Twenty-Six
The farewell brunch was held in the front gardens outside the manor the next morning.
The pale blue sky was blissfully free of clouds, and the sun’s warmth subdued the biting breeze coursing over the verdant lawns.
Buffet tables draped in ash-gray linens were adorned with an assortment of breakfast foods and beverages.
Attendants stood by them dutifully, plating dishes as Evers approached to fill their bellies after a night of romping.
By the time Rorik and I made our way to the edge of the gathering, many were already seated at iron bistro tables and chattering away.
Some were obviously paired off. Some were more aloof.
Some glared daggers at each other, and if I wasn’t so consumed with worry about Seville, I would have done anything to eavesdrop on the multitude of conversations floating through the air.
“Seville will be fine,” Rorik said as he nudged my side.
I ached for a more intimate touch from him.
Last night, I’d crawled into bed and wrapped myself up tightly in the sheets, fighting back tears while simultaneously wondering what kind of mistake I’d just made by letting my emotions, my desires, get the best of me.
By the time the sun rose, I’d slept maybe a total of three hours.
Fifteen minutes later, I’d dressed in simple slacks and a blouse and packed my bag.
I wanted to be gone. To busy my mind with the prospect of meeting Death instead of thinking of Rorik.
Another cluster of Evers emerged from the manor, and I strained my neck in the hopes of spying Seville.
She wasn’t among them. A numbness started to invade my fingers and toes as my heartbeat ratcheted higher.
She wouldn’t get caught. Couldn’t. The irysdrop had to work. Still, dread settled in my bones.
“Breathe,” Rorik said. “I can feel the panic radiating from your body.”
Breathe. The audacity of this arrogant Ever. Still, a wry smile dared to claim my lips.
The front doors opened again, and my gaze shot to the steps.
My fingers dug into my sides. One Ever. Another.
My heartbeat thrummed in my ears. Please, Seville.
Please . . . And then, finally, Zeverin, with Seville on his arm.
Relief shot through me, and my shoulders slackened at the same time I let out a heavy exhale.
Her coy smile betrayed nothing other than infatuation for the fete’s host. Furthermore, she appeared unharmed.
The cut of her blouse was low, her arms bare, and there wasn’t a bruise or injury to be spotted.
Beside her, Zeverin strutted forward with a haughty sense of superiority that only heightened the moment his gaze met Rorik’s.
Rorik glowered in response. “Seems like your plan worked.”
“We’ll see,” I murmured. Seville leaned in then, whispering into Zeverin’s ear, and then she patted his arm and slipped out of his grasp. He only grinned in response and watched her ass as she strolled toward us.
“Took you long enough,” I said.
“Zeverin escorted me back to our rooms so I could change.” She tapped her thigh once, indicating the space where her garter belt had been. “That aside, we have a problem.”
“What do you mean?” Rorik asked, daring a quick look around.
“The irysdrop worked beautifully,” she said beneath her breath, “but the blade wasn’t in the vault. Plenty of other valuables, but no weapon of any sort.”
“Shit.” My gaze flicked past her to Zeverin. He’d turned slightly, bending his ear toward Kara. She’d materialized out of nowhere yet again, and had something small clutched tightly in her hand.
“It has to be here somewhere.” Seville shifted her weight from one foot to the other. “At least Zeverin wants to see me again. I’ll come back here as many times as necessary to find it.”
A needling ache throbbed at the base of my skull.
Lack of sleep was getting to me. Or maybe it was the unfortunate turn of Seville’s night.
My brows drew together. The Embergrave Estate was massive.
There were more rooms than I could possibly count, plus a handful of surrounding buildings for the staff.
Zeverin could’ve hidden it anywhere. We’d need an entire garden dedicated just to irysdrop to create enough draughts for Seville to search the entirety of the grounds.
Chewing on the inside of my cheek, I scanned the area. Dermon was sitting alone, scowling very pointedly at Zeverin. It seemed his hatred toward him never abated. It’d been that way since the first night he’d sat next to me.
In all the years I’ve been here, I’ve never seen this famed blade. His words whispered through my mind. It’d made sense, of course. Why would Zeverin share that secret? But if I told Dermon the truth, maybe he could help us. Maybe there was some way for him to unearth the blade’s hiding spot . . .
It’s a secret she took to the grave, if the attendants’ gossip is to be believed.
