Page 103 of Knight’s Absolution

“Ronan, are you okay?”

“I have a male here who knows your knight.”

She blinked up at him. “What? Who?”

“I took him for questioning when I was looking for you. I let the demons think bringing him in was at Sir’s request, but it was mine.”

“James? You have James?”

He turned and headed for the door

“Ronan, wait—”

“I need to question him further.” He walked out and locked the door behind him.

The night was never-ending.

It was hours since Ronan had walked out, and when a soft knock finally came, she knew it wasn’t her brother. The door opened, confirming it.

Spencer stood there, looking unsure of what his welcome would be. “May I come in?”

The urge to hug him was as strong as the urge to kick his ass. “It’s not as if I can stop you, right? You’ll do whatever the hell you like, anyway.”

He flinched, and he had the decency to look shamefaced.

“So he’s letting me have visitors now?”

More guilt and sadness looked back at her. “Apparently.”

“Don’t,” she bit out. “These new emotions are messing with me enough. I don’t need to feel bad about being angry with you on top of everything else.” She wrapped her arms around herself. “Why did you do it, Spencer?” The sadness she felt over his betrayal was so strong, so raw.

Her old friend didn’t miss it and looked down. “It was a mistake.”

“No shit,” she said. “Why did you bother texting Grace when I was locked up, why did you ask her to help free me if you planned to just drag me back?”

“I thought having the knights close to the house would be enough of a threat for Sir to let you out, that he’d want the use of your powers. You’d been in the basement so long. I just wanted you out. I never expected the knights to take you. Then after they did, Ronan found me. I thought…I assumed he felt about Sir the way you and I did. For as long as you’ve been separated from Ronan, you’ve been desperate to find him. He was alive, and I wanted to give you back your brother.” He sat heavily in the chair by the bed. “I’m so sorry. I got everything wrong. As soon as I saw you in that alley, I knew I’d messed up.”

She stood and went to him, her need to soothe his pain overriding her anger. She’d felt a bond to the older demi from the moment she’d met him. What that was, she hadn’t understood until now. She cared for Spencer like family, like she thought a daughter might love her father. So she lowered herself to her knees beside the chair and pulled him in for a tight hug, surprising him.

“Get over it,” she muttered. “I’m a hugger now, apparently.”

He chuckled and gave her a squeeze before lifting his head. “We need to get you out of here and back to your knight.”

Luna climbed to her feet and sat back on the edge of the bed. “There’s no getting away from Ronan. Not yet. His power is wrapped too tightly around me. I can feel it. The moment I step outside this room, he’ll know.”

Spencer rubbed his hands over his pale, tired face. “There has to be something we can do.”

“I’ve tried to talk to him, to tell him the truth about Azel. He’s struggling to reconcile what I’m telling him with the lies that fucker has force-fed him for most of his life, but I think…I think I might be starting to get through.”

A pulse of energy blasted through her, so strong and dark and cold and ugly, she gripped her stomach and had to bite her lip so she didn’t dry heave.

“What is it?” Spencer asked, jumping to his feet and rushing to her.

Oh god, no. No.

“It’s too late. He’s here. Azel's here.”

CHAPTER 29