Chapter 36 — Ethan #2
“But then,” Haron goes on, “Rhiannon offered the Scarlet as my escort. Holden said it was the perfect setup, since it eliminated the possibility of anyone else getting hurt and left the Scarlet as the only possible culprit. He promised that I wouldn’t be hurt badly, that he would hold the beast back from seriously injuring me.
” She looks down at her hands and the faded scars on her palms. “He unfortunately underestimated the Scarlet’s strength.
I had to use every bit of my power just to survive. ”
So, if Rhiannon hadn’t asked Jayme to escort Haron, I could have been what? Calculated collateral damage?
Every vile word in my vocabulary sits ready on my tongue, but something stops me cold from unleashing them on Haron.
Rage radiates from Rhiannon in waves. Her shoulders are locked, her jaw clenched so tightly I can practically hear her teeth grinding. Her golden-brown eyes have darkened to something predatory, and I swear her fingernails are sharpening into claws.
She looks like she’s seconds away from tearing Haron apart. Part of me wants to step back and watch, but we need Haron to find Holden.
“Commander.” I step between them. “She’s cooperating.”
Rhiannon doesn’t move. Doesn’t blink. Just stares past me at Haron like she’s deciding which body part to rip off first.
“And what about your father?” I ask, trying to tie up the remaining loose ends before Rhiannon pounces. My voice comes out colder than I intended. “Was staging an attack on him part of this brilliant plan too?”
Haron’s head snaps up, genuine remorse flashing across her features for the first time. “No. Absolutely not. I would never have agreed to that. Never.”
“Then why did Holden do it?” I press. “What possible reason could he have for nearly killing your father?”
“I don’t know.” She wraps her arms around herself. “I swear to you, I don’t know. After the attack on me went wrong, Holden said we needed to pull back. Regroup. I thought he meant we were abandoning the plan entirely.” Tears stream down her face again. “I never imagined he would— that he could—”
“Bullshit.” Rhiannon’s words slice through the air.
Her fury sears through the connection we share — hot, violent, barely contained. She takes a step forward, and I move instinctively to intercept.
“You expect us to believe you had no idea that your own twin — your twin who you can speak to with your mind — was planning to murder your father?” Rhiannon’s words drip with venom. “That he managed to keep that one little detail from you?”
“I’m telling the truth!” Haron’s voice rises, desperate.
“Commander—” I start.
But Rhiannon surges past me, getting right into Haron’s face. “Tell us everything you know. Right now. Before someone else in my pack gets hurt or killed because of your idiotic little scheme to sabotage the peace summit.”
Her hand shoots out, grabbing the front of Haron’s robes. Haron stumbles back against the garden wall, her face blanching with terror.
I grab Rhiannon’s arm. “Commander.”
We still don’t know where Holden is. I throw the thought at her. We still need her.
Rhiannon’s muscles are coiled steel beneath my grasp. For a heartbeat, I think she might shake me off and rip into Haron anyway.
Then slowly — so slowly — her fingers release their hold on Haron’s robes.
“Where is he? Your brother,” Rhiannon growls.
Haron blinks innocently at her. “I-I don’t know—”
“The hell you don’t,” Rhiannon snaps. “He bolted after trying to murder your father. Where would he have run?”
Haron looks as though she’s about to explode into tears before she finally gives in. “Osorin Temple. There’s nowhere else for him to go. Our lives in the mountains are solitary. The temple is like a second home to him.”
“Do you know where this place is?” I ask Rhiannon.
“Yes, I’ve been there once before.”
Seething distrust flares in Rhiannon’s eyes. “How do we know this isn’t another setup? That you’re not leading us straight into a trap?”
“It’s not. I swear it.” Haron’s voice cracks. “I know you have no reason to trust me, but I’m telling you the truth.”
“You’ve done nothing but lie since you arrived!” Rhiannon fires back.
Haron flinches like she’s been slapped. For a long moment, she just stands there, staring at the ground. Then, her expression changes. Determination replaces the desperation.
