Page 10

The alleys of Messana coiled around me, narrow and dim. Valen followed me for a few blocks, and then took a sharp turn toward the hills. Whatever he was planning, he’d better have something to show for it by the end of the night.

Lucian didn’t seem to be in a patient mood.

But when was he ever?

Titus was right—even I could admit that paranoia had started to eat away at our father’s usually rational mind.

How long would he be able to maintain control of his power—or the Necromi?

If they smelled blood in the water or saw any sign of weakness, it would all be over.

I pulled my bike into an alleyway and cut the engine.

I knew what I was looking for.

He was close—I could feel it, taste it in the dank air.

A rat scurried past, but the real vermin was a few streets away.

Even from here, I could sense his nervousness—and he didn’t even know he was being hunted.

Pathetic.

Messana’s streets could be dangerous—but not for me.

The path narrowed and the brick walls pressed in like eager spectators to the chase, as I slid through the alleyway with the ease of a dagger slipping between ribs.

Lucian wanted results.

Scapegoats.

Sacrifices.

He wouldn’t care who it was. Only that we delivered.

The man I’d chosen was no one special, and I couldn’t stop the smile that ghosted over my lips as I caught sight of him.

He was a fresh recruit—someone’s disappointing protégé.

They must be running out of options.

His nervousness radiated off him in waves and my fingers itched to unleash my magic. He must have sensed me—he was jittery and glanced over his shoulder, like he knew he’d fucked up but didn’t yet realize how badly.

The look on his face when I stepped into his path was exquisite.

Fear, shock, the dawning horror of recognition as he met my gaze.

“I—”

“Out for a stroll?” I interrupted him. I didn’t have time for any of the low-level sycophant mewling that usually came out of the ‘up and comers.’ They had their uses, of course. But he was about to serve a higher purpose.

He blinked and his mouth opened and closed soundlessly—like a fish flopping on a dock—as he stumbled back. His eyes darted around the darkened alley—searching for an escape that didn’t exist.

His tongue darted out to wet his chapped lips. “I— I’m not—” His throat bobbed. “I have my orders. I just haven’t had time—”

“Doesn’t matter.” I cut him off. “Your orders are about to change.”

“They are?”

I took a step closer. “I need information. Information that you have.”

If he got any paler, he was going to fade away to nothing.

“I—I don’t know anything,” he choked out.

I believed him, but that wasn’t the point.

“I think you do.” I inhaled the scent of his fear. Some of it was for me, but maybe not all. Someone else was whispering in this coward’s ear.

There was a hint of rebellion in the set of his jaw as he found some courage and stood a little straighter. He was still shorter than me by a good margin, easy to overpower without even touching my magic. “You—you’ve got the wrong guy.”

“That’s where you’re wrong.” I leaned closer, letting him see the promise of pain in my smile before I drove my fist into his gut. He doubled over, gasping.

“Please,” he wheezed and then spat on the filthy concrete. “I don’t know what you’re talking about!”

I sighed. “What part of ‘I need information’ are you struggling with?” I grabbed hold of his coat and wrenched him upright. Magic pulsed through my fingertips and the black smoke of my power pulsed and writhed around my hand before it lashed out and pushed him against the dark bricks of the wall behind him. His body twitched against the rough surface like a pinned insect. “Try again.”

He clawed at his throat, but nothing would break the noose I’d wrapped around his neck. His eyes bulged as he scrambled for breath and coherence. “Please—don’t—Lucian—”

“Won’t be pleased if we don’t have a name by morning,” I finished for him. “You follow your master around like a dog. You’ve seen things. Things that could be very important.”

“N— No—”

I flicked my fingers, and the smoke coiled around his torso, squeezing tight.

“Who else is involved?”

He gritted his teeth and shook his head.

Idiot.

“Think carefully.” My voice softened into something almost resembling empathy, though we both knew better. “If you don’t tell me, maybe someone else will—”

An image flickered into my mind.

A plain-faced young woman with dark hair.

A name whispered in the back of my thoughts.

Even after all these years, the grimoire’s influence was never far from my mind.

Yes. That would do nicely.

“Leona—” I said thoughtfully. “Maybe she knows something?”

The fight drained out of him as swiftly as it had flared—like I knew it would—and he sagged forward in defeat.

“The—the Old Road,” he finally gasped. “There—there’s a meeting there in three days. With some Sages. I don’t know more than that, I swear. Please—”

I flexed my fingers, and the magic wrapped around his throat eased just a little—

He sucked in a shaking breath.

“Names,” I said. “I need names.”

“I don’t know any names!” His words were rough and desperate.

“Don’t insult me,” I snarled. “You know more than you should. Something tells me you’re a bit of an eavesdropper… thought you could sell the information? Maybe get something for yourself— something nice for Leona?”

My words hung in the air as I watched the struggle play across his face.

