Page 42 of A Tempest of Revelation
“And now we’ll have more.”
Her eyes darted behind my shoulder before returning to me. “What are you going to take?”
“I don’t know. I’ve been trying to figure that out, but he doesn’t have anything easily available.”
She bit her bottom lip as she pondered this. “Maybe not, but his guests do. It may not be stealing directly from the earl, but how insulting would it be to him if some of his guests had their jewelry taken while athisparty? And plenty of pretty baubles can be easily plucked from someone while dancing with them.”
“I must admit, I admire your devious little thieving mind.”
“If you insist on doing this, it will be the easiest thing to take.”
“It will.”
“Please be careful.”
I kissed her forehead and closed my eyes as I inhaled her scent. “I will.”
She grasped my forearms and leaned into me a little before lifting her head. “Oh,howis your father engaged?”
I groaned. “That’s a story we don’t have enough time for, but one that’s almost as fantastic as your existence.”
She chuckled as she released my arms. “Now I’m intrigued.”
I opened my mouth to say something more, but the murmur of voices on the other side of the door stopped me. Whoever was out there was coming toward us; they had probably just walked beneath the arbor of roses.
When Ellery’s fingers started moving, I knew she was trying to open a portal, but though we were outside the earl’s castle, we were still on his property, and escape wouldn’t come so easily.
The lower baritone of a man’s voice accompanied the higher-pitched tone of a woman’s. Grasping Ellery’s arm, I nudged her out of the way as I stepped toward the door.
I didn’t want to kill someone over this, but I would. No one could see me and Ellery together.
I could block the door and tell them this place was occupied, but then there was the risk they would wait to see who emerged, and I’d have to kill them anyway. They’d most likely find somewhere else to fuck, but I couldn’t take the chance they’d wait somewhere I couldn’t see them.
Whoever was out there was on the verge of losing their lives, and they didn’t know it.
Ellery’s fingers rested against my arm. Distress radiated from her eyes as she gave a small shake of her head; she’d guessed my intentions.
I stepped closer to whisper in her ear, “I don’t have a choice.”
“They’re innocent,” she breathed. “They….”
Her voice trailed off when the man said something louder that carried beyond the door and hedges. The color drained from Ellery’s face as it became evident who was on the other side of the door… Samael.
CHAPTER FORTY-ONE
Ryker
Ellery’s fingersdug into my arm as the woman giggled and the doorknob rattled. I stepped back as I prepared to ambush them after they entered, but a bloodcurdling scream froze my movement.
My head snapped up, and my gaze shifted to the wall of hedges. The castle was beyond them, but I couldn’t see it from here.
More shouts of pain and surprise quickly joined the first scream.What the fuck?
My attention returned to the door handle, but it had stopped moving. Samael remained on the other side, blocking my chance to leave so I could see what was happening as the yells intensified.
I had no idea what was happening, but it was coming from the party, and I needed to find out. It sounded like amsirah were being slaughtered, but how was that possible?
Ellery stepped closer and rose on her toes to whisper. “My mother.”
