Page 167 of Lana Pecherczyk

“From them!” Ravi’s wings snapped open as she gestured toward the Cardonas. “From their toxic influence. From their cursed bloodline.”

“Cursed?” Carlotta hissed. “It wasn’t my son who urged others to abandon their kettle and walk into the ceremonial lake!”

“No, it was your son who abandoned the Order of the Well to go on a murder spree!” Ravi shot back. “After he broke my boy’s wings!”

The words echoed. A lone crow cawed in the distance. The wind rustled leaves. Blake sensed her mate’s horror dawning, despite his expression being blank.

“You knew.” His voice emerged barely audible.

His mother’s silence condemned her more than any confession.

“Youknewwhat Cloud did to me.” River’s hands curled into fists. “All this time.”

Talo stepped forward. “Son?—”

River raised his hand and looked at his family’s faces, noticing his father’s guilty grimace, his sister’s shock, and Ash’s eyes avoided him.

“You told them.” He glared daggers at his adopted brother.

“To be fair, you never said not to.”

“River, please.” Ravi reached for her son, but he flinched away.

“How. Long.”

She darted a nervous look at Ash. “He came to us the night you were injured.”

River’s wide eyes found Blake’s, latching on like a drowning man spotting shore. Without a word, she took his hand and tugged him away from the gathering, behind the nearest caravan.

“They knew,” he rasped, bracing one hand against the wooden panel. “All of them. I stayed away for five years. Thought I was keeping some big secret, but they fucking knew.” A bitter laugh escaped him. “All this time, I was acting like a good little Guardian so they wouldn’t catch on when I finally got my chance for revenge. What a waste of time. I could have been hunting him down, could have ended this sooner.”

“Ended what?” Blake snapped. “His life? Yours? Only one of you is coming out of that battle alive.” Her throat constricted. “And if you did hunt him down, then I might never have met you. I can’t lose you.”

“He deserves to pay for what he did to me. For his betrayal. For making a mess of everything! And now…” He held up his blue-marked hand. “Now there’s no doubt who’ll win.”

“Maybe.” Fury and fear clashed in her veins, causing her to tremble. “But if you think the mess is bad now? Imagine what it would look like if you actually went through with it. If you murdered your best friend.”

He turned his back on her and paced the length of the caravan, boots crunching on dirt and twigs, fingers spearing through his hair, weapons clanking. His emotions were so knotted up that she couldn’t identify them. When he turned back with an agonized look, her heart melted.

“I know you’re hurting,” she whispered. “But Lark is out there right now, learning that her parents betrayed her.Yourparents. The couple who everyone believes value love above all else. Lark’s happiness was sacrificed because of secrets and shame, and all this … all thisbullshitbickering has nothing to do with their love.”

River’s gaze fixed on Blake.

“You’re right.” He nodded. “Fuck this fucking shit. Not on my watch.”

But he remained rooted, eyes stark with that same vulnerability she’d glimpsed in Cloud’s trove.

“River?”

His chest heaved. “I can’t do this. They won’t listen to me. I’m half a fucking?—”

She smacked his chest. Hard.

“Ow.” He pouted, rubbing his chest.

“Oh, stop it. As if that hurt. And stop feeling sorry for yourself. You killed the kelpie when it seemed invincible. You’re here, trying to save the world! You’re a fucking machine.” She lowered her voice in case anyone was eavesdropping. “Both in and out of the sack.”

That caught his attention. His lips twitched, blue eyes crinkling. “Keep talking.”