Page 244 of Lady of Ashes

“What?”

“Imagine our surprise when you walked out of Dresden Forest a few months ago. We were planning to go in for her ourselves, but you ?gured that out, didn’t you?” Alaric said, an almost fond smile ?lling his face. “So damn clever. Just like I taught you to be. So our plans were altered. It was for the better, to be honest. We had no idea where Rosalyn had hidden herself away. So I let you escape and sent one of my own with you, knowing you would stop at nothing until you found her. To keep her from me.”

“No,” Scarlett whispered, her knees threatening to give out. Not from her waning power, but because of what he was insinuating …

“Oh, yes, Scarlett,” Alaric said, pushing to his feet and stepping off the dais to stand in front of her. His hand came up, cupping her cheek. “You found her, then sent her off with the one who now holds her place.”

At his words, his hand slipped from her cheek, and Nuri stepped from the shadows. Her hood was down, her eyes were bleak as they stared back at her. Slowly, she raised her hand. There were no gloves in place this night. Nothing to hide the Blood Mark in the center of her palm. The Mark that matched the one on Tarek’s palm.

“Oh, Nuri,” Scarlett whispered, her heart breaking with agony and betrayal as she looked at her sister standing beside her master.

“You were …” Nuri swallowed, looking away from her. “He agreed to leave the children alone if I agreed to the Mark. You were taking too long to come back. I didn’t … You were taking too long.”

She’d been playing them all along. She would disappear for hours, days even, when at the Black Halls. How many days was it before Scarlett had even seen her when they’d arrived there? She’d always been in her hood and gloves, but Scarlett had never suspected a thing. She was Death’s Shadow and a Night Child. She needed to be protected from the sun. She …

She was in the perfect position to do exactly what she’d done. What she’d felt she’d needed to do.

This had always been about the children for her. Always. The forgotten orphans on the streets that no one seemed to care about. That were being used, slaughtered, and discarded.

“Do not look at her with such pity,” Alaric soothed, slowly beginning to circle her. “She was raised for this role. Trained for it. Just as you were. Nuri just accepted what was always intended to be her place.”

But Scarlett couldn’t look away from Nuri, who refused to meet her gaze again. She had killed the Contessa. She now controlled the Night Children, and Alaric controlled her. The violent, vicious, uncontrollable Night Children were now controlled by someone just as volatile. Conditioned to take on this role since Alaric had snatched her off the streets, always knowing what she was.

Breathe, Love,came down the bond.Hold that shield. Protect Callan’s sister. There is much you cannot control right now, but you can control that.

I can’t, Sorin. Not much longer …

Rayner will be here soon. Help will be here soon. Hold on, Scarlett. You can do this. Breathe. In and out.

She gritted her teeth, reinforcing that shield around Eva. Callan was still being held by Lord Tyndell and Mikale, but now Tarek was pushing to his feet. Before Scarlett could do anything, Alaric was gripping her arms, holding them in place behind her back. He spoke softly into her ear. “Do not struggle, my Wraith, or I kill Prince Callan next.”

She nodded her understanding, and Tarek began patting down her torso, her hips, until he reached the pockets of her pants. His hand slipped inside, and he pulled out the amulets.

“There are only six,” he said to Alaric.

A ?ash of light, and Talwyn stood before them in her usual attire. “I have the last one,” she said, her voice monotone and cold. She wouldn’t look at any of them.

“You do not,” Scarlett corrected.

“I possess one of them,” Talwyn insisted.

“You did,” Scarlett replied listlessly. “An amulet of Celeste, right?” She nodded at the amulets Tarek held in his hand.

Talwyn stalked forward, ?ngering through them until she found hers. “How?” she demanded.

“Juliette lifted it from your pack the evening we stayed at the Contessa’s northern villa. When we went to the kitchen to get food. She replaced it with a fake. You are bonded to Maliq. I took a chance on you having Celeste’s amulet,” Scarlett answered. “I guessed you knew its whereabouts after you learned of them at our meeting. I ?gured you’d keep it close after discovering I was searching for them so diligently.” She shrugged. “I was right.”

Alaric chuckled behind her, releasing her arms. “Finally putting that cleverness to use. I bet you even know where the ?nal key is, don’t you?”

“Fuck off,” she spat at him.

Which earned her a quick ?st to the gut.

Sorin roared with rage behind her but was quickly choking as vines wrapped around his throat, squeezing tight.

Scarlett snarled, throwing a ball of ?ame at Tarek, who barely managed to avoid it, but the distraction cost her, and her shield fell around Princess Eva. Alaric was already drawing the dagger from his belt, striding towards the girl, and Scarlett started when she sawthe blade. Up close, she could see it wasn’t just any blade but one as dark as night itself.

He possessed a dagger of nightstone.

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