“You’ll kill me if I tell you!” The words came in a vomitus rush. “It doesn’t matter what I say—”

“On the contrary.” I let my smile widen, a blade drawn across his throat. “It matters very much. I have plans for you.”

Those plans were simple. He would talk, and he would live just long enough to tell others of our little conversation.

My brothers and I needed Lucian to know his paranoia wasn’t without cause.

But first, I needed him to talk to me .

“Come on,” I urged. “You have more information stuffed in that pumpkin head of yours…”

“Meetings,” he gasped, the word forced out as if I’d punched it from his lungs. “There are meetings. Some of us—we’re supposed to report—”

I rolled my eyes. “I know that much. Anyone can guess that you little rats have been scurrying around under our noses.” I stepped closer until I could see the sweat bead on his brow and the thud of his pulse in his throat. The smoke of my magic caressed his acne scarred cheek. “Tell me something useful. Which Sages are going to be at this meeting—”

A twist of my wrist tightened the tendrils of magic that wrapped his torso, and he let out a thin whine. A little more pressure and a rib would break.

Maybe two.

“Give me something good,” I hissed. “Something worth my mercy.”

His head fell back against the bricks.

“A council! They’re planning a council meeting. Someone’s trying to take control—”

Oh, really…

“That’s better .” I let him see the satisfaction on my face and loosened the grip of my magic on his ribs— Just enough to let him breathe again. “Now, was that so hard?”

“I had to!” he blurted out.

I grabbed hold of his chin and forced him to look at me. “What?”

His eyes rolled in their sockets as he fought to keep from meeting my gaze. “Everyone—they’re all talking about what happened at the Catacombs,” He babbled out. “They think—” He stopped himself, but not fast enough.

“They think what?” I hissed.

“They think… they think Lucian’s lost his mind.”

“And you thought they were right?” My voice was ice, and he flinched and tried to pull away as my fingers dug into his jaw.

“No!” he choked on the words. “No! But—but if they were—”

“You’d play both sides.” I finished for him, voice dripping with disdain.

He flinched, but didn’t deny it.

I released my hold on his face and stepped back.

“Here’s what’s going to happen.” I smiled at him, sharp and cutting. “You’re going to keep playing both sides. And when this council meeting happens—”

“You want me to find out who’s behind it,” he said, gasping as my magic tightened around his torso and pushed him higher up the wall.

Finally, he was catching on.

“And if any of them are foolish enough to show their faces at this meeting with the Sages,” I continued, letting the edge of my threat linger on every word, “I want their names.” He nodded desperately, mind working furiously behind those dull eyes. “You remember what happens if you don’t come through for me?”

“Yes.” A trembling reply.

“Good.”

I flexed my hand and my magic retreated—though a little reluctantly. The wretch let out a yelp as he dropped to the ground like a sack of wet shit. He writhed and groaned on the filthy pavement before he pulled himself together enough to sit up.

He pushed his greasy hair out of his eyes with a grimy hand. “I’ll do it,” he choked out. “I’ll find out everything—”

“You’d better.” I turned on my heel and walked away.

“How… how do I find you—”

I stopped and looked back at him and he raised his arm as though he was worried I was going to strike him with my magic again. I could have. “You won’t have to,” I shot back. “That meeting is happening in three days?”

He nodded weakly.

“Then in four days you’ll be hearing from me.”

His muttered curses followed me, and I let out a snort. Pitiful.

“And don’t forget your little Leona,” I called over my shoulder. “If you leave town… if you do anything I don’t like… she’ll get a visit from me.”

The clatter of boots on cobblestone echoed behind me, but I didn’t bother looking back.

If that pathetic excuse for a Necromi wasn’t lying to me, it seemed that my father wasn’t entirely insane.

Although, it made a sinister kind of sense that Necromi weren’t as loyal as Lucian demanded—

How could they be with him as their example? He wasn’t exactly a paragon of virtue and honor.

My father valued one thing above all else.

Power.

And he didn’t care how he acquired it.

As long as it all belonged to him.

Blood and fear were his currency, and sometimes it seemed like he had more of one than the other.

Especially lately.

My work was done for the night, and I made my way back to my waiting motorcycle without taking notice of anything, or anyone, else.

A damp fog rolled through the streets from the harbor and curled around my bike like eager snakes as I roared through the winding roads toward the highway. Withermarsh loomed over the city like a predatory bird, and the sky above it hung heavy with an impending storm.

Maybe it was my imagination, but the storm clouds had been darker in the last few weeks.

The lightning and thunder storms were more intense.

But the dreary atmosphere suited this place.

Sunlight and warmth didn’t have any place on Lucian’s estate.

As I guided my bike toward the narrow road that led up to Withermarsh, I couldn’t help but imagine how my father would react to the information that was now in my possession…

Members of the Black Council meeting with Sages… in secret.

Did I tell him now?