My eyes went wide, and I immediately jerked my head toward the edge of the gardens where the gravel road curved before a singular, massive tree of gnarled limbs. If the First really did take her weapon with her to the grave, I knew exactly where to look.
“I have an idea. I just need—”
Before I could finish my thought, the ground began to swelter.
The once-verdant grass quickly yellowed and then withered on itself, as smoke began to seep through the earth to coat the air in an acrid scent.
All around us, Evers began coughing and covering their eyes, but Rorik and Seville didn’t move.
Tension climbed through Rorik’s shoulders and up to his jaw, and he flexed his hands by his sides as he glared at Zeverin, who stormed toward us, his feet leaving smoldering coal-black footprints in his wake.
He was a living, breathing flame, and a harsh heat radiated from his body.
Kara trailed behind him, her gaze shifting between him and Seville.
“You insolent, insignificant mistake,” Zeverin snarled at Rorik. “How dare you come into my house and orchestrate this?”
He extended his hand to Kara, and she set an empty perfume vial in his palm. Panic clawed at my throat. How?
Zeverin’s glare cut to Seville. “I should have expected you to be just as vile.”
“Are you suggesting I used that on you?” Seville lifted her chin, her expression revealing nothing. “That’s a bold accusation, Lord Embergrave.”
His eyes sparked with magic, and he snapped his fingers.
Kara stepped beside him wordlessly. And then suddenly, her form wavered like that of a mirage rising above a hot desert.
Gone was the woman with storm-gray eyes and a slender build, and in her place was our brunette attendant.
The one who’d served us breakfast while we met with the Waterstones.
The one who’d watched as we exited the garden the day before and brought tea for us.
We’d been careful with our conversations, but how many other pieces of information had she been collecting without our knowledge?
Fury filled Seville’s stare, and her lips peeled back in a grimace. But Rorik took a step forward, his power swelling within his hands and revitalizing the torched ground beneath us. Fresh grass defied the steaming soil, and tiny white flowers began to bloom around patches of clover.
“So, she didn’t want to sleep with you. Is your ego so wounded that you’d burn your estate to the ground?” Rorik spat. Murmurs rippled through the crowd. I doubted anyone here had ever defied Zeverin.
“I think your intentions were far more nefarious than you let on.” Sparks ignited in Zeverin’s palms. “That’s the beauty of Kara’s power. You never really know what face she’s wearing—or what she hears.” The flames in his hands turned electric blue as he focused on her.
“I just wasn’t feeling your hospitality.
” Seville’s glamour fell away as she called on her power, adding to the spread of healthy earth beneath her brother’s feet.
As her fangs protruded over her bottom lip, her mosaic, glass-like wings snapped angrily behind her. “I think it’s time we take our leave.”
“How very foolish of you.” Zeverin slammed his hands together, and the blue fire between his palms became a snarling mess of hungry flames that lapped at his fingers.
With one swift movement, he knelt to the earth and buried his hands in the ashen ground.
A saccharine smile claimed his lips as he marked us for prey with his heady, taunting stare.
“You were never going to leave here to begin with. If you had stayed willingly”—he inclined his chin toward Seville—“it would’ve been easier, of course.
But the plan was always to keep both of you.
I thought I made my intentions clear when I had Kara brand your land.
” He pinned me with a wild stare. Zeverin’s glamour fell away, and while I’d thought him regal during the opening feast, he was nothing but a nightmare now.
Every single tooth in his mouth was needle sharp, his stare a thing of pure malice.
His feathered wings snapped angrily behind him.
My heart thundered in my ears as I took a small step back.
I’d witnessed an Ever fight before, even participated in it.
But this—this was different. I could feel the swell of Zeverin’s power surging through the ground and coating the air.
He may not have been the first Ever to grace our world, but there was no doubt in my mind that he was a direct descendant of Rebellyn.
And he was significantly older and more powerful than Orin had been.
Rorik, though, only laughed. Pieces of his glamour fell away as he stretched his neck from side to side. First his twin black horns pushed through his hairline. Then his black-and-gold wings. His fangs. His nails. The golden exoskeleton across his skin.
“I think I’m going to enjoy this,” Rorik said, his voice lethal.
Zeverin’s eyes lit with challenge. “Let’s see how pitiful you truly are.”