Total pages in book: 401
Estimated words: 390373 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 1952(@200wpm)___ 1561(@250wpm)___ 1301(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 390373 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 1952(@200wpm)___ 1561(@250wpm)___ 1301(@300wpm)
“Kitchen is in the back,” Naill said, pausing. “That’s where they are.”
Candlelight flickered at the end of the hall as we passed another blown sconce. “Are all the homes like this?” Kieran gestured to the shattered glass on the tile.
“From what I’ve seen? Yes,” Naill answered.
I filed that away as Perry stepped into our line of sight, holding what appeared to be a pale-yellow blanket. The expression etched into the brown skin of his face matched the others. It wasn’t often so many Elementals were so shaken.
“Cas.” Perry’s gaze jumped from me to the others, then behind me. He inhaled sharply. “M-my Queen—”
“Please, don’t,” she said, stopping him as I stepped around Naill. Several thick candles were lit on the kitchen counter.
And three bodies were laid out, the sheets covering them stained with blood. Two of them shared one covering. The sight of the smaller bodies would stop anyone in their tracks, but I knew the expression on the male’s face had robbed Poppy of her words.
Because it had stolen them from me, too.
Behind me, Emil cursed.
“I found another sheet,” Perry said, his voice low as we crowded into the small kitchen. “I just…I couldn’t look at their faces any longer.”
I couldn’t blame him for that.
Meanwhile, I couldn’t look away from the bloodless curve of the man’s lips.
The dead man, who had to be in his third or fourth decade of life, was smiling.
“I don’t think any family would want to see them like this,” Perry added after a beat. “If they have family.”
“If not, we’ll prepare them for burial rites,” I heard Poppy say, her voice thin but steady.
The man’s smile was almost peaceful.
Actually, it was peaceful.
I dragged my gaze from his face. A pool of blood had started to congeal beneath his head. The fatal wound was easy to locate. You couldn’t miss it. There was a ragged, red slash across his throat, evidence that whatever had been used was dull.
Who the fuck smiled like that when their death was so violent?
Kieran knelt as I swept my gaze over the mortal’s body, quickly discovering the weapon. In his pale, ghastly white hand, he clutched what appeared to be a meat knife. Blood had dried on the blade, turning a rusty brown.
My spine straightened. “He did this to himself?”
“They all appear to have done it to themselves,” Malik answered.
My head whipped to him. “What?”
My brother nodded. “Once we realized this affected more than one family, we thought it was one of the Revenants still out there—or a group of them. But as you can see, their wounds are self-inflicted.”
“Even the—” Naill cleared his throat. “Even the children, Cas.”
I didn’t believe it.
I couldn’t.
Stepping over the man’s prone legs, I gripped the sheet draped over the two smaller bodies and yanked it back.
Little girls.
Kieran stood in a rush as Delano whimpered, pressing into Poppy’s side. Taking a step back, Kieran crossed his arms.
Two little, blond-haired girls, nowhere even near the age to have such thoughts in their heads, had faces forever frozen in smiles and bloodied glass clutched in their tiny hands.
“Gods,” I choked out. “That isn’t right.”
“Tell me about it,” muttered Perry. “But there’s no bruising to indicate they were forced. And nothing in the house shows any signs of a struggle.”
“It looks like they came into the kitchen of their own accord, lay down side by side, and…” Malik inhaled deeply. “And no one on the nearby streets has reported hearing any yelling or screams.”
“There’s no way a child of that age would be capable of doing something like that.” I gestured at their bodies. “Not on their own.”
The men were quiet, and then Naill spoke, “They’re not the only ones, Cas. Out of the fifty or so we’ve found, fifteen appear to be children under the age of ten.”
Fucking gods.
My eyes slammed shut as I tried to make sense of the tragedy. “Could they be Blood Crown supporters?”
“Possibly,” Naill said. “They were taught for generations that the gods favored the Ascended, and that Atlantians were responsible for all the evil and pain in the realm.”
“Perhaps they couldn’t deal with the truth,” Perry said.
“I don’t know.” Malik exhaled heavily. “When it comes to the children, they would’ve had to be coaxed into it by their parents or caregivers. And what kind of fucking monster would do that?”
“Someone whose faith in the lies fed to them by the Ascended is greater than the bonds of their own blood.” Frustration and simmering anger hardened my tone as I opened my eyes. My gaze settled on the wide windowsill. Several potted plants sat there. I had no idea what kind they were. Maybe ferns? But they were nothing more than wilted, brittle stems and leaves curled against the sides of their vivid ceramic pots now. I looked back down at the bodies. “A fucking dinner knife.”