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)
“But you didn’t,” Casteel stated. I stopped to look at him. Surprised he knew that. “You said as much when you were under his influence. That he wanted you to let him in, but you refused.”
“It didn’t matter,” I whispered. “He’d already been…” I stopped myself again. I didn’t need to finish that sentence. Because of the blood shared between us, he’d already been inside me. That still made me want to vomit. I exhaled and started walking again. “It was almost like a compulsion but stronger, like…a haunting song. I wanted to believe him. I did,” I admitted, tasting the shame in my throat. “Until I realized what he was. He did that to them.” I turned toward the door. “He got in their heads.”
Kieran looked at Casteel, who just stared at me. A moment passed, and then Casteel said, “What you’re talking about sounds like a compulsion. It would’ve been easy for him to seize control of a mortal’s will.” Thrusting his hand through his hair, he clasped the back of his neck. “Especially a child’s.”
A child.
I took another deep breath that went nowhere. “How many children did you say they found?”
“Fifteen,” Kieran answered.
The knot that formed in my throat burned. “I want to see them. All of them.”
Even though I could tell that neither Casteel nor Kieran wanted me to see the faces of those Kolis had cruelly ended, I needed to.
I had to see it with my own eyes.
Every home I entered was the same, yet not. Some only had two people in them. Others held four. A few had upwards of six. They had died in sitting rooms, bedchambers, and foyers. And each hand, no matter how big or small, clutched the weapon of their demise. Every victim I looked at—and I made sure to look at each and every face—had the same smile that, at first glance, appeared serene.
But I knew better.
As Kieran replaced the quilt covering a small boy, I lifted my gaze to the wilted plants in the corner of the kitchen. Dead, just as the first family’s had been. No matter what house we entered, everything inside was dead.
Delano’s large head nudged my shoulder, drawing my attention. Running my fingers through his soft fur, I rose slowly. This house—the last—held a family of five. Four adults, two of whom appeared to be the grandparents, and a young boy.
“I just don’t understand.” Emil leaned against the wall. His arms were loosely crossed, but tension vibrated through his lanky frame. “What was the point of this? What did he gain from this senseless loss of life?”
“I think he wanted to make sure we knew he was still around,” Casteel said. “Let us see what he’s capable of.”
My gaze lifted to him. He stared at the bodies. “Really?” I asked.
“It’s what I did.” He lifted his gaze. “In the past and as the Dark One. Small attacks that only served as a reminder that, even though things were quiet, the rebellion wasn’t dead.”
I didn’t say anything to that as I continued to stroke Delano between his ears. Petting him was…well, it comforted us both.
“It’s a fucking nasty way to send a reminder,” Malik said. He stood by the window, his attention fixed on the dark sky. Naill and Perry had gone into a different home several houses back. “What I don’t get is how he managed to do all this without anyone sounding some kind of alert.”
“If he’s still in his wraith form,” Kieran said, “they may not have even seen him until it was too late.”
“Even if he was in his physical form, he can project his will. His vellá,” Casteel added, and my gaze shot to him. “From what Attes said, the stronger he gets, the less limit there is to how he can wield his will.”
My fingers stilled in Delano’s fur, and my skin chilled. His will… Once again, I thought about what had happened when I fell asleep. The touch against my lips, my…
Casteel twisted toward me. I dipped, nearly burying my face in Delano’s fur. I pressed my lips together. It didn’t mean that any of that had been real. It was a nightmare. I’d been asleep. And why would it have been him? He wanted what was inside of me. The essence of life and death.
But what Casteel had said about sending a message cycled back through my thoughts. When he was the Dark One, those sporadic acts of violence weren’t just reminders. They were also a tactic. A way to unsettle the Ascended.
Delano wiggled closer, and I lifted my head. His eyes met mine, and I smiled—or tried to.
“This compulsion?” Malik said, drawing my gaze to him. He had turned, all color absent from his cheeks. “Does it work on Atlantians? Wolven?”
Everyone looked at me, and I had the urge to look behind me as I straightened and glanced at the patchwork quilt. “I…I don’t…” A faint tingle stopped me. If he could use it against me, he could—no, that wasn’t right. I was different than other gods because of that disturbing blood bond. He couldn’t use it against… “He can’t use it against Atlantians. They’re descended from gods. But…” I looked down at Delano. He sat, staring up at me, and my chest squeezed. “He can use it on the wolven.”