Page 85 of A Lie so Pretty and Poisonous

Maybe it's on one of the bookshelves.

I picked up the lantern and ran my fingers over the spines, searching the titles. Most were books on battle strategies, history, and several on blacksmithing. It seemed like Gabriel’s penchant for watching the blacksmith went beyond just watching, and he harbored some kind of fascination with metalsmithing. I paused mid-reach for one of the titles.

Muffled voices came, not from the hallway, but from behind a bookshelf, and they were getting louder and clearer with each second. I hurriedly placed the lantern back where I found it and dove underneath Gabriel’s desk, bringing my knees to my chest and tucking myself into a ball as tightly as I could. The desk was large but hard to see under unless someone was purposely looking. I hoped it would cover me well.

The bookshelf I was just perusing shifted and swung outward, revealing a hidden passage with stone steps that two pairs of legs climbed. My heart was beating so hard I was sure that it was the loudest thing in the room. If I were caught, no amount of feigned ignorance or throwing myself at Gabriel would get me out of this.

I listened intently to two voices conversing animatedly. I recognized Gabriel speaking immediately. “I just hope she gives in and makes it easier on herself. She’s exhaustingly stubborn. I have been using my enchant on her when the occasion calls for it, which is often. Mostly for my own gratification,” he laughed darkly.

“You’re lucky she’s beautiful. She doesn’t suspect how she got to Tironaill?” The second voice asked.

The voice was familiar, but I couldn’t place it.

Gabriel scoffed, moving around the table and rustling pages above me. “No. I sent her on a fool's errand of going to the scholars to try to figure it out, but all books were scrubbed after the Great War, so only snippets of information remain. The asshole took her to Lord Toolock’s farm estate to get answers, though. She suspects something, but she hasn’t found out how.”

Oh, my goddess.

The voice stated cautiously, “But she found out about the humans we are bringing in.”

Gabriel’s legs came to a standstill right in front of where I was balled up under his desk. “Yes, unfortunately. Marco, the dumb shit, took her father’s ring off him and sold it to the blacksmith to pay for his gambling debts. I’ll be handling him and his carelessness soon.”

“Speaking of which, how much of the elixir do we have in store?” The unknown voice asked. “My scouts are running low, going back and forth between Edenalee and here.”

I covered my mouth and almost gasped at the revelation. My father could still be alive. Maybe Micah was as well.

“We have plenty. I will provide you with whatever you need for your scouts. Do you think they will be ready to move if we are successful with the ritual?” Gabriel asked.

“Yes, with the intel we have collected and the humans that we have been successful at securing, we know the right spots and humans to move on. The females will be easiest to get to the encampments. I am sure the nobles are antsy to get their hands on one,” the man chuckled.

That voice. How do I know that voice?

“Without a doubt,” Gabriel responded. “I must ensure there are plenty to go around. Have you selected a human female for yourself yet, Alec?”

Bile rose in my throat. Alec. He gave us those tinctures, and I didn’t even question it because I thought they were from Greta. How could I have been so stupid?

“I have my eye on a few. I’m still debating which one will bring me the hardiest offspring,” Alec responded.

Gabriel chuckled. “If I remember correctly from our youth, you had a taste for blondes.”

“Redheads. They usually have a little fight in them.”

“Mine has too much fight in her. It is going to take some work to break it out of her.”

Alec scoffed. “You have more patience than I do.”

“I like a challenge.” Gabriel moved to a wooden cabinet in the corner and opened it. Bottles lined the shelves. “Have a drink with me. To the future of Tironaill and any younglings I will squeeze out of Aurora if this plan works.”

The world spun. Gabriel wanted me to have his younglings. I willed myself not to throw up. I wished I had a silver dagger so I could plunge it straight into his dick.

Alec chuckled. “She is certainly a handful. You have your work cut out for you, Gabe. I had to use my enchant to trick her into thinking the human shithead that her mother sent to collect her was chasing us. I was shocked when she offered herself up as a distraction, and she almost jumped, too. So rare for a female to be so bold. Thank Themis, I was able to knock both her and the youngling off and through the barrier in time. I’m glad you found them even though the location we previously agreed upon was off by a couple of miles.”

“My divination made that easier. No worries at all.” Gabriel closed the cabinet doors and moved past the desk. “I am out of the good bourbon. Come on, let’s go get a few bottles from the king’s stores. I know where he keeps the good stuff.”

Alec and Gabriel left the room in pursuit of their alcohol, their feet disappearing as soon as the door swung closed. I waited in my hiding place, in case they came back. The adrenaline in my body coursed through me in rapid waves, panic moving in. There was no one to save us. No deities. No humans. Certainly, no seraphs.

I moved as quickly and quietly back through the castle as I could, dodging two guards on patrol by a hair. I needed to get Cora out of here and fast. I didn’t know where we were going to go, but I didn’t care. I would figure it out once I put enough distance between us and these seraphs.

Cora startled when I nudged her awake. I had to put my hand over her mouth and my finger touching my lips to indicate she was not to make a sound. The urgency in my face made her spring into silent action, and I gave her warm woolen clothes to put on so she would be better protected from the cold of the late autumn air. We had to get to the stables and ride for our lives.