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“They knew Raven would go to her. Am I to assume you played a part in that?” Creed questions, cocking a brow at Sebastian, who gapes at him in horror.
I clutch my necklace, feeling Lyra’s magic still thrumming inside of the locket as Sebastian speaks. “Are you fucking serious right now? I wanted her safe. I didn’t think they would do this and cause…” His words trail off as he looks down at Lyra, and I know every word he said is true.
I nod subtly at my men, confirming the fact that he isn’t giving us some covered bullshit.
“If that’s the case, then I think they know Raven helped you. Which means?—”
“They know I’m still alive,” Sebastian admits, finishing Zane’s sentence, and I sigh. “There’s no point hiding then. They’re gearing up for war; I’m better at your side than hidden away here,” he adds, and I purse my lips, trying to decide if that’s the best option or not.
“Oh, you better believe your ass is coming back with us,” Brax grunts and my eyes widen in surprise.
“Let me say goodbye first,” Sebastian mutters, dropping to his knees beside Lyra. He whispers words to her so softly that I can’t hear them, and I instantly start to feel like I’m imposing on a private moment, so I take a step back.
My men follow and we wait beside the gateway until Sebastian stands, using his magic to bury her, placing a single flower where she was moments ago. He walks toward us with a new-found purpose.
Brax steps through the gateway first, as always, and I follow after him, but I stumble to a halt when the Gauntlet arena comes into view.
It’s nowhere near as empty as it was before. Every possible seat is filled with students, both Silvercrest and Shadowgrim alike, but it’s the fact that my father has Brax on his knees, arms pinned behind his back and head slung low, that freezes me in place.
A cackle rings in my ears as I hear Sebastian curse under his breath beside me a moment later. My eyes lock on the source of the harrowing cackle: Burton, dressed in his Erikel get-up again.
His gaze travels from mine to Sebastian’s then to my father’s before coming full sweep back to me again.
“Ah, what a family reunion this is.”
THIRTY
RAVEN
Ican feel every pair of eyes on me as my gaze remains fixed on Burton’s. His Erikel fur cloak and scar down his cheek is pissing me off now. Everything that continues to transpire at the hands of this man is too much, too far, and I’m damn well over it.
“You told me he was dead,” my father bites, and I spy him in my peripheral vision, wagging a finger at Sebastian.
“He was. It seems someone took pity on him,” Burton sneers, eyes glaring daggers at me.
He’s too fucking childish and easily disgruntled to lead a war and cause a revolution or whatever the fuck this is. I can deal with him in a minute, but first, I need my father’s other hand to move.
“Get your hands off him,” I snap, my eyes flicking between my father and Brax, who remains on his knees, head dipped as he’s restrained by some kind of magic at my father’s hands. My father’s eyes meet mine, but they’re void of any significant presence, a reminder that this man is at the command of someone else, and the reality pisses me off even more. “I said, get. Your. Hands. Off. Him.”
My magic vibrates through my veins, ready to take action in whatever way necessary to protect my grumpy gargoyle. When he still doesn’t listen, I take a step toward him, but before I can attack, my hand grips the pendant around my neck.
I expect to feel some kind of stronger attack at my fingertips, like Brax’s gargoyle strength or Zane’s fire, but to my surprise, it’s Lyra’s magic that coils around my hand as I press my palm against Abel’s chest.
He startles at the contact, his hold on Brax shifting. I sense my man move, but I don’t turn to look. I can’t. My eyes are locked on my father’s as I physically watch his clouded vision disappear. It seems the tendrils of Lyra’s magic reveal your truth just as much as the truth around you. He falls to his knees before I can catch him, but Sebastian swiftly moves him to the side so nothing stands between me and Burton.
I crack my neck, releasing the necklace from my grasp as I glare at the fucker who has caused so much damage.
“What are you doing? Why is everyone here?”
My questions go ignored as he shakes his head at me. “I’m the one who asks the questions around here.” I roll my eyes. I really should be more prepared for his bullshit by now, but he’s not as easy to predict as it seems. “And you will address me appropriately,” he adds, peering down his nose at me as a sneer spreads across his lips.
Fucker.
If that’s the game he wants to play, then I’m more than willing to pretend to follow his lead. It will make bringing him down that much sweeter. “Oh, great one,” I say regally, dramatically bowing as I throw my arms out wide. His sneer sways into a triumphant grin as I stand back at full height. “What is everyone doing here?” I repeat, anger and adrenaline consuming me.
“Waiting for your return, of course,” he retorts, like it really is as simple as that.
Of course he was watching us; I was foolish to believe he wasn’t. He’s sly, conniving, and the biggest fucking snake I’ve come across. And that’s saying something after surviving Shadowmoor. But that feels like a sliver of Heaven in comparison to all of the darkness I’ve endured at Silvercrest Academy.
