Page 24

KLEOS

T o my credit, I didn't scream. I didn't even cry. I was too horror-struck for much of an outward reaction.

I’d always thought the worst possible thing a rune curse could do was control me, but I hadn’t truly realized the scope of it, even when I learned about the dead bodies.

I thought I could have ended up as one of them, used, and then murdered.

The fact that they’d been murdered to control me made the whole thing feel…

bigger. More perverse, purposeful, thought out.

Lucian confirmed all my fears, sounding so certain and confident I didn’t see any point in questioning him.

“Do you know a ritual that could do that?” Gideon asked. “Is there any way to stop it?”

Lucian shook his head. “Believe it or not, I’m not familiar with all the dark rituals in existence. I’ve read about them, out of academic interest, but I’ve never had any reason to look into the ins and outs in detail.”

“But you know where we could start looking?” Gideon’s tone bordered on pleading.

I was certain I also looked desperate for a yes.

Lucian nodded.

“Thank fuck, man. Hang on, let me grab a pen. I’ll note the names of the books.”

Our host chuckled. “And you’ll what, pop by the library to grab them?”

He had a point. “I looked everywhere for three weeks,” I reminded Gideon.

“Not everywhere,” Lucian said.

I blinked.

“You didn’t have access to my collection, love.”

Oh .

“Right. You have rare books.” A quick look at his shelves walking in told me as much.

“Indeed. And a number of volumes that would be considered…how do I say this? Inappropriate . If the Archives kept copies, they wouldn’t be available to the public.”

I glanced back at the book on the table.

“Not this one. It is rare, but irrelevant. Just old tales I’m translating for Night Academy.”

“Night Academy?” I’d never heard the name.

“The school down here. It’s an escalator institute, covering everything from kindergarten to university—the entry requirements are considerably more challenging post-high school. The Nachtigall own it. The translation is a favor to Ronan.”

Of course there were schools in the underside. It made perfect sense; I certainly hadn’t seen any unders kids in our school, and they have must studied somewhere. I felt foolish again.

“I can see how dark rituals might not be part of a school curriculum.”

“They are,” Lucian replied with a casual shrug. “But whatever’s going on here isn’t so straightforward. I have a private collection in the east wing. Researching the ritual will take time, however. And I’m not sure you have that long.”

Yet again, my heart stopped. “What?”

Lucian seemed to make a conscious effort to sound gentle.

“Rituals powerful enough to bend a person’s soul to one’s will would need precise conditions.

Specific celestial events, time of the day, that sort of thing.

It's no coincidence it happened during the full moon.

My guess is, they'll try again next full moon.”

Fuck . I was truly going to be sick on his fancy furniture.

“In five days ?" Gideon screamed.

“Why did I think it would be her attacking my eardrums when you’re here?” Lucian grunted.

I barely noticed the interaction.

Next full moon.

Five days.

Someone was going to cut me open, and worse, by the end of the fucking week.

My vision started to blur as my stomach recoiled, when I was suddenly pulled out ofthe pit of misery by two fluffy white paws, pressing against my knees.

"No, Zazel,” Lucian groaned, standing. “Don’t move, I’ll get him off you.”

Before he could do anything, however, the graceful feline hopped onto my lap, a fluffy tail brushing my face. The cat turned on his feet twice before lying down and starting to purr, the sound deeper than an average locomotive.

“Well, I’ll be damned,” Lucian whispered as I ran my hand through the thick, soft fur.

The purr deepened, warming me like nothing else ever had.

Seconds ago, I thought I was going to cry or throw up, on the verge of a panic attack. Now I could almost smile.

“Cats always like Kley,” Gideon grumbled.

Cats absolutely did not like him. I didn’t know if it was because he had an energy so close to a labrador or because he was desperate for their attention.

“Zazel isn’t a cat, he’s a demon,” Lucian said. “And I mean that literally. He snuck out of a low circle of hell one day when I was a bit sloppy with my summoning circle, and refused to go back.”

I caught the eye of the creature leaning into my touch—bright red.

