“I can,” she said.
“I'm not going to let that happen,” Orin said.
Cole grinned at him. “It’s cute you think you have a choice. You either allow this to happen, or I’ll take you to the Lord. I willnottake the chance of you running away when the Lord is threatening the Gloaming.”
When Orin glared at him, Cole smiled in return. “The choice is up to you,littlebrother.”
Brokk released a snort of laughter, and Orin scowled at the wall.
Cole turned to Sahira. “What do you need to make it work?”
“A spell and my blood,” she replied.
Cole pulled the sword from his back and rested the tip on the ground. “We can use this for the blood.”
“That works for me,” Sahira said.
When they all turned to Orin, he stepped away from them but didn’t try to flee.
“Wise choice, little brother,” Cole said.
“I won’t give you Varo,” Orin said. “If the mission for the harrow stone fails, I won’t tell you where he is.”
“I didn’t expect you to,” Cole said.
Orin was a heartless prick most of the time, but they were all still brothers, and he wouldn’t give Varo up, even if it might save him, which it wouldn’t.
“Go ahead,” Cole said, and Sahira stepped toward Orin.
Her hands started moving through the air in a graceful dance as sensual as it was eerie. It had always unsettled him how the witches could weave their magic so intricately through the air.
He wasn’t the only one it unsettled as Orin shifted uneasily beside him and Brokk shivered. Goose bumps broke out on Cole’s arms when the damp chill in the air intensified and the flow of it increased around them until it plastered his shirt against his chest and ruffled his hair.
As the breeze escalated, Sahira spoke. “What wanders free will never truly be free as long as they are bound to me.”
Without any warning, she seized his blade. He scented her blood on the air before the red liquid slid down the silver metal to stain the ground.
When she stepped toward Orin, he backed away, but Cole grabbed his arm and jerked him back. Orin fisted his hands but didn’t try to hit him. They both knew it would be a colossal mistake if he did.
They were once nearly equal power-wise, but that time had come and gone. He was a lycan who had found his mate and a dark fae who’d survived the trials to become king. Orin didn’t stand a chance against him, and he knew it.
When Sahira grasped Orin’s arm, the air crackled with her power before a loud snap echoed throughout the tunnel. Lexi and the others looked around, but no one rose to come to explore. They were probably all too tired to bother.
Cole released his brother when Sahira started speaking again.
“What wanders free will never truly be free as long as they are bound to me,” she repeated.
Smoke wafted from Orin’s skin as the smell of burnt hair and flesh filled the air. Orin’s teeth skimmed back, but he kept himself restrained.
The power suddenly sucked out of the air and retreated into Sahira. When she removed her hand from Orin’s arm, the bloody handprint she left behind burned brightly before vanishing.
Sahira smiled sweetly at Orin. “Now, you’ll always remember that you’ve met me.”
Orin glowered at her as Cole and Brokk smiled.
Chapter Fifty-Nine
Lexi leanedagainst the doorway as she watched Cole standing by the lake. He stood with his shoulders back, but she sensed a sadness to him that she yearned to ease. However, she didn’t think he wanted her anywhere near him.
