“I’m Kaylia. Who are you?”
Maverick puffed out his chest as he smiled.“I assumed my reputation would precede me, but obviously not. I’mMaverick. Cole’s uncle.”
Kaylia’s eyes were assessing as they ran overhim. “Lycan.”
Maverick returned her assessing look.“Witch.”
“Crone.”
“So… you’re an old witch.”
“That I am. Which also means I’m morepowerful.”
“I have no doubt, but then, I’m an oldlycan.”
“Maybe she can teach you some new tricks,”Orin suggested and laughed.
If looks could have killed, Maverick andKaylia would have stabbed him a thousand times over, but Orindidn’t notice as he kept his back to them.
They descended a flight of stairs, and Orinled down another before turning a corner. Another row of doors cameinto view, but some were open, while the others remainedclosed.
“Here we are,” Orin said.
Lexi tugged nervously at Maverick’s jacket asthey passed the doors. It concealed most of her as it fell to midthigh, but she still felt exposed beneath the material.
“Do you have any extra clothes somewhere?”she asked Orin.
“There are some women here who are about yoursize,” he said. “I’ll find something for you.”
“Thank you.”
“The open doors are available rooms,” Orinsaid. “They’re all identical, and none of them are fancy.”
Lexi didn’t care about fancy. All she wantedwas a shower to scrub the smoke scent from her, some clothes, andCole… if Cole still existed.
An uneasy feeling settled into the pit of herstomach as the possibility something other than Cole might returnsank in. Seeming to sense the direction of her thoughts, her fathersqueezed her shoulder.
“It’s going to be okay,” he assured her.
She wanted to tell him there wasnoway he could be sure of that, but he hadn’t witnessed what she sawin Dragonia. If he had seen that, he might not think it would beokay.
Although, hedidwitness the brutalityCole unleashed at the manor. They’d all seen what the shadows coulddo, but had they noticed how much Coleenjoyedit?
When she first met Cole, he had nightmaresover the acts he committed and witnessed during the war. That manhad committed violence, but he hadn’t relished it.
That wasn’t the same man before hertoday.
“I’m going to take this room,” shemurmured.
She hugged her dad and kissed his cheekbefore ducking out from under his arm and into the first room withan open door.
She glanced back at Maverick as she pulledthe jacket tighter. “Thank you for this; I’ll get it back to you assoon as I can.”
“No rush,” he replied. “Once Cole’s back, weall have to talk.”
“We will,” she agreed before looking to Varoand Orin. “Is there somewhere I can shower?”
They both pointed to a room across the hallfrom her. “Right in there,” Orin said.