He definitely very much was a cat, though.

“Clever boy,” I cooed. “You wanted Lucian as your minion, didn’t you? And I bet this castle has epic mice to chase.”

Lucian snorted. “I beg your pardon. My house does not have mice.”

“Not with Zazel on watch, it wouldn’t,” I replied reasonably.

It was official: I no longer was on the verge of falling apart. The demon cat had very purposely stood between in the way of the major freakout I would have fallen into.

That meant we had to return to the unpleasant subject at hand. I needed answers—and Lucian apparently had them.

“That ritual. Is there a way to stop it?”

“In all likelihood.” I couldn’t tell if Lucian was saying that to reassure me or because he believed it.

“You already did it. Salt cut the connection,” he reminded me.

“But as for reverting what’s already started, all I can think of are temporary fixes.

What we truly need is for whoever is behind this to stop strengthening the connection by carving up more victims and let it expire naturally.

Unless you have a solid lead, the likelihood of the person trying again at the next full moon—at the same time—is high. ”

“The full moon is on Samhain, right?” Gideon cursed. “Would that make a spell more potent?”

“Potentially,” Lucian replied. “I don’t know enough to be certain of anything at this stage, but it’s likely. There’s plenty of ancient magic at work this time of the year. At least, we’re not dealing with the Dionysia’s fertility spells on top of it all.”

“It’s too fucking soon, either way,” Gideon said. “We need more time to prepare. And there’s a damn official party too that night. You have to stay home, Kley. I’ll guard you.”

“I can’t,” I croaked, focusing on the rhythmic purring and on the warmth of my little furry savior. “ You can’t.”

Zazel pushed his head into my palm and I scratched his chin.

Right. Breathe.

“If I miss something like Samhain, my mother will need a reason. You know how she gets. And you know how she’ll react to all this,” I told my cousin.

To Lucian, I said, “Mother’s controlling.

If I say someone’s trying to enslave me, she’ll jump on the excuse as a clear reason why I should bind myself to the first guy on her approved list of suitors in order to avoid it.

If my soul’s already bound, no one else can claim it, right?

” I snorted. “Never mind it would be for the rest of my damn life.”

“Ah,” was his only response.

At least, he wasn’t telling me to promptly go get hitched to a perfectly tedious boy handpicked by my mother.

“Anyway,” I added, “staying home wouldn’t help. I was in my room the first time, wasn’t I?”

“Yes, well, I do have one or two suggestions for your current predicament,” Lucian casually tossed.

“You do?”

It occurred to me that he had completely taken control of the situation.

And—I was relieved? Usually, I liked to be the one in charge.

Or I thought I did. In truth, between Gideon and Silver, I was the one who had to think, most of the time.

Thinking hadn’t gotten me anywhere on this.

I was so, so grateful someone knew what to do, because I didn’t have a damn clue.

“I take it you usually attend the revel at the Hall of Truce?”

I nodded, unsurprised he wasn’t certain, though I’d been there every year since I was twelve. Just because I noticed him each time didn’t mean he knew when I was in the same room. Particularly a room as large as the ballroom where all revels take place, right off the inner garden of the Hall.

“Do you know when the ritual started last time?”

“Midnight.” I was glad to be able to confirm something . Conversations with this man made me feel particularly dimwitted. “I looked at the time as soon as it was over—it was ten past. The whole thing can’t have lasted more than ten minutes.”

“Well, I say, you will go to the ball, Cinderella. Do nothing unusual at all before. Spend the rest of the week pretending all is well in your world.”

“That’s too dangerous,” Gideon protested. “We can’t use her as bait .”

“No one is going to use Kleos in any way shape or form,” Lucian assured him. “I said, go to the celebration. The actual ball starts at eight, doesn’t it? We’ll leave around eleven. A little early to turn into a pumpkin, but it will give us plenty of time to return here by midnight.”

I lifted my eyes away from Zazel’s fur and back into the depth of those gray eyes. “To your place?”

“Yes, love.” Lucian grinned wickedly. “Specifically, to my dungeons.”