Page 79 of Dead Wrong

“Why do I suddenly feel like a doe trapped in the maw of a steel trap?”

“Relax,” Lynette teased with a laugh. “I may not have been completely honest with you about the reason we’re here tonight.”

“If you are about to tell me this is a birthday party for one of the dolls, I will walk home, Lenny. I’m not joking?—”

“It’s a bit more serious than that,” she said, catching me by the wrist before I could turn away. “Just… keep an open mind, okay?”

I nodded, the intensity of Lynette’s gaze extinguishing any further pith. She looked nervous. More nervous than she had been in front of a hundred of the most important members of our society earlier that night.

What was I walking into?

With a gentle knock from Lynette, the door opened. A mousy, blonde-headed girl answered, wispy curls hanging around her face where they’d pulled free from her bun. She wore a simple knit sweater and a skirt that fell past her knees, both riddled with wrinkles.

“Oh, Lynn. I’m so glad to see you.” Her pale eyes fell on me, and her smile faltered. “And Tobias.”

I gave her a polite nod. “Lovely to see you as well, Amelia. May we come in? The evening has grown a bit cold for my taste.”

“Come in,” Amelia replied, stepping aside. “They’re all in the parlor, Lynn. Everyone’s here.”

Everyone? Just what did that mean?

Amelia led us to the parlor and into a sea of familiar faces.

My face burned hot. Dear gods.

Heirs of the Adored houses waited for us, gathered in clumps around the parlor and murmuring with one another. All eyes drifted to Lynette and me when we entered and I immediately wished that I shared the Unseen’s magic because I truly wanted to disappear.

“Take a seat, Tobias,” Lynette tells me, motioning to an empty spot on the sofa by the window.

I moved through the crowd as quickly as I could, wondering just how many of these heirs I had seduced on the orders of my mother. Sinking into my seat, I directed my attention to Lynette as she addressed the room.

“I’m glad to see so many of you,” she said, moving to stand on the rug in the center of the room. Her voice was strong, those nerves I’d caught wind of before all but vanished. “I come to you tonight to speak of a chance at change. Real change.”

“What choice did we have?” A brunette close to me asked. “You’re the Ascended.”

“Exactly, you’ve identified the issue right there. Too few times we are given an option. The agency to choose for ourselves. I may be the Ascended in title, but rest assured, my mother will cling to her control no matter what the cost. You’ve all felt the influence of Adoranda Greene, whether it be firsthand or inflicted upon your loved ones. You know what she is capable of. Even as we speak, she plots for the demise of the Unseen Rebellion. Total annihilation. And it will only be the beginning. Once she’s squashed the rebels, she’ll be ready to expand her influence beyond the Magi Cities and into the lands of mortals.”

A wave of murmurs ripples through the room.

“What are you proposing we do to stop her?” asked another heir, a girl with short black hair and eyes like smoldering coals.

Lynette straightened her stance, giving her plea to all. “It will take all of us united against her and the council she’s held captive for decades. You represent the future for the Adored, and it will be through our efforts that we will force the hand of change.

“I’m committed to do whatever it takes.”

“Then how are you any different from Adoranda?” A young man asked from the opposite side of the room.

Lynette looked around the room, matching the gaze of all who looked upon her. “Because once my mother is removed and her power turned over to me, I will resign it.”

* * *

The rendezvous point was a clearing in the woods about a mile or so away from the chateau. The smoke from the fire still clung to my nose as we moved into the open space, and I exhaled a sigh of relief at the sight of Bastien. He was propped up against the trunk of a tree, his shirt peeled back around the spot on his chest where Mother had stabbed him.

“Azrael,” Kaine greeted us, moving to take the body from Azrael’s shoulder.

“It’s my father,” Azrael explained, handing over Balthus’s body to the other Unseen. “I’d like for him to come with us, if you think we can spare the room?”

“Of course,” Kaine replied, motioning for two more Unseen to come and join him. He handed the body over, muttering instructions to them.

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