Total pages in book: 98
Estimated words: 92559 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 463(@200wpm)___ 370(@250wpm)___ 309(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 92559 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 463(@200wpm)___ 370(@250wpm)___ 309(@300wpm)
Then again, so much of everything had been a lie.
“You don’t have to go in.”
She glanced up at Mayhem. He was by her side, a silent, intense presence that was unwavering—even though she knew he didn’t want her to be here. But she’d had to come. She needed to see this all for herself.
“Yes, I do,” she whispered. “I have to go inside one last time—”
Down at the far end of the corridor, the flap door into the pantry opened, and the Black Dagger Brother Tohrment, the one with the navy blue eyes and the military haircut with the white stripe in front, emerged. His appearance was a welcome one. Though she had all she needed with Mayhem, the idea there were other people around made her a little less paranoid.
“Thanks for letting me come,” she said as the warrior came up to them.
“Always. You’re always welcome.”
As the males greeted each other by clapping palms, she wandered into the dining room, remembering the meals she had eaten there with her father. And then there was the library, and his study, and . . . the parlor. When she came back to the base of the formal staircase, she looked toward the second floor.
“You can go up there, too,” Tohrment said. “And take anything you want.”
“Where is he,” she whispered. Even though she knew the answer to that.
Her father, Whestmorel, had disappeared.
After the horrible scene at Camp Ghreylke had been stabilized, a group of Brothers had come here—and found the mansion, the guest house, and the garage uninhabited.
The male had taken the staff with him. And, from what she understood, all the computers in the house.
“We’ll get him,” the Brother said.
He didn’t go any further than that. Then again, what was going to happen to her father after the Brotherhood took him into custody was going to be too grim to put into words.
Mayhem put a hand on her shoulder. “I’ll go up with you?”
It was a while before she shook her head. And then she looked into his eyes. “I don’t want anything from my room. I just . . . maybe it can all be given away, or something.”
“Absolutely,” Tohrment said. “Safe Place will take the clothing and shoes and provide them to females in need.”
“Good. That’s . . . good.”
As a result of his treason, all of her father’s possessions had been seized by the King, part of the provisions of the Old Laws. But she was quite sure the bank accounts had been emptied before he’d left—Whestmorel had been prepared for this, had no doubt been working for the moment when his plans became public and the Brotherhood went after him.
Her sire was now an enemy of the great Blind King. And though she felt no love for him, there was all kinds of dread for what he had brought upon himself.
With a shiver, she stepped into Mayhem’s body and wrapped an arm around his waist. As she tilted her head, it came up against his pec, right on the spot that felt like home to her now.
He didn’t tell her everything was going to be okay—because he never lied, and his rock-solid integrity, after all the falsities and schemes of her father, was among the traits she valued most in him. He just stood by her, strong and tall, steady as a mountain.
She trusted him completely. And that, along with Crawie’s safety, was all she needed in life.
“Let’s go.” Mahrci took a deep breath. “Apex and Callum are due at our house in a half hour, and you wanted to help with setting the table.”
As he nodded and brushed her mouth with a kiss, she felt a renewed sense of well-being. Focusing on the present was the way to deal with a past you otherwise couldn’t live with. And Lassiter knew, it helped to have a mate who supported you with all their heart and soul.
“Keep in touch,” Tohrment said. “Anything either of you need, we’re here.”
Mayhem smiled in a wry way. “Vishous has made the dubious decision to offer me a job. Guess he was impressed with my tinkering.”
The Brother smiled. “I heard he was going to do that. You thinking it over?”
“Oh, I’m in.” Hemmy glanced down at her. “Nothing we’d rather do than help the King.”
“Yes,” she echoed. “We’re both committed to Wrath. One hundred percent.”
Tohrment bowed at the waist, an honor that was not lost on her.
Funny, for however pretentious her father had been, he had never received such respect. And now, as a result of his quest for power, he was begging for the kind of attention that was going to guarantee him a cold grave.
But the consequences of treason were not the kind of fate you could get out of. Not when the Black Dagger Brotherhood was in charge.
Not when you went after Wrath, son of Wrath, sire of Wrath, the great Blind King.