Or wait…

That little rat I’d sent scurrying into the streets to spy on his master would tell me everything, or he’d wish that he’d never taken the dark oath that bound him to the Necromi.

He probably regretted it already.

I had to wait.

Lucian would want names.

Answers.

Revenge.

And if I played things right, I could use this whole mess to my advantage.

Titus was waiting for me when I arrived at Withermarsh.

He leaned against the side of the garage with arms crossed over his chest. His eyes narrowed as I pulled my motorcycle into the courtyard and cut the engine.

“What do you have?” he demanded as I pulled off my helmet and balanced it on the seat of my bike.

“Nothing,” I replied and relished the way his brows shot up in surprise.

He pushed away from the wall and took a few steps toward me. “You’re serious?”

I shrugged. “Can’t win ‘em all.”

“You’re lying,” he snarled.

I ran a hand through my hair and straightened my shoulders as he approached. “What if I am?”

“I need to know what you did tonight.”

“Why? Going to run to daddy and tell him all about our adventures in the city?” I taunted him.

“If you found anything, I’m the one who’ll be making that report.” His voice was a growl, and I gave him a grin that made his eyes narrow more.

“Who said there was anything to report?”

His hand shot out and grabbed my shoulder and he pulled me closer, but I could see the hesitation behind his anger. Just enough hesitation to make me sure he didn’t know what Lucian actually wanted.

My older brother was off balance, and he didn’t like it.

“Get your hands off me,” I warned him, and he released his grip with a sneer.

“So you came back here with nothing?” He studied me with suspicion.

I returned his scrutiny with a cool appraisal. “Not necessarily.”

“Then what—”

“Let’s just leave it at this,” I said. “Lucian’s paranoia isn’t as… misplaced as we thought it was.”

“What the fuck is that supposed to mean?”

I shrugged. “I said what I said.”

“You little shit.” He spun away, scowling. “I’m not waiting for you to run your games, Bastian. If you know something, tell me now.”

“Or what?” I called after him, laughing at the tension in his stride as he stormed toward the house.

Titus always had an issue with patience.

I watched him go and enjoyed my minor victory.

It was rare that I got under his skin like this—it was almost worth whatever consequences would come when I could finally extract the information from that asshole.

Lucian’s fury would be righteous, and his justice would be swift.

Justice that I would be tasked with carrying out.

The slam of the front door of the mansion echoed in the darkness and I sneered in its direction before I set my hands on the handles of my motorcycle and pushed it into the garage.

“What the fuck was that about?” Valen’s voice pulled a startled breath from my lips.

He leaned against a workbench, but nothing about his posture was casual. He was tense.

We all were.

I ignored his question. “What did you find?” I asked instead.

He shrugged. “Dead ends. Something’s up, but no one’s talking.”

Not to you, brother.

“Is that what you’re going to tell father?”

His lips twitched. “He said I should report if I hear anything… interesting.”

“Then you’ll have nothing to say.”

“Same as you?” he asked, watching me with a calm that set my teeth on edge.

“Maybe.” I moved toward the workbench and glanced at the maps and notes scattered over its surface. Valen had marked the locations of potential conspirators, but there were more crossed out than circled. “He’s going to love your progress.” I dragged out my words and felt the vague flex of Valen’s magic—just once I wished he would fight me.

Just once.

Valen’s eyes darkened, and he pushed away from the bench with a fluid motion. For a moment, I thought he might actually say something interesting, but he nodded toward the house. “Do you think he’ll want to see us tonight?”

I rolled my shoulders. “I don’t plan on being available for a few days.”

“What are you planning?”

I didn’t like his tone.

“Nothing that concerns you, brother,” I said. I gestured vaguely at his maps and then leaned over and feigned interest in the symbols he’d scribbled on the margins of the page. “It looks like you have enough to keep you busy—” Then something caught my eye. “Isn’t that—”

Valen reached past me and snatched the maps off the workbench. “Get the fuck out of here,” he snarled.

“Fine by me,” I said casually. I shoved my hands in my pockets and sauntered toward the open garage door. “See to my bike, will you? I think I’m out of gas—”

“Asshole,” Valen muttered.

I chuckled in response, but didn’t look back.

Valen was taking a strange approach to our father’s demands. Whatever he was looking for, it wasn’t going to work out well for him.

If things continued at this pace, Lucian would look to one of us for answers very soon.

If I wanted to stay ahead of my brothers, I’d have to be smart about how I played this—and careful that neither Titus nor Valen got their hands on my prize before I did.

I didn’t need them ruining my fun.

But something else nagged at my thoughts.

What was the council really planning?

Lucian’s purge had shredded their ranks until only the most loyal, and the most zealous, remained—but if they were looking for a way out…

Or worse—what if they succeeded?

What kind of deal would they have to cut with the Sages to ensure Lucian’s downfall?

And what would that mean for us?