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I have to bite back my scoff. He says it hopefully, like they’re friends. Like she’s coming tosavehim.
Even in the darkness, I can make out the cold, hard edges of Avery’s smile. “Nathan. You don’t know how happy I am to see you again.”
“Yeah?” Apparently not the complete idiot, a hint of wariness seeps into his tone.
I step up behind Avery, and his gaze snaps to me, only now realizing the two of them aren’t alone.
“They said…they said they’ll kill me tomorrow,” he says. “And I know, I know that I did it, but the longer I’ve been down here, the more I’ve thought about it, I can’t rememberwhy.” He blinks up at Avery desperately, pleadingly, and I have to look away.
“Don’t worry,” Avery purrs, apparently not as affected by how fucked-up this situation is. “We’re getting you out of here.”
* * *
The effectsof Kirby’s poison are evident in the stagger of Nathan’s walk. Evident to everyone except Nathan, apparently, because he’s smiling and ogling Avery’s chest as he walks with his arm around her shoulders, each step slower than the last as the poison spreads. Whatever was in the mixture must have dampened his senses as well, otherwise he’d hear the others coming.
The hall is empty as we slip upstairs and head around the corner, which means whatever distraction Daniel and wolves came up with for the Marionettes who were supposed to be guarding the exits on this side of the estate must have worked.
More footsteps fill the hall, and Saint and Jones take over for Avery. They grab Nathan roughly by each arm and yank him toward the door.
Avery’s eyes darken as she falls into step beside me. I try to get a read on her. I have no idea what she must be feeling right now. If this feels complicated to me, it must be ten times worse for her. But if seeing Nathan again for the first time in almost a year is affecting her, she’s not showing it.
“You’re still sure about this?” I murmur.
Her response is immediate: “Do your worst.”
CHAPTERTHIRTY-FOUR
Freezingrains pelts us from above as we make our way through the grounds, my skin stinging from the impact of each drop. We don’t dare cross out of the safety of the boundary Auclair has erected, but we push it as far as we can on the property. The landscape works in our favor, the meticulously crafted lawns giving way to towering, lush trees once we pass the gardens, making the area feel much more private and secluded.
I help Saint and Jones with Nathan—now limp and unconscious—while the others cover our trail. Leif bounds ahead in his wolf form to ensure the coast is clear. Auclair may have agreed to our plan, but I left out certain details. Namely, breaking one of the vampires’ most sacred laws against killing each other, especially on estate property.
But we don’t have time to waste. The moon is already past its peak, and it would take too long to physically drag Nathan through the acres upon acres. Instead, we dump him in the back of one of the estate’s trucks and take off into the darkness, leaving Kirby, Monroe, Avery, and Daniel to finish taking care of the Marionettes on duty and the security footage.
The property backs up to a vast body of water, and the trees cut off against intimidating cliffs.
And this is where we stop.
A figure waits for us at the edge of the cliff, silhouetted by the car’s headlights. He turns as we open the car doors and climb out.
“It should all be here,” says Feddei as he removes the bag from his shoulders. The light from the moon catches the angles of his face as he furrows his brow and hands it to me. The straps are soaked through like he’s been standing here awhile. “She was already waiting with it by the time I got there.”
Of course she was. Because Magnolia has known it would come to this from the beginning. I wonder how much she’s been able to see moving forward, or if her sight is still being blocked whenever Anya is involved.
“Thank you for getting this, Feddei,” I say. “Really.”
He ducks his head in acknowledgment and side-eyes the truck as the wolves tug Nathan from the back and let his limp body plop into the mud.
“You don’t have to stay for this part,” I add, wiping the rain from my face. I was shocked Anya had been able to convince him to help in the first place. And with all the attacks on the monarchs, I wouldn’t blame him for wanting to get back to her.
Feddei shakes his head and shoves his hands into his pockets. “I have a feeling we’ll need as much power as we can get tonight.”
As if in agreement, a bolt of lightning flashes behind his head, followed by the low, rumbling thunder.
I dig through the bag and compare the contents with the ingredients listed in the book as the boys drag Nathan’s body closer to the cliff and Feddei gets started on the entrapment circle. My hands shake as I remove the two ward necklaces I spent the day making—one for me, one for V—from my pocket, slip them over my head, and tuck them into my shirt and out of view. Then I pull the containers out of Magnolia’s bag and arrange them on the seats in the truck.
Snake venom. Rusty nails from a coffin. Wax. Rotting vegetables. Glass shards. Wood chips. Night nymph oil. Fresh grave dirt.
I don’t even want to know where she got these.
