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“I’ll try my best, but I can’t make any promises,” Titus says, nodding in understanding.
No or impossible are not words in my vocabulary right now.
“I still don’t understand what Romulus had to gain from this,” Adrian says, his brows knitting together. “Sure, he trapped Max, but what does he really gain from that? We still have the—”
His words cut off as his crystal blue eyes light with realization.
“Have you checked the bag yet?” Titus asks hesitantly, but both of us already know what the answer will be.
I chew on my bottom lip and shake my head. No, I hadn’t checked the bag, because I knew the answer to Adrian’s question the moment we learned that Kallen had betrayed us. There’d only be one motivation Romulus had to set all this up—one reason he had to show his cards and let us decimate a large number of his troops—the dagger.
Reluctantly, I shift the satchel in front of me and open the top.Gone.
I shake my head and let loose a deep sigh, even sweeping my hand along the bottom to make sure.
Titus drags his hand back through his hair and kicks the wall, sending pebbles cascading down onto the floor.
I purse my lips, holding back the words that are on the tip of my tongue. He’s blaming himself for bringing Kallen with him, but it’s all of our faults. We could’ve told him to leave. We could’ve locked him up until this whole mess was over, but we didn’t.
Each of us felt like we needed to hold things back from him, but we still trusted his information enough to come here today. We all walked right into that trap. And although I know this, I can’t tell him that just yet, not when Maximus is trapped in this hellhole. Because selfishly, I do blame him, just as much as I blame myself.
“None of us trusted him, yet we didn’t see the downside of coming here today, even if it was a trap,” Mateo admits, scrubbing a hand over his face like he doesn’t want to admit it either. “I sensed the wards, the one limiting the ability to dissipate out, but they used it to cover up their trap. None of us could’ve guessed that.”
His words stick in my mind though, and I replay them in my mind.None of us saw the downside …
I frown and rack my brain, trying to remember if I had told them about what the voice said to me before or after Titus and Kallen arrived.
“Does he know?” I ask, my eyes widening in urgency, yet I don’t dare speak the rest of my thoughts. I glance around the cave suspiciously, unsure if they have any way of overhearing us right now.
“Does he know what?” Titus asks, his brows knitting together as he looks at each of us, sensing we’re speaking in some sort of code.
“The voice,” I remind them, casting a look around the room. I see the moment realization dawns on each of their faces—everyone but Titus.
“What voice?” he asks again, and I sigh a breath of relief. If he doesn’t know, I must’ve told the other about how exactly I was able to keep the real dagger away from Romulus when he called for it.
Which means Kallen doesn’t know.
“Perfect,” my father says, his eyes lighting up with a glimmer of hope. I hold on to that flicker of warmth in my chest desperately, needing to make sure we guard this knowledge.
This could just be the key to ending this, which means none of us can speak a word about this, not until we’re ready to finish this once and for all.
Chapter Eighteen
Kyros
“Weshouldheadbackas soon as possible,” I say, pushing down the urge to shift my weight from foot to foot as my body thrums with nervous energy.
“I need to see the manor first,” Osais says, grimacing as he does his best not to catch Liv’s gaze.
I purse my lips as she leans her head against Adrian’s shoulder and silently wish I could stay here with her. But she needs me somewhere else. I nod stiffly at Maximus, and he inclines his head in understanding. One way or another, I’m going to get my brother out of there, even if it kills me.
“Let’s dissipate there first, and we can spread out from there,” Mateo agrees, his jaw tensing as though he’s holding back his warning.
I nod in agreement and pull my power around me, my thoughts already on the library and what books I can pull from there. My heart jolts as I remember the massive bookshelves that overflowed with ancient tomes, my stomach sinking as I try to rack my brain for what titles it held.
If the book I need was in there—
“Kyros,” Titus murmurs, jerking me from my thoughts as I realize Osias and Mateo have already dissipated. I scowl back at Titus and let my powers sweep me up into a silent wind, transporting me to the outskirts of the property.
