I lift my head. “I’ll be right back.”
None of the other ladies seem to notice I’m sneaking out of their party, but I feel Harlow’s gaze on my back as I step into the hallway with Carter.
“You ready for this?” he asks.
I nod. “Apparently, Stefan already did the heavy lifting for us. Harlow admitted that she was worried because Stefan threatened Gaven the other night.”
Carter pinches the bridge of his nose. “Kind of him to make it so easy on us.” He glances past me, toward Harlow. “How is she feeling this morning?”
“Vindictive. Even though she can’t stand the sight of me, she trapped me at this luncheon with her because she knew I would loathe it.”
Carter shakes his head and claps a hand on my shoulder. “Are you sure this is the time?”
Telling Harlow about Gaven during this luncheon was the plan, but that was before she found out I’m Deathless. I’m worried this is too much at once.
“It’s already been almost a full day since it happened. I don’t think we can put it off much longer without things getting messy,” I say.
Carter gives a resigned nod. “I hope you know what you’re doing. I’ll meet you outside.”
He retreats down the hallway, and I stand there for a moment, as if I need time to compose myself. Then, I turn and walk slowly across the feast room. I don’t have to pretend to dread this because between pissing her off last night and the secrets I’ve revealed this morning, I’m genuinely afraid of her reaction to this news. If she retreats from me entirely, I don’t know how I’ll make up the ground I’ve lost in time for Dark Star Festival.
Harlow looks at me expectantly as I approach.
“What’s wrong?” she asks.
I nod toward the door. “Will you step outside with me?”
She frowns. “What’s going on?”
“I think we should step away and discuss it.”
Harlow is trying hard to look calm, but she has her hands clasped in a white-knuckle grip. “Henry, just tell me.”
I glance at my mother and then look back at my wife. “They found Gaven’s body in the woods behind the house. He’s dead, Harlow.”
She doesn’t say anything at first. Then she turns and whispers something to my mother, who nods and pats her shoulder.
She rises from her chair stiffly and takes my arm. I lead her out of the room and down the hall in silence. She shivers as we step out into the chilly winter morning, and her face looks especially pale in the bright sunlight. I shouldn’t have taken so much blood last night.
Carter, Bryce, and a few other hunters are waiting for us just inside the woods behind Havenwood House. It’s the very edge of the hunt grounds. I felt bad leaving Gaven there all night, but it was necessary to sell our story.
The men part, and Bryce ushers them away to give us some privacy.
Harlow stops short when she sees Gaven’s body. His eyes are shut, but his clothes are very obviously soaked in dry blood.
She stares at him for a long moment. “It’s beneath him to be mastered by some prick with an ego. I’ve seen him kill Drained like it was nothing, even without holy fire.”
I lick my lips, my mouth suddenly parched. “Stefan isn’t just mortal.He’s like me. The Deathless are faster and stronger, with better focus than the Drained.”
She lowers her gaze, and suddenly, I’m worried she’s going to cry. But when she looks up, her eyes are full of fury. “I’m going to kill him.” Her voice is low but full of certainty.
“You can’t.”
She glares at me. “I’ll not let this stand. It is one thing to try to assault and kill me. It’s another to murder my bodyguard. That is an attack on my family, and to let it stand would make me look weak.”
“I know well you can’t simply act on every impulse.”
“I’ll make it look like an accident,” she says.
