“You never could have seen this coming,Cole,” Brokk said.
“Couldn’t I?” he asked.
“You said you were alone in the room.”
He’d filled them in on the details of whathappened while they were removing all the bodies. “I should haveknown he wouldn’t leave me there without somehow having eyes onme.”
“How would he do that?” Brokk demanded.
While disposing of the remains, Cole’s mindcontinuously returned to the hideous portrait of the Lord glaringdown at him from where it hung on the wall.
“The Lord is a warlock; he could have cast aspell over the portrait, oranyof the numerous heads inthat room, to watch over anyone who enters it,” Cole said. “Itcould have been any number of things, and I should have suspectedit. I was an idiot.”
“You weren’t an idiot, but you’ll be one nowif you think this is anyone’s fault excepthis,” Sahirasaid. “I would have done the same thing as you. I never would haveleft the room with that poor pixie still alive.”
The burning amber of her eyes told him shebelieved her words were the truth, but while Sahira had a steel rodrunning through her spine, he couldn’t see her killing one of thesetiny creatures.
“You couldn’t have killed her,” Colesaid.
“I would have done it,” she insisted. “Youcan believe that or not, but it’s the truth.”
Lifting the shovel from the ground, she sankthe spade into the earth. It remained standing in the air as shereleased it and turned to walk away.
“You can check the perimeter, and youprobably should, but don’t hide out here all night. Lexi deservesbetter,” Sahira called over her shoulder.
Cole refrained from replying. Instead, heturned to his brother. “How did things go in the crone realm?”
“Fine. She only spoke with one other woman,and that was to say she didn’t know how long she would be gone, butshe would check in. Then, she gathered her things, and wereturned.”
“Do you trust her?”
“I don’t like her.”
“That’s not what I asked.”
“I know.” Brokk ran a hand through his hairand tugged at the ends of it as he stared at the manor. “Yes, Ithink we can trust her. She’s in this pretty deep now, and I thinkshe hates the Lord more than she hates vampires.”
“Which is a lot.”
“Apparently,” Brokk muttered.
“I’m going to check the perimeter now.”
“I’ll help you,” Brokk said. “We’ll each goin different directions so that it will get done faster.”
“Fine,” Cole said as he picked up his andBrokk’s discarded shovels. He pulled Sahira’s from the ground toreturn to the barn. “I’ll meet you behind the manor.”
CHAPTER 14
Lexi rose from her chair in the library whereshe’d been sitting and talking with her dad. She’d nearly chewedher nails off over her concern for Cole, but it was good to get achance to sit and talk with him.
It helped calm her even as she resisted herimpulse to run outside after Cole. She didn’t have to see what wasout there; Kaylia had informed her with tears in her eyes.
After that, her dad spent the next few hoursoccupying her by asking questions about her life after he wentmissing. He filled her in on his life during that time, but sincehe was in a prison cell, his side of the conversation was a lotshorter.
She’d missed him so much and hadn’t realizedher heartache from his absence was such a constant, needling painuntil it was gone. His smile and laugh made her smile; she lovedthe way his eyes twinkled with merriment.
Despite everything going on, having him backin her life and his love returned was such a gift. She cherishedevery second of it.
