The sly look he’d had moments ago fades away to some level of shock. Casimir’s dark brows wrinkle, and he blinks hard as he tries to understand what I just said. “What attack?”
“You don’t... The Witch didn’t tell you?”
Both of us turn to look at Cameron, who has curled up against the arm of the couch and begun to pick at her nails. She examines them for a minute before noticing our impatient glares.
“I’m sorry, are you talking to me?”
“You didn’t tell him about the attack that you and the Hunt were drawn to today?” I bite out.
“Oh, it’s not my place to share information like that.” She smiles prettily. “I’m a prisoner, remember?” With a few flutters of her eyelashes, she goes back to cleaning her nails.
“What happened?”
“They took out an entire town. They’re looking...” My throat goes raw, lips stopped forcibly by the magic that binds what truth I’d been told by my father. This is a damn highly sought-after book, and I can’t help but think that perhaps I should try to get my hands on it myself. At the very least to see what all the hype is about. Then I can decide who gets it and who doesn’t. But maybe something that has caused so many issues should just be destroyed.
“Is there an end to that sentence?”
“They’re looking for the Book of Severed Souls,” Cameron interjects for me. “To be clear, it’s my book that your father stole.”
“Why would they want this?” Casimir waits.
“Probably for the same reasons our father wants it.” I shrug.
“To try and take over the world,” Cameron bellows, followed by some stereotypical evil laughter.
I squint at her as she chuckles to herself. “What has gotten into her?” I ask Casimir, but the witch answers for herself.
“I think I’m high on death.” Her eyes go wide, and she stares toward the fire dancing in the hearth near Casimir. “They ate so many souls, and each and every one was like a shock to my senses. I feel like I could fly.”
“Yeah, maybe don’t try and do that,” Casimir cuts in. “She’s been acting like a freak since they got back.” Cradling his forehead in his palm, he shakes his head. “How the fuck did Dalziel know before I knew?”
“He said he pays his spies well.”
“And how do we feel about him having spies in our court?” The fury behind these muttered words reflects the same emotion rattling inside my head.
“Our court or the Court of Light? We can’t really know. Either way, we have our alliance, and he is readying his troops. Get the Witch packed up. I’ll worry about Violence and Valentina, but we need to get home. I have no doubt they’ll be on their way to our palace.”
“Yeah,” Cameron murmurs quietly, “They’re looking for me. That damn Warlock gave them my name because he thinks I have the book.”
I groan and let my head rest against the pillow behind me. “This is a fucking mess.”
Chapter Nineteen
Nollix
Three days. It has been three days, and I’m still thinking about the way she kissed me.
She kissed me like she actually wanted me. That feeling has never happened in my fucking life. Before the Hunt, my experiences with women were for fleeting moments of fun. They were distractions. Even the way I want Violence is foreign to me. I want her to play with me for the rest of my life. I want her to tease me, touch me, and then do it all over again. I swear I’ll never tire of her.
Unfortunately, none of those things have happened since. Because I can’t fucking get to her. I’ve been smoking offerings like I’m trying to see the goddess herself, and the only thing it has given me is more pain. My neck is stiff, my shoulders tight and tense, and if I move my left leg, a new pain shoots its way up to my ass cheek. I didn’t even know you could feel pain there.
Another deep inhale of the wafting smoke fills my lungs until I cough the stench back up. Every inch of my rib cage throbs.
“Let it go. You’re going to give yourself a damn nosebleed.” Carver looks at me with dark rings circling his eyes. With a heavy exhale, he tosses a twig into the fire he has built then stares into the flames. All the restful nights I’ve had with Violence have been the exact opposite for him. He has sat here waiting the entire time.
Let it go.
Yeah, that’s not going to happen.
