Page 60 of The Bones of the Cursed

Kailu’s face is pale, and dread greets me like an old friend. “Kailu…what is it?”

Kailu swallows and holds out a letter. “A man brought this to the castle. I intercepted it when I heard who it was for.”

I tilt my head and notice my name messily scrawled across the front. With a shaky hand I take it, tentatively opening it as I feel Malakai come up behind me.

Alanis,

Your brother’s screams have been music to my ears this past week. If you think my ghoul attacks are your biggest problem, you are sorely mistaken. I will not rest until I get what I want.

And what I want is you.

Your brother’s life hangs in the balance.

I’ll be seeing you soon.

My stomach plummets. My mouth dry, a tightness overtaking my joints as my body begins to shake. Malakai rips the note from my hand, anger evident in every line of his body. “By no means will he ever get you.”

Kailu shoves a hand through his hair. “Why would he target her? That’s the one thing we haven’t figured out. Why is everything seemingly pointing back to Alanis?”

“The prophecy,” I whisper, my worst fear ostensibly confirmed.

Malakai’s grip wrinkles the note. “I think we should go to the Rorane Mountains first. The Shadow Vale Coven could help us. We need to find out if Alanis is who we think she is.”

I nod. “You have a good point. We need to know what we’re walking into.”

The males lead me from the room, working up a plan and discussing who all should be involved. I try to listen, but instead I formulate a new plan. I won’t wait around for whoever this is to find me.

I will not bring danger to those I love.

- MALAKAI -

We are just leaving the king’s study when a man rushes into the castle foyer. He looks like he’s been through hell, mud and blood caked all over him. His frantic eyes search the room before landing on Alanis.

I bristle, but then she gasps and runs towards him. “Levi!”

Glancing at Kailu, I notice his jaw clench. Who the fuck is Levi?

“Oh my Gods, what happened to you?”

Levi coughs and leans into Alanis. His breathing is ragged like he ran the whole way here. “I was taken with Elion and the others. I managed to escape, but didn’t have enough time to free everyone.”

Kailu looks at him with a suspicious gaze. I too am questioning how he miraculously escaped.

Alanis follows as we lead him to the healing quarters, speaking softly to him. The redheaded healer comes forward and gives a warm smile to Kailu. Alanis clearly sees it, since her lips curl into a frown.

My little firecracker is a jealous one.

“How do you two know each other?” I ask.

Levi looks at her longingly. “We used to date,” he says at the same time Alanis answers, “He’s friends with Elion.”

My teeth grind. “So, Levi, how exactly did you manage your escape?”

Levi coughs again before answering. “They were moving us to a new cell, but one of the ghouls had to leave, so there was only one for the four of us. My one shackle was loose and no one ever caught on. Ghouls are notoriously stupid. They didn’t think about the fact that we were losing weight, so the shackles wouldneed to be tightened. Anyway, I managed to slip free and kill the one ghoul, but others were coming. The other soldiers told me to run and bring back help.”

Alanis is helping clean his wounds, but something about his story still doesn’t sit right with me. I want Alanis away from him as soon as possible.

“Kailu,” I say, “will you stay with Levi and make sure he ends up back with Siveral and his group? I’m going to take Alanis on a tour and fill her in on our plans for tomorrow.”

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