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“You mean, you want him to babysit me,” I put in.

“No. I’m sending some of my men with you for exactly that reason. Lucien will provide you with support while you complete your mission. This is as much a test for him as it is for you.”

I looked over at Lucien, only to find him glaring at his father. “Whatever you say,” Lucien said, and even though I could tell he wasn’t at all pleased with this, he would never have let it be heard on his voice.

Mason turned back to me. “Well?” he asked.

I shook my head. “It doesn’t look like I have much of a choice, does it?”

“If you do this well, you will have earned some respect among our family. That should be something you want, considering your situation.”

Don’t be an idiot, Bee. Accepting this mission means you get to leave the mansion.

“Alright,” I said, “I’ll do it.”

“Of course you will,” said Mason, grinning like one of those cartoon sharks.

“What does this crown look like? What does it do?”

“You don’t have to concern yourselves with what it does, and you’ll know what it is when you see it. Trust me.”

I paused. “That’s… not going to help me accomplish this mission.”

I also don’t trust you.

Not one bit.

He also didn’t trust me, and that was why he wasn’t about to tell me directly what the crown did. He didn’t want to risk me running off with it or using it against him and his family. I doubted if I had the ability to use a Diaboli relic to begin with, but Mason wasn’t the kind of man to take chances or leave things up in the air.

He did what he did to my family because he knew that he could, and that it would work.

“Lucien knows what he’s looking for,” Mason finally said. “You have three days to do this… starting now.”

“Right now?”

“A car is waiting outside to take you both to the surveillance point. You’ll set up camp there, watch the temple from the outside, understand their movements, their watch patterns, and determine what kind of magical defenses they have. Once you have all the information you need, you’ll go in, get the crown, and get out without so much as a peep. Are we clear?”

I swallowed hard. “We’re clear,” I said.

Lucien nodded, adding, “Understood.”

Without another word, Lucien stood up. Mason gestured toward the door to the study. I got up too and followed Lucien as he made his way to the door. Just as I was about to leave the room, however, Mason called out to me.

“Ethera,” he said.

I stopped and turned around. “Yes?” I asked.

“Don’t fail,” he warned.

I didn’t have a reply for that. Instead, I walked out of the room and followed Lucien outside. A sleek, black sedan was waiting for both of us when we stepped out onto the driveway. The driver had the backseat door open for us, so one after the other, we slid into the car’s plush, leather interior.

When the door shut, I breathed a sigh of relief.

“All in all,” I said, “I think that could’ve gone worse.”

Lucien looked across at me, his expression grave. “You have no idea the danger he’s just put us both in.”

“Oh…”