“You’re right. I have lied. But I can see now that my brother is wrong.
” She looks toward the infirmary, where her father lies unconscious.
“Wrong to do this to our father. Wrong about what it would mean to have peace with Lycans.” Her fingers move to her nape, unclasping the delicate crystal pendant. “Here.”
She holds it out to me, the crystal catching the afternoon light.
“What is it?” I ask, not reaching for it yet.
“My personal protection charm. All Shaman wear them. It’s the only reason why Jayme couldn’t kill me.
” She presses it into my palm, her fingers cold against mine.
“It won’t stop you from getting hurt, but it should shield you from the worst of Holden’s magic.
Physical blows that would ordinarily kill a human... you might survive.”
I stare at the necklace in my hand. The crystal gleams like trapped moonlight, translucent with faint veins of silver threading through its core.
Its polished surface catches every angle of light, creating fractured rainbows across my palm.
It’s warmer than Haron’s skin, alive with some kind of energy I’ve never seen.
The chain hangs long enough to slip over my head.
It’s woven from some pale metal — not quite platinum or silver — with intricate knots forming each link.
“Why are you giving this to me?”
“Because I need you to believe me.” Her hazel eyes dart from my face to Rhiannon’s. “The Commander understands. A Shaman’s protective charm is their lifeline, and I’m vulnerable without it. But I’m done protecting my brother. I need you to end this.”
Rhiannon studies Haron for another moment, then tilts her head. “That reminds me. If all Shaman wear protective charms, where’s your father’s?”
Haron blinks. “What do you mean?”
“Olcan said he wasn’t wearing his,” I say.
“That’s impossible. My father would never remove it. Especially not here at Kortan with everything that’s been happening.”
“Are you sure?” Rhiannon’s tone sharpens.
Haron nods. “Our protective charms are sacred. Removing one is like— like walking into battle naked. My father knows how dangerous it is for us here. He wouldn’t take that risk.”
I glance at Rhiannon. “Then someone took it from him.”
“Holden must’ve taken it before he. . .” Haron’s voice trails off.
“Why would he take it?” Rhiannon asks. “Does having two make him more powerful?”
Haron shakes her head slowly, fresh tears building. “No, the only reason to take it would be—” Her breath hitches. “To make sure our father wouldn’t survive the attack.”
“But he did.” I soften my voice, watching her world crack apart in real time.
“Only because of the two of you.” Haron sniffles.
Rhiannon releases a long breath and gives a curt nod. “Fine. I’m stationing guards outside both your room and the infirmary for your father. Twenty-four hours.”
“I welcome it,” Haron says quickly. “They can protect both of us from Holden if he returns.”
“He won’t return.” Rhiannon’s voice drops to something deadly. “Because we’re going to find him first.”
She turns on her heel, already moving toward the courtyard.
“Please be careful,” Haron says to me. “My brother can be very dangerous.”
Despite knowing she’d been ready to sacrifice me to Jayme, I force out a “thank you.”
The necklace goes into the pocket of my jeans as I follow Rhiannon. Through my peripheral vision, Haron drops onto a stone bench, burying her face in her palms. What goes through someone’s head when they grasp that they’re aiding a search party to hunt down their twin?
Rhiannon doesn’t wait for me as she exits the gardens, her shoulders hunched tightly.
“Where are you going?” I call after her when we’re out of earshot.
“To tell Xander.” She doesn’t turn around or slow down, but her voice is low and controlled. Dangerous.
“Wait up. What’s wrong?”
She stops dead in her tracks, then whips around to face me. “You shouldn’t have interfered.”
“Interfered?” I keep my tone even as I catch up to her. “You mean when I stopped you from ripping her apart? Trust me, I thought about letting you, but we needed her to tell us where Holden is. You know I’m right.”
“You—” Gold flares in her eyes before she turns away. “I’m done discussing this.”
She stalks off toward the fortress. The necklace grows warmer against my hip, and I have no idea if that’s a good or bad sign.
Whatever it is, I have a feeling I’m going to need it to protect me from more than just Holden.