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“No,” I retorted. “This is too confusing. I don’t understand any of it. Why is this happening, Rose?”
She grabbed my hand. “Breathe. Relax. I know it’s hard.”
“Harder than anything. Harder than loving you.”
Her lower lip shuddered. “What did you say?”
“I just…” I scratched my head, feeling the hair growing back in from not shaving it enough. Another portrait caught my attention. “Why the hell is this guy so rich and I’m poor as shit?”
“I don’t know, Matty. Maybe we could find the fae your mother spoke to. We could figure out if she found anything.”
I sighed. “Gods, she’s really dead.”
Thunder roared overhead. Rain came shortly after, pattering through the holes in the roof. A few cold drops splashed the back of my neck, grounding me in the dread of the present moment.
When I focused on Rose, I noticed how stiff her muscles were.
I froze. “What is it?”
She sniffed the air. “We’re not alone, Matty.”
“What do you mean? Lucius didn’t find—”
“Lucius never came back.” Her pupils expanded as she met my gaze. “And it doesn’t smell like wolves.”
Chapter 20 - Rose
“We’re not alone.”
Such a phrase inspired the kind of terror that kept me up at night. Matéo grabbed my hand and yanked me out of the den, through the kitchen, and into a sizable living room. Charlotte and Adam stood still in the foyer. Above us, the rain continued to patter rhythmically, falling harder the longer we all stared at each other.
Wolves howled just beyond the entrance doors. Hissing erupted next and a great clatter followed, metal scraping metal as gravel crunched beneath heavy footfalls.
“They’re inside!”
“This way!”
“No, we can’t go in! Go around!”
I reached for my necklace.They can’t come in. That sounds like—
“This is the fortress,” Matéo whispered. “This is the place Domingo mentioned. It’s a trap, Rose.”
My heart ached at the realization. “It’s always been a trap.”
“It’s been a setup this whole time.”
I shook my head while dragging him toward the hallway. “We have to get out, Matty. Don’t think about it.”
“The whole thing—alit.”
Charlotte and Adam stripped away their clothes. My soul sister looked at me with eyes that pleaded for me to run. She didn’t have to say a word. I knew she was about to defend us. Arguing with her would only make things worse.
The vampires couldn’t come through that door, but something else could.
And we had to get out while we had the chance.
“Matty,” I said sharply. “Let'sgo.”
