Page 97 of Dead Wrong

“You can’t go now,” he whispered, clinging to me.

“I have to. But that doesn’t mean that I’m not coming back. Prep your ritual, and I promise that I’m all yours as soon as I return with Lynette.”

“Promise me,” he replied. “Promise that you’re coming back.”

“I promise.”

He nodded, pressing one last soft kiss against my lips before he released me.

I didn’t enjoy lying to him.

“Here,” he said, digging through his pockets. “I’d feel better if you held onto this.”

He handed over the green gem that had once been embedded in my chest. It sparkled in the light, the inner facets lined with shadows. He held it out to me, and I took it, but he covered my hand with both of his, muttering under his breath. The gem grew warm to the touch, Bastien’s hands surrounded by a green light.

“What are you?—”

That invisible thread pulled at my chest once more, and I was stunned to silence as a voice filled my mind. It was a familiar voice. Bastien’s voice.

“Keep him safe. Bring him back to me. Keep him safe. Bring him back to me.”

His intentions poured into the gem till it burned against my hand, and as he pulled away, I looked down to see it buried into the flesh of my palm, opposite the blue one that Cirian had given me.

“You didn’t have to do that,” I told him, cupping the side of his sweat-dampened face.

“Now you have to come back,” he said, his breath coming in small gasps.

“Bastien, I?—”

“Bastien, we’ve prepared the ritual space.” Wilhelm approached with the staccato of her shoes against the polished floor. “Are you ready to begin the preparations?”

“I’m ready,” Bastien said, giving me a slight nod. “We’ll be waiting for you, Tobias. Don’t take too long, now.”

Confusion flashed across Wilhelm’s face, but I hurried away before she could know what had transpired between us.

Heading back outside of the hall, I retraced our earlier path, finding it simple to navigate the narrow streets. The entrance had been toward the fields, so I kept that in mind with each turn, trying not to let the rising panic in my chest spur my pace.

Yes, I was heading back into the viper’s pit, but abandoning Lynette was not an option. And I wasn’t going alone. Azrael would keep me safe. A subtle warmth bloomed in my chest at the thought, but I didn’t have the opportunity to dwell on that fact as I spotted Azrael standing by the path out into the fields. He was speaking with another Unseen, this one with fiery red hair and a long scar that ran across his cheek. He nodded as Azrael spoke, then darted off back into the settlement without a word.

The authority that Azrael commanded caught me off guard sometimes. It was hard to imagine this man was the little boy I used to play with all those years ago at Chateau Greene.

The boy I had shared my first kiss with.

Now wasreallynot the time to dwell on that.

“I’m a bit surprised to see you alone,” he said, craning his neck as if he expected someone to be hiding behind me.

“Bastien is preparing for the resurrection ritual. But he isn’t letting me take off empty-handed.” I showed him the stone embedded in the palm of my right hand, and something flashed behind his violet eyes.

“Ah, so that’shismagic I smell on you. I should have known.”

He smelled Bastien’s magic on me? I didn’t know what to do with that information.

“And to whom does that one belong?” He asked, pointing to my left hand. His warm fingers cupped my hand, drawing it upward so he could inspect it.

“Cirian, the Source’s Acolyte. He made this after rescuing me from the raid on the camp. I depleted the magic at the chateau, though, so I guess it’s merely ornamental at the moment.”

Azrael watched me, the smile on his face fading as he did. “So many lay claim to you, Tobi.” His hand dropped from mine, his thumb rising to my face to gently stroke my bottom lip. “But don’t forget, I was the first.”

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