might relax me.” I gestured toward the wine bottle. “But maybe I should try your remedy.”
His harsh laugh scraped through the air. “It’s no remedy, but it gets the job done.” He offered me the bottle, daring me to take it.
I did and took a deep swig of the fruity wine.
“You’re full of surprises, Liana. You don’t seem the type to drown your sorrows.”
I took another pull from the bottle and handed it back. “Well, like you said the other day, you don’t know anything about me.”
He swirled the wine in the bottle, a smirk curling his mouth. “I know enough. I know things are different around here because of you. I know Bowen’s thirst for revenge against Argus is waning and his priorities are shifting. I know it’s the best thing for him, and yet the greatest risk. Greater than sparking a feud with a criminal organization. Greater than letting him while away his days hunkered down in the manor.”
“And why is that?”
“Because it’s obvious he’s falling for you—or fallen, as the case may be.” He nodded and took a swig from the bottle. “Definitely past tense. This wasn’t part of the plan, but there it is. Love, the great healer of wounds.” The cynical smile slipped from his lips. “Ironically, also the great inflictor of pain.”
He spoke as if from experience, passing the bottle back to me. My fingers wrapped tightly around the base while I absorbed his words. The fluttery feeling inside my belly had nothing to do with the wine and everything to do with hoping Gavin was right. But I couldn’t deny the truth in his statement. After I failed to save Hendrik, I thought I didn’t deserve forgiveness or love, and yet Sarah and Thomas gave it to me anyway. I was sure if they hadn’t, I would have ended up exactly like Bowen.
When I let the silence continue to drag, Gavin started to pace the floor and filled it.
“You know, I helped him plan his revenge against Argus. The whole thing. We laughed about seeing his face when Bowen destroyed the Grimm’s blade. Neither of us cared or even thought about the consequences.”
“But you’re thinking about them now?”
Gavin tapped his foot nervously against the floor and scrubbed a hand through his disheveled hair. “Argus needs the blade to help his sister, and he’s using the newly minted oracle Vivian James to track the blade. Bowen knows, and I think he wishes there was a way he could just let it all go. Somehow, things got complicated, and it’s not just Argus on the line anymore. Bowen’s not a bad man—you know that—but sometimes, it’s nearly impossible to make the right choice.”
“I see. So how do we help him?”
“I’m not sure. It feels as if things are spinning out of control, and I—”
Footsteps pounded through the chamber leading to the training room. A man appeared holding a wooden club in his hands. He approached Gavin.
“What is it, Deacon?”
“I’ve been looking for you. Two people were spotted earlier on the property, near the cliffs. A man and a woman. It looks as if they entered the manor from one of the old shipping tunnels.”
Gavin cursed and closed his eyes as if trying to think. “It has to be Argus and the oracle. This is some miserable timing. Have you told Bowen?”
“Yes. He secured the little girl with Ms. Wilder and then went looking for them. He tracked the man to his office, but the woman was nowhere to be found.”
“Which means she’s still somewhere inside the manor. She’ll probably end up skewered on a piece of his collection.”
I took a final fortifying sip of wine and tossed Gavin what was left in the bottle. “I’ll go and find her. It can’t be too late. There must be something we can do to stop this.”
Gavin nodded. “If Bowen has Argus, he’ll have taken him down to the forge where he’ll destroy the Grimm’s blade. You need to get to Vivian first and get her out of here. I’ll handle Bowen.”
***
I watched the woman from the shadows. She’d found her way down to the gallery, somehow meeting Brutus along the way. The dog padded after her, nudging the back of her thigh, clearly in search of treats or attention. A knot of nerves tightened in my stomach as she approached the glass case holding the mystical dagger.
