unfortunate coincidence. Someone tipped him off, and Richard definitely knew we’d follow up on the lead. Which means: as of right now, he’s still one step ahead of us. From what Nolan’s shared, I’m not surprised we haven’t been able to locate him. He’s growing more powerful by the minute. Not to mention, he’s an expert in staying hidden; he’s done it for hundreds of years.”
Trishna rubbed her forehead and continued, “I have eyes and ears all over the country, informants of all species, and none of them have reported spotting him. And every time we get close to a member of his coven, they either disappear, or our Protectors can’t evaporate with them back to Caelum. We need a new plan, an offensive one.”
I nodded, scratching the back of my neck. “Can we be sure he’s still even in the country?”
“Oh, he’s definitely here,” Nolan spoke for the first time. “He’s determined to make this world one where the supernatural rule. And, to him, there’s no better place to start than one of the most powerful countries on the planet: the US of A. Not to mention, he’d never leave without Kayla. According to him, she’s the ‘key to everything.’”
A chill ran down my spine.
“That’s it, then. We continue as planned,” Trishna said. “Tonight, we move forward with the party to welcome the new recruits and give our people a chance to relax and have a good time, because tomorrow, everything changes. If it’s a game Richard wants to play, he picked the wrong opponent. We will catch him, and we will kill him.”
ran my hand through my hair as I left the commons room, cringing at the thought of wearing a tux. I’d understood Trishna’s decision to give her coven a night of fun before our lives changed dramatically, but I’d never been one for formal events. It reminded me too much of my seventeen years as an earl’s son. I’d much rather hike through the mountains or read a novel.
Blast, I was boring.
“Hey, Daniel, wait a minute,” Nolan said, jogging after me.
Groaning, I stopped and waited for him to catch up.
Nolan glanced up and down the tunnel before speaking. “About what happened at the asylum, y’know, when you pushed me out of the way—”
I held up a hand. This was the first I’d spoken to him directly since we returned, given my catatonic state. “No need to thank me, mate.”
“Okay, because I wasn’t going to. It’s your job to protect people, right?” He smirked.
I crossed my arms and raised an eyebrow.
“No, but seriously. I’d probably be dead right now if it weren’t for you. You’re lucky you’re short. Any taller and that arrow might have hit your heart.”
“I’m six feet tall.”
“Yeah, well, I still got two inches on you, midget.”
I narrowed my eyes at him, then walked away.
Nolan followed. “Look, you took an arrow for me, so I figure you deserved to know the truth. About everything.” When I stopped, his face fell. He scratched the back of his neck, looking away. “Somebody needs to know. I’m tired of keeping the secret.”
I squinted, sticking my hands in my pockets. “All right. What’s up?”
“It’s about my mom. You know, the crazy lady at the asylum.”
“I remember.” I’d never witnessed someone’s face pale like Nolan’s had when he’d seen her.
“Okay, well, my mother is the reason I want Richard dead.” He sighed. “Years ago, she found out what he was planning, and it freaked her out. She tried to take me and run. I was maybe seven. Anyway, we got as far as Denver, and next thing I knew, Mom was gone. Richard had treated me like a son for as long as I could remember, so when he told me she’d just left me in the hotel parking lot, I believed him.”
“Nolan—”
He held up a hand, finally meeting my eyes. “Then about ten months ago, he sent me to his house to pick up something, and I found her corpse in his basement. She’d only been dead a few days. For
ten
years, Richard syphoned her
Trishna rubbed her forehead and continued, “I have eyes and ears all over the country, informants of all species, and none of them have reported spotting him. And every time we get close to a member of his coven, they either disappear, or our Protectors can’t evaporate with them back to Caelum. We need a new plan, an offensive one.”
I nodded, scratching the back of my neck. “Can we be sure he’s still even in the country?”
“Oh, he’s definitely here,” Nolan spoke for the first time. “He’s determined to make this world one where the supernatural rule. And, to him, there’s no better place to start than one of the most powerful countries on the planet: the US of A. Not to mention, he’d never leave without Kayla. According to him, she’s the ‘key to everything.’”
A chill ran down my spine.
“That’s it, then. We continue as planned,” Trishna said. “Tonight, we move forward with the party to welcome the new recruits and give our people a chance to relax and have a good time, because tomorrow, everything changes. If it’s a game Richard wants to play, he picked the wrong opponent. We will catch him, and we will kill him.”
ran my hand through my hair as I left the commons room, cringing at the thought of wearing a tux. I’d understood Trishna’s decision to give her coven a night of fun before our lives changed dramatically, but I’d never been one for formal events. It reminded me too much of my seventeen years as an earl’s son. I’d much rather hike through the mountains or read a novel.
Blast, I was boring.
“Hey, Daniel, wait a minute,” Nolan said, jogging after me.
Groaning, I stopped and waited for him to catch up.
Nolan glanced up and down the tunnel before speaking. “About what happened at the asylum, y’know, when you pushed me out of the way—”
I held up a hand. This was the first I’d spoken to him directly since we returned, given my catatonic state. “No need to thank me, mate.”
“Okay, because I wasn’t going to. It’s your job to protect people, right?” He smirked.
I crossed my arms and raised an eyebrow.
“No, but seriously. I’d probably be dead right now if it weren’t for you. You’re lucky you’re short. Any taller and that arrow might have hit your heart.”
“I’m six feet tall.”
“Yeah, well, I still got two inches on you, midget.”
I narrowed my eyes at him, then walked away.
Nolan followed. “Look, you took an arrow for me, so I figure you deserved to know the truth. About everything.” When I stopped, his face fell. He scratched the back of his neck, looking away. “Somebody needs to know. I’m tired of keeping the secret.”
I squinted, sticking my hands in my pockets. “All right. What’s up?”
“It’s about my mom. You know, the crazy lady at the asylum.”
“I remember.” I’d never witnessed someone’s face pale like Nolan’s had when he’d seen her.
“Okay, well, my mother is the reason I want Richard dead.” He sighed. “Years ago, she found out what he was planning, and it freaked her out. She tried to take me and run. I was maybe seven. Anyway, we got as far as Denver, and next thing I knew, Mom was gone. Richard had treated me like a son for as long as I could remember, so when he told me she’d just left me in the hotel parking lot, I believed him.”
“Nolan—”
He held up a hand, finally meeting my eyes. “Then about ten months ago, he sent me to his house to pick up something, and I found her corpse in his basement. She’d only been dead a few days. For
ten
years, Richard syphoned her
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