Page 91 of Eternal Surrender

“Who is Aiden?” Marcus asked.

Rachel pointed at nothing. “Aiden is Lord Crowther’s son.” She reached for Jacob’s sleeve and pulled him closer, whispering. “Will it make them angry?”

“Not at all.” Jacob smiled, but it didn’t reach his eyes.

Rachel seemed to remember something that scared her.

Entering her thoughts, I caught hold of the fleeting images she was reliving. “She was definitely captured,” I whispered.

She ran her fingers over her collar bone. “Aiden told me I was his favorite.”

“Did Aiden hurt you?” I held my breath.

Rachel’s pale white fingers covered her mouth. “I escaped.”

“Sweetheart, did they make you sick?” I knew to rush her might derail her. “Do you remember how they. . . poisoned you?”

Her head shot up. “Aiden fed me blood, but it tasted funny.” She looked up at Marcus. “Am I going to die?”

“No,” he said. “We need you to tell us everything you can remember.”

“Lord Crowther. . .” She stroked her long locks. “He’s the one in charge of Sovereign. The Stone Masters and Sovereign don’t get along anymore.” She pointed at Jacob. “Isn’t that true?”

Jacob pulled the edges of his lips downward hinting he had no idea what she was suggesting, though something in his eyes reflected guilt.

“Who the hell are Sovereign?” Marcus mouthed to us.

Jacob gave Rachel a nudge and that was all she needed to pirouette away from us; an ethereal, titian vision of loveliness.

Jacob turned his back on Rachel, lowering his voice. “Sovereign is a faction of the Stone Masters.” And on my reaction he added, “You’re not the only ones spying and collecting names.”

I resisted throwing him a look of distrust.

“Sovereign, what’s their purpose?” Marcus asked.

“It’s the conservative arm of the Stone Masters,” Jacob explained, “Just as secretive, but rumored to hunt the supernatural with an unmatched ferociousness.” He glanced back at Rachel. “Their symbol is a skeleton key with a snake wrapped from its handle, down and around to the blade. The very fact they let her go is a miracle.”

Rachel danced her way back to us and rose onto her tip toes. She leaned into my ear. “I have a secret.”

“What’s that, my darling?” I asked, my focus staying on Jacob, trying to read him.

She raised her forefinger. “Where’s my ruby ring gone?”

“I’ll get you another one,” Marcus said. “Rachel, what more can you tell us about Lord Crowther?”

Rachel spun round. “Crowther wants to kill Dominion.”

“Dominion?” Marcus asked, trying to keep up.

And then I remembered seeing it. “The name’s written on one of the cells back at the Mount.” I gave a shrug. “It’s written in Latin, Dominatio.”

“William, when did you see it?” Marcus asked.

I threw Jacob a wary glance. “I was unfortunate to spend a few hours in that very cell.”

“Huh.” Marcus raised his eyebrows. “And you have no idea who wrote it?”

“No,” I said. “Not sure how long it’s been written there either.”