Lexi didn’t ask about all the wild horsesresiding there; she’d prefer not to know. She was sure some hadsurvived and would once again flourish there, and that had to beenough.
“What about the other areas of the Gloaming?”she asked.
“We did the best we could for them too andgot out as many as we could. The Lord’s men and the dragons wouldhave already gone through those areas and destroyed them too. Oneday, we will destroy him and reclaim this land, but it won’t betoday.”
“Yes, we will,” she murmured.
“Let’s go; there’s nothing left to seehere.”
CHAPTER 78
“You shouldn’t have gone without me,” her dadmuttered from across the table where they’d gathered fordinner.
It wasn’t the first time he’d uttered thosewords since learning she and Cole had returned to the manor and theGloaming. She was sure it wouldn’t be the last time either.
He scowled as, between his fingers, hetwisted the stem of his golden goblet. The blood-filled gobletscraped against the table as it turned.
It was just one more thing adding friction toan already tension-filled room. The only one who wasn’t staringmorosely at their food, was Orin, and that was because he wasn’tthere.
Niall was at least four glasses of wine deep.Staring at the wall, Varo wasn’t eating, and Brokk stabbed at themeat on his plate. After learning about the destruction of themanor, Sahira had gone quiet as she pet Shade, who refused to leaveher side.
Maverick drummed his fingers on the table ashe contemplated everything they’d revealed to him and Niall aboutLexi’s ancestry. Kaylia sat with her chin in her hand, tapping herfinger against it as she stared over Maverick’s shoulder.
Sitting beside Lexi, Cole ate the potatoes onhis plate, but she sensed his irritation in the stiff set of hisshoulders. She nudged her potatoes aside with a fork before liftingthe roll from her plate.
She pulled the bread apart and slowly ate oneof the smaller pieces. The displeasure radiating from her dad was adefinite appetite killer, but her stomach was rumbling before shesat at the table, and she required food.
“We were perfectly safe,” Lexi assured herdad, not for the first time.
His scowl deepened, and he shot Cole a look.They’d always been close, and she didn’t want that to change. Sheworried it might, if her father thought Cole wasn’t protecting heror if Cole believed her dad might interfere in theirrelationship.
“I would never put her in unnecessarydanger,” Cole said. “We made a decisiontogether, and wewill do so from now on. She’s to be my wife; we’re a team.”
Some of her father’s scowl vanished, and aripple of astonishment emanated from the others. Lexi smiled as shetossed a piece of bread in her mouth.
“What do we do about the Lord?” Kaylia asked.“Now that he knows about Lexi, he’ll prepare for anything we mighthave tried against him. And I’m sure, since he’s also a warlock, heknows about the legend of the Shadow Reaver and recognizes Cole assuch.”
“Maybe that madman is too far gone torecognize anything,” Maverick suggested. “You didn’t see him at theball. He was thirsty for blood, and he didn’t care what he had todo; he was going to get it. Except, he most certainly didnotget it in the way he expected.”
Cole smiled. “No, he didn’t.”
Lexi’s chewing stopped as the bread turned tosawdust in her mouth.
“There’s not much understanding left inAndreas,” Maverick said. “The throne’s power has rotted his mindcompletely.”
“Even if he’s too far gone to recognize whatCole is, he’s still in touch with the warlocks, and I’m sure therewere some at the ball,” Kaylia said.
“Yes, there were some there,” Cole confirmed.“And they’ll tell him what the Shadow Reaver is.”
“Does anyone really know what it is?” Niallinquired.
“No,” Kaylia said. “It was always a legend,and now it’s a reality. Like Lexi’s powers, we will have to see howit all unfolds.”
Lexi threw down her roll as her appetitevanished.
“So, he knows about you two, which means ourbiggest weapons are compromised. He also knows we have no army, andhe’s scattered what remained of Cole’s,” Kaylia continued. “What dowe do now?”
“I have men who will fight,” Maverick said.“My pack is safe. They knew there was a possibility they would haveto prepare for war again.”
