“Why do you believe that?” I asked her.
“It makes sense. If they are from Umbryth and were expelled because they tried to steal the collected magic, and they have made attempts on your life, there must be some type of link that made them aware of ashinwas.”
I was ecstatic for her to be part of the team protecting Amelia and on our side.
Madoc’s face scrunched as if he were trying to uncoil a knot of questions. It was apparent he’d recognized some issues with our story. That was the problem with having the most talented and smartest of the coven on your side. They were harder to deceive. His sister touched his hand and gave him a look. I didn’t know them well enough to decipher the look, but she seemed to be urging him to let go of whatever misgivings he had. I suspected she, too, saw the discrepancies but was giving us grace. Maybe she realized there were secrets we just couldn’t tell. I appreciated whatever caused her to extend that leniency.
Rachel sneered. “I knew Jonah was bad news. I hope there’s something in this that can help us manage him and his little House of Nigh.” She rolled her eyes and shook her head at the name. She scanned the translated pages. Her lips parted, then closed. “This isn’t the original, is it?”
“No, it’s from a grimoire Corrine loaned me.”
Rachel’s knowing look lobbed in my direction was another indicator that something was sketchy between us. “You paid to have the entire book translated?”
“I had it translated,” I told her.
A hard, narrow-eyed look accompanied her knowing smirk. “Okay?” It was the most unconvincing concession I’d heard.
“You translated it without Corrine’s knowledge.”
“I don’t work for the houses anymore so what I do is none of their concern.”
That announcement was met with a collective gasp.Of all the things they’ve learned today, that’s the shocking one?Witches were never beating the allegations of weird.
After binding the grimoire, the five witches settled into learning everything they could from it. I left Rachel’s more confident than I’d been that things might be okay, and that I’d unlock my magic. If the answer wasn’t in the grimoire, they’d figure out another way. I’d be unbound from Cirrian soon. I ignored the tinge of unease that thought conjured.
26
Between their jobs and analyzing the grimoire, Amelia and her team seemed to have forgotten I was part of it. I hadn’t heard from them and hoped that when they discovered anything, they’d let me know. Amelia made a point of briefing me, but I couldn’t help but feel excluded for more reasons than I wasn’t part of their coven. I suspected that along with learning about the grimoire, they were spending their time discovering what they could about ashinwas, Umbryth, and draveths. Ashinwas were probably at the top of their list.
Staring down at the number I’d saved asHimas a precaution to keep anyone from discovering the seemingly casual relationship I had with a shadow god, I read his text.
Him
Are you here?
I preferred him popping into my house than the peculiar feeling of receiving texts from the deity of death. I sent a short response.
Yup
Seconds later, the doorbell rang. Opening it, I found him standing ramrod straight, wearing a midnight-black coat with razor-sharp lines, tailored to fit his frame. The striking uniform flared into a split tailcoat, allowing his easy, lethal, water-fluid movements. In the center of his coat, a precision V-shaped scale embossment was ornamented by discs of sigils in imperial purple. Its unfamiliar significance held my curiosity.
The high collar framed his throat, drawing the eye to the sharp angles of his jaw. The sleek design of the sleeves complemented the sinews of his arms. The midnight-black pants were minimalist, cut lean for ease of movement and paired with knee-high leather boots. His attire was a statement of his position in Umbryth that I’d clearly underestimated. He displayed a confidence in his position of power, influence, and belonging in both worlds. Most importantly, a reminder of who he was. Death and everything it embodied.
Entering my home, the shimmer from his cloak disappeared. Expecting to spend my day in the city, I had on a crisp white plunge-neck tee draped casually over my frame, skimming my breasts. The ruched design followed the curve of my waist and accentuated the high-waisted, form-fitting blue jeans. It was accompanied by a jade-green duster and mid-calf length lace-ups. The heels gave me a small height advantage with Cirrian, but in his new attire, he seemed exceedingly tall. His eyes went to the bold, oversized, layered gold necklace. Knowing me for an inkling of time would prove it was not my style. I was wearing it in response to a life that was spiraling away from what it had been the past three years. I was feeling untethered and had decided to do something different. Bold. A little chaotic.
Cirrian’s pensive expression made me think there were about to be more changes. Maybe he’d lied, and he’d show me some clemency, even pity, over my life being dismantled, piece by piece.
“What’s wrong?” I asked, stepping aside to let him in.
“I need you to come with me.” The heavy urgency in his voice made it impossible to decline.
“Of course.” I grabbed my bag.
“You won’t need that.” Need, maybe not, but it had pepper spray, my blade, a Taser, and my phone. And I wanted—no,neededall of them with me. He didn’t seem to mind when I extended the straps on the bucket bag, making it into a crossbody. Once I was settled, he pulled me to him. Magic whirred from him; my mark warmed and blazed to life. A heartbeat later, we were a short distance from a massive sand-colored stone building that blended military strength with the breathtaking beauty of a palace.
“Welcome to the Laytherium,” he whispered against my ear.
Stepping away from him, I turned in a circle, in awe of the vibrant, lush trees that formed a vegetative gate around the building, and the mountains behind it with a number of beautiful homes atop them. The land was beautiful. I could feel Cirrian’s eyes on me. A glance at him showed he appeared fascinated by my response to something that, I gathered from the way he looked at the building, was probably common to him. I looked for ways to get to the houses through the throng of trees and brush but didn’t see any visible paths or roads.
