Page 32 of Wicked Ties
“I don’t really know if I did or not. But if I did, you have to know she was innocent, and I really wasn’t.” I sighed. “I didn’t mean to.”
“Hey, stop.” She pressed her hand to my arm and gave it a squeeze. “We’ll figure that out. Anything you need.”
“Well, that’s not the only thing I need.”
“I’m here. Tell me.” She squeezed my arm once more before dropping her hands to her sides.
I didn’t like asking for help but if this was going to work, I needed more power. I needed my friend. “I found the piece of my soul I’m missing.”
Astrid sucked in a sharp breath. “Where?”
“The Keres have it and we had a run-in with them last night. Me, Grayson, Maze, Logan, and Kylian. It did not go well.”
Astrid stood up straight. “So we need to go, now. Get it back. I’m in. I’m ready.”
“We don’t even know where they are now, and Astrid, they’re powerful. So powerful.”
“So how do we find them?” She crossed her arms over her chest.
The door flew open once more and Maze strolled in with Beckett, Logan, Kylian, and Grayson hot on his heels. “I know how to find them.”
Beckett turned to Zinnia and the other queens. “May we have the room, please?”
Zinnia paused and her brows furrowed. “What I don’t know, won’t hurt me?”
“Exactly.” Beckett laughed and stepped to the side as they all walked by.
Serrina gave him a little pat on the cheek before she left. “Have fun.”
“Can I use this?” Maze pointed to the map.
Zinnia opened her hand and summoned the remaining magic off the table. It drifted across the room and fell into her palm. She absorbed it into her skin, and it glowed bright for just a moment before she sighed and turned away. The second she left the door, we all circled the map and stood there staring down at it.
Maze studied the map, then opened his pocket and let the cards fly from it. They all circled just above our heads, making that shuffling sound. Neon green magic drifted among the cards, mixing in with them.
“We need to find them.” The cards began to fall into a circle around the map.
Like the numbers on a clock, they lay face up and all glowed brighter with each passing moment. A single stream of light came from each one and began to drift over the map like strands of thread, all heading toward one point.
“This will tell us where the Keres are.” Maze held his hand up and the light grew brighter over the map. It illuminated the room in green light.
“Good, I’d like another go at that lot.” Grayson leaned on the table.
“We’re not having a go at them.” Maze kept his eyes locked on the lines as they began to connect over the map.
“But we have the dream team. With Astrid and Beckett, there’s no losing.” Grayson stood straight and crossed his arms over his chest. “At all.”
“We’ll study them. Learn their weaknesses.” Maze faced the rest of us, and a chill went down my spine at how cold he appeared—like a hunter.
I cleared my throat. “And then what?”
He turned to me, and his lips pulled up into a deadly smile. “Then we hunt them down and get what’s yours.”
CHAPTER 14
MAZE
This has to work. I owe her this much.
