Page 40 of Salem’s Fall (Dark Seasons Thriller #3)

“Are you suggesting Damien has me trapped here for the ritual?” My fork shakes in my hand, but I steel my voice.

Lucien is always playing games, always trying to get the upper hand.

Maybe I should be afraid of whatever Damien has planned for me, but I refuse to give Lucien the satisfaction.

“To be honest, I find this all incredibly confusing.” I sigh, taking a bite of my potatoes.

“If your brother really wants me dead, he didn’t need to go to all these lengths to save me from a masked killer and pamper me with gourmet meals and gifts, just to kill me himself. ”

Lucien leans forward, his eyes gleaming with something dark and unsettling. “Who says it’s you he’s after?”

Okay, now I really am confused.

I set my fork down, my fingers tightening around the edge of my plate.

“Isn’t that what you were implying? That your brother trapped me here to be the Veil Night sacrifice?

” I glance at Lucien, searching his face for any hint of a tell.

“I thought… the Veil… I thought it’s supposed to be someone tied to Damien, a ‘Tether’—someone like me. ”

He gives a slow sigh, swirling his glass with deliberate calm. “Of course, that’s what Damien wants you to think, so you’ll stay out of the way. He’s all too happy to let you play the fool in this little horror show,” he says, voice almost mocking. “Tell me, Miss Woodsen, how is your sister?”

His question sends a jolt through me.

“Maddie? What does she have to do with any of this?”

“Had any… trouble… reaching her lately?”

His tone is casual, but the words tighten like a vise around my chest. My mind races back to my recent attempts to reach Maddie right before the professor’s death, and I realize the last time I spoke with her was the night of the Gala. That’s been, what—six? Seven days ago?

More?

“What do you mean?” I ask, a prickling unease snaking through me. “Are you saying Damien is after my sister?”

“Damien? I don’t know.” Lucien shrugs. “The Veil, most certainly. They tend to stay consistent with their methods. Female. Innocent. Tethered.” His eyes narrow, as if doing some sort of calculation in his head.

“Well, tethered enough to Damien through you, that is. You were right about that—you’re the connection. ”

A tremor runs through me, and I swallow hard, a cold weight settling in my stomach, heavy and full of dread. Lucien watches me, his gaze unyielding and almost… pitying.

“You see it now, don’t you?” His voice is soft, almost gentle. “All along, you’ve been focusing on the wrong things, worrying about your own life. But the Veil… they’re always one step ahead.”

“You’re lying. Damien would have told me if something bad was happening to Maddie. ”

“Why? Because he cares for you? Is that what he told you?” Lucien laughs, a hollow sound that fills the cavernous room.

“My brother has always been a master at manipulating those around him.” He leans forward, his voice dropping as if sharing a secret.

“Truthfully, I think he really may have… feelings… for you, but someone has to die for the Ascension. So he locks you in here in this beautiful cage, keeps you distracted, feeds you lies—all for your own protection, of course. All while your poor sister is out there in the Veil’s clutches, awaiting her death while Damien secures his future reign. ”

“If you’re convinced your brother is so evil, why are you telling me this? Why not let him win his little game?”

Lucien’s gaze shifts, a hint of some deep emotion quickly buried. “Because this isn’t just Damien’s game. It’s mine too,” he says. “And I refuse to let my brother have everything he’s ever wanted without facing any consequence.”

“I don’t believe you…”

“You should,” he says matter-of-factly. “Because the truth is, Damien is exactly who you feared he might be.”

The room feels like it’s closing in, the walls pushing against me, as I try to piece everything together. Every word Damien has ever said. Every look. Every unexplained moment. Could he really have been keeping this from me, using me as some pawn while my sister is in trouble?

Maddie—she’s just a kid. He couldn’t really mean to harm her, could he?

My breath hitches, the full horror of my situation sinking in.

I’m trapped in Blackthorn Manor, locked away while Maddie is out there, in unimaginable danger, and there’s not a damn thing I can do about it.

I have no phone, no means of escape, and every second I spend here, helpless, is a second wasted.

My hands tremble as I shove my chair back and bolt out of my seat. I need to get out of here somehow. She’s my little sister, my responsibility. I have to find Madison.

“What’s wrong, Miss Woodsen?” Lucien watches my reaction, his gaze sharp and penetrating. “Suddenly not feeling so safe under Damien’s protection ?”

I glare at him, fury boiling under the surface, mixing with the fear churning in my gut.

Because if Lucien is telling the truth, then he’s just as bad as Damien for sitting by idly while my sister’s life is in peril.

I realize I’m caught between two men, both powerful, both dangerous, each with motives as twisted as the other.

“My sister… I need to get to her.” I step toward Lucien, my last hope—a hope that fades with every second of his cool, impenetrable gaze. “Please, tell me where she is,” I say, my voice cracking. “I have to help her.”

He watches me with a detached curiosity, his expression mocking, but there’s a hint of something almost empathetic too. For a moment, he seems to consider my words, and something almost human flickers behind his cold exterior.

But then, he gives a small, dismissive shrug.

“It’s out of my hands, unfortunately.” He sighs, giving me a hollow smile. “Even if I wanted to, I can’t just walk into the Veil’s inner sanctum and demand they return their sacrificial lamb. The wheels are already in motion, I’m afraid.”

“Please, Lucien.” My hands tremble at my sides. “There has to be a way. Tell me where she is…” I beg.

“I’m sorry. Truly, I am. But I can’t help you,” he says.

“Although… you don’t need me to. You already know the answer.

” He watches me intently, his gaze unnervingly sharp.

“Ask yourself—where would they take someone meant for sacrifice?” His voice dips into a coaxing whisper.

“You’ve come across it before, buried in the history you’ve been so meticulously digging up. ”

Panic grips me, my thoughts spinning, the truth just out of reach. Fragments of places, whispers, hints—they swirl in a fog of madness I can’t quite unravel. I take a shuddering breath, forcing myself to sort through the chaos, to find what fits.

Then it clicks. Old places tied to dark rituals, where power lingers in the air, places like?—

“Strega’s Hollow!”

Lucien slow claps, a smug smile spreading across his face. “Well done,” he drawls. “Shame you’re trapped in Blackthorn Manor, locked behind these doors and windows. However will you escape to save your poor sister?”

“You can get me out, can’t you?” I meet his gaze, desperately searching for any sign of mercy, any crack in his cold mask.

“It’s not a matter of what I can do. It’s what I’m willing to do—and I don’t risk myself for lost causes.

No matter how pretty they may be.” He leans forward, his expression unyielding as he raises his glass in a mock toast. “Enjoy the rest of your meal, Miss Woodsen,” he says.

“I must be on my way. I’ve got somewhere special to be. ”

I barely see him through the fog of despair that overtakes me as he turns to leave. The finality in his goodbye is a death sentence that fills me with a dark, horrific realization. No one at Blackthorn Manor will help me. No one will save Maddie.

My sister is going to die, and there’s nothing I can do to stop it.