Page 89 of Librarian

“‘The bond was nothing,’” my mother quotes mockingly, as her heels click closer and closer. Her fingers catch my chin, wrenching my face around to stare at her. “‘The Librarian severed it the moment she figured out how. She doesn’t trust me.’” Her eyes narrow, the mocking tone evaporating, replaced by pure disgust as she releases me. “She would’ve been right not to. You treacherous little snake.”

My lips press together in a mulish line. I’ve always been loyal, just never to her.

My eyes dart away, seeking my grandfather, but I can’t see him while she has my chin in her grip. I want to tell him to run. If he can get away, we still have a chance. He has contacts.Connections. And he’s been fighting them since before I was born.

“Where is Anthea?” Mother demands, dropping my face. “Is she here too?”

Even if I did know, I wouldn’t tell her. Not that it matters. I suspect she’ll find out for herself soon enough.

Fixing my gaze on my grandfather, I scream at him with my eyes to run. To transport out. Eddy is too weak to be of interest, but they’ve been going after parriarchs, killing them. The rest of us are stuck here, but he doesn’t have to be.

“Forget your useless children,” Mathias snaps. “Where is Kyrith? If I’m forced to track her down a second time, they can both join her on that altar.”

Benny shakes his head. “I will be dead before I let you lay a finger on my grandchildren.”

Mathias shakes his head, but it’s Isidora who snorts. “If only you’d put as much effort into protecting your own daughter.”

A flash of dismay passes over my grandfather’s face.

Then he’s gone.

No. Not gone. Directly beside Mathias, wrestling the dagger away from him. But the lich isn’t letting go, and?—

A blast of magic clips my side, but it hits my mother harder, sending her flying into the wall of enforcers. Dakari’s doing, no doubt.

I dive for my grimoire, magic rising to my fingertips, ready to defend my grandfather.

He’s staring at a spot behind me. “Go! I’ll be right behind you!”

A hand clasps my shoulder.

My gut twists with a horrible combination of betrayal and transport magic.

The castle disappears.

Twenty-Six

Kyrith

“Dude, is this…?”

Lambert’s being quiet for once, but Leo’s answering sigh is softer still.

“Yeah. Our mam.”

“She’s pretty. I mean, she had to be, because I am, and I didn’t get it from my dad, but still…” He starts getting louder towards the end, but he pauses. “You take after yours a lot.”

There’s a beat of fraught silence. Leo’s answer, when it comes, is sorrowful. “Put it away, Lambert. I don’t…” He blows out a breath. “Being here is bad enough.”

“Yeah? But didn’t you like…live here?”

“For a while. They divorced when I was two.” Leo’s voice is deadened. “My da tried so hard in the beginning—I think he hoped that my curse would activate and take him first—but as I got older, he just started hiring nannies. It went downhill from there, and…yeah. Everyone knows what happened on my eleventh birthday…” He trails off, no doubt thinking of how his father’s ensorcellment killed their mother. “It was always moreof a museum than a home. Da never changed anything. He got mad if I moved stuff. Then he got the phone call. I was asleep. Didn’t know anything had happened until I found him in the bathtub the next morning.”

“Shit, bro.”

“It was a long time ago,” Leo dismisses. “Someone came for me by suppertime. No. I’m fine—Lambert. I can’tbreathe.”

It’s not hard to imagine the size of the hug his brother just crushed him with.