Chapter 27 #2
I had so many memories of them from my childhood.
We all trusted them.
There were so many questions in my head.
And what about King Varis? He was their friend. He, my father, and Mattieu all grew up together.
I supposed it went back to that thing people said—you can never truly know a person.
People change. Oftentimes for the very worst.
I got ready slowly. Eventually, it was time to head downstairs. I left my room and took my steps carefully.
It felt wrong walking around knowing Mira was dead. She wouldn’t be walking into the dining room to check on me—even if it was fake.
And who was the woman Thayden was with last night?
Was she the next sacrifice?
Quite likely.
Her presence was understandable now. Mira was on her way out, and Thayden needed fresh meat.
As for me, I didn’t believe for one second that the Deathless were going to simply hand me over to Thayden.
They’d kill me. Kill me and consume my powers. Then they’d kill him, too. Him, Mattieu, and Prince Maelor were just as they’d said. Acolytes.
Though I felt Maelor was a little more than that. He was the leader. At some point, he must have gotten the others involved.
And he’d been mixed up with Dreynthor, too. No one would ever suspect such a thing. Dreynthor loathed humans and Maelor the magic-born.
Yet, they’d worked together under our noses with the Deathless to gain leadership of their respective kingdoms.
Dreynthor was dead, but I was willing to bet the Deathless weren’t going to stand by their word and allow him to rule Galaythia. And I was still needed to complete the job.
I reached the dining room. Thayden was already inside.
On seeing him, I stopped in the doorframe and lingered for a moment, gathering my thoughts. Being around him was going to be incredibly uncomfortable.
I already felt dirty just for sharing the same air.
Murderer.
But then, hadn’t I always known he was?
He lifted his head and saw me. The eye contact yanked me back to the now.
Preparation time over.
“Morning, love,” he greeted me with his usual smile.
I smiled back, slipping into the role of the doting wife-to-be. At least I was still ahead of the game and winning him over. Not once in my time here had he suspected foul play with my memories. So, I would continue to be the snake, and when the time was right, I’d slither right out of here.
“Good morning.” I walked over to him, pasting on my best smile.
He seemed more vibrant this morning, his skin glowing. It was odd. The silver-haired Deathless had drained something from him, but it seemed the ritual had reinvigorated him. I guess that’s how it worked.
He took my hand with the same murdering hands he’d used to kill Mira, and I fought the urge to recoil.
He placed a kiss atop my knuckles and guided me to sit next to him. I took slow, shallow breaths, steadying my mind by thinking about Wolfe.
“How are you today?” he asked, his eyes still bright. He grabbed my plate, piled on a few of those mini pastries I’d liked, and set it before me.
I smiled back sweetly, silently rewarding myself for the good work I’d done to fool him. “I’m feeling great. What are you up to today? Will you be around?”
“I’m heading out after breakfast, but I’ll be back before lunch. I’d like to take you to the meadow.”
My smile widened, appearing excited about the meadow when really, I was thrilled he’d be leaving soon. “That sounds great. Is it the same meadow you told me about the other night?”
“No, but it’ll do. They look similar.”
“Then I can’t wait. It’ll be something nice to put in my journal.”
He grinned. “Indeed. My hope is to fill that journal of yours with good memories. So you can read them… and remember me when the curse takes them.”
“Thank you. That’s so sweet. I appreciate it.”
“Anything for you.” He reached for my hand again and kissed it, his lips lingering there for a moment longer. “I hope you know that.”
“I do.”
“Good.”
I didn’t know what got to me more, that he genuinely had deep feelings for me or that he thought he could do whatever it took to keep me.
Wolfe was possessive. At times obsessive. But there was a difference. A line he wouldn’t cross. And he would never tell the lies Thayden had to manipulate me and screw with my mind.
I was curious about what he would tell me about Mira. Feigning ignorance, I casually glanced over my shoulder. “Will Mira be around? She was going to teach me how to knit a doily.”
His expression didn’t even falter. Gods be good, it remained the same. There wasn’t even a flicker in his eyes.
“Ahh, Mira was called away in the early hours of the morning. Her father took sick again. It may be a while before we see her.”
Wow. Was that what he was seriously going to tell me? I supposed it was a clever excuse he could use to finally explain that she wasn’t going to return.
Except he was slipping up in his own game. Mira had told me her father died when she was a child.
“That’s a shame. I pray her father gets better.”
“As do I. Eat. Don’t let the food get cold.” He nodded toward my plate.
And just like that, all conversation of Mira ceased.
We ate in silence. Only the Great Mother knew how I managed to get the food down my throat and keep up appearances.
I was glad when Thayden polished off his food. He stood and leaned in to kiss me on my cheek, then he was off.
I waited there in my chair, allowing the tremor of nerves to finally show.
I listened for the door, then I was up and out of the room. I made for the corridor and through the kitchen to take the back exit to the garden.
The house staff greeted me, but I didn’t stop like I usually did to speak to them. When I got outside, I ran.
Apart from the two groundmen tending to the rose garden, no one was around.
Good.
I quickened my pace when I got to the woods. Twenty minutes later, I reached the lake.
Legs aching, my breathing ragged, I raced to the bank and felt for Wolfe through the bond. I could tell he’d sensed the urgency in my body.
“I need you right now. It’s an emergency.” The words ran through my mind, sharp and insistent.
Not even a minute passed before the air rippled like the other night and Wolfe stepped out of that mirror world.
The relief of seeing him nearly broke me. I threw myself into his arms, and he held me.
“What’s happened, Ziyka?” he muttered close to my ear.
“I found out everything.” I inched away and gazed up into his eyes. “And it’s bad. Really bad. Zyrra was there.”
“Tell me what happened.”
“They’re called the Deathless.”
Wolfe went utterly still and the color drained from his face.
The reaction was so immediate and so unlike him that dread unfurled in my stomach.
His gaze sharpened. “What did you say?”
“The Deathless.”
For the first time since I'd met him, true fear flashed across his features. “We have to leave now.”
“What?” My lungs squeezed.
“We have to leave right now.”