Page 24

24

Calm Before the Storm

Caspian

My heart races, watching as Aunt Pen wears a path where she paces in front of the fireplace. The mood in the study is somber, and no one’s said a word in several minutes. I believe that, like me, they’re all hyper-aware of how the clock is winding down.

As promised, Vex sent the details, laying out a very meticulous plan for where and how we’re to meet. Also as promised, I haven’t shared those details with a soul. Seeing him brutally mutilate an innocent child served its purpose. It taught me that this madman isn’t one to be toiled with. If one single thing goes wrong tonight, if he has even an inkling something’s amiss, he wouldn’t hesitate to make one of my loved ones pay the price.

“Un-fucking-believable,” Aunt Pen hisses. “You’re playing right into his hand.”

“And what would you have me do differently?” My voice booms with the question, and she passes a glare toward me.

“What would I have you do differently? Well, for starters, you could tell us all where the bloody hell you’re going! At least then we could come to you if?—”

“Why? So he can slit each of your throats like we’ve already seen him do once today?”

I’m breathless, imagining each one of them clutching their throats, trying in vain to cover a gaping wound as life drains from their eyes.

“This… Vex… or whatever the hell he calls himself, he isn’t a god,” Dimitri points out. “He isn’t invincible, which means if we come up with a plan, we might?—”

“There’s no time for that,” I cut in, my eyes shifting to the clock again, understanding that I’ve got mere minutes to help my family find some sort of peace within themselves before I must leave.

It’s a sobering thought, knowing this might be the last time I look any of them in their eyes, knowing that my last conversation with Annalise might very well be that.

My last.

I look away, swallowing deeply before I’m able to speak again.

“I’m not afraid,” is where I begin, finding the courage to meet each one of their gazes right after—Aunt Pen, Creed, Archibald, Dimitri. “The only thing that’s difficult right now is knowing how it would hurt the people I love should I not return. But I… am not… afraid.”

Aunt Pen swipes a tear from her cheek when I repeat those words.

“As alpha of Clan Centauri, it is my sworn duty to do everything within my power to protect our people, and I intend to do exactly that. Even if it costs me my life.”

Aunt Pen rolls her eyes, angry that I’m willingly walking into the lion’s den, but she doesn’t speak. Because as my father’s sister, she knows as well as I do that this is what must be done. It’s what my father would’ve done.

I think of him, the man I idolized as a child, the man I still loved and cherished long after I realized he was as imperfect as the rest of us. Even after his death, I still find myself drawing courage from his example—a warrior who loved Clan Centauri with all his heart and made sacrifices to ensure their survival all the way up until we laid him to rest.

Creed’s hand lands on my shoulder and he squeezes just enough that I feel the words he cannot say. As my closest friend, it feels like we’ve seen it all together. The good, the bad, the ugly. And now, as I face the darkness, this will be the first time neither he nor Dimitri will be there to face it with me.

I stand, his hand slips away, and he retreats to the wall beside my brother. Embers crackle in the fireplace, and it’s the only sound in the room as I glance around, looking each one in their eyes.

“Whatever happens next, know two things,” I say. “First, know that my heart is always with this clan. And second, know that I will do everything within my power to come home.”

Archibald nods, clasping both hands in front of him. “Godspeed, Sir.”

I start toward the door, but a solid grip on my arm halts me. When I turn, it’s Dimitri’s gaze that’s set on me. At first, I think he intends to speak, but instead, he pulls me into an embrace. My brother, the one with the emotional range of a grain of rice.

“I swear, if you do something stupid, Cas… I’ll fucking kill you myself.”

Somehow, despite the weight of this moment, I smile at his words. “Noted.”

He squeezes tighter, whispering one last thing just loud enough for me to hear. “I love you...”

My eyes fall closed as I take a breath. “Same to you, Brother.”

He releases me, and his expression goes blank, as if no words were exchanged between us at all. He retreats with reluctant steps, and I’m almost convinced this moment is as difficult for him as it is for me, but that’s impossible.

Because while his concern is only for one tonight, mine is for many.

Mine is for all .

Fighting the urge to go to Annalise one last time, I follow my intended course—out the front door to where I’ve asked Archibald to have a porter park my bike. I’m numb as I climb on, pull the helmet over my head, then start the engine.

Leaving tonight is probably the hardest thing I’ve ever had to do. But as I ride toward uncertainty, with the estate shrinking in the distance behind me, both my objectives are abundantly clear.

Do what must be done to protect the clan.

And for fuck’s sake… make it home to Annalise.