Page 113 of Fated In Ruin

“Helping me convince three idiots we have to work together. That maybe Ravok, or at least Romulus has a weakness…the sun. Bex, can you find Nash? If he has any ideas on how to track Ravok, he needs to tell us.”

At least I’d be doing something, instead of waiting around for the other shoe to drop. And I couldn’t explain why, but this felt like we were on the right track. War was planning and execution, but sometimes it also meant trusting your gut.

“We’ll make them see reason,” Angel said, studying my face. “It’s going to be okay, Evie, you’ll see.”

I nodded, but I couldn't help but wonder if some rifts were too deep to heal, even with the fate of the world hanging in the balance.

48

EVANGELINE

As Angel and I approached the dining room, the low hum of conversation carried through the hallway, not arguing, but grudging cooperation. My heart fluttered when we rounded the corner, the scene before us something I’d hoped for, but hadn’t expected.

Amid the wreckage of what had once been Crimson House’s formal dining room, three mortal enemies bent over a makeshift table made from the splintered, overturned cabinet and what was left of a door. Riordan had a deep purple bruise along his jaw, while Blake's split lip had barely begun to heal. Malachi, sporting a cut above his eyebrow with a streak of dried blood like war paint on his skin, was gesturing at something before them.

The energy in the room had transformed—no longer volatile, but humming with a different kind of intensity.Purpose. Maybe—if I wanted to be optimistic—even a fragile trust.

Since I was a glass half full kind of gal, some of my dread slipped away, and a faint thread of hope crept in, Angel's hand finding mine and squeezing. I hadn’t realized how much I’d needed to see some sign of solidarity, when the world was caving in around us.

“This wing is the most defensible,” Riordan explained, his finger tracing what I now recognized as a rough sketch of Crimson House. “Fiona reinforced the windows and Eldric added additional warding to the underground passages, in case we need to escape.”

Angel’s gaze immediately drifted over to the red-haired male near the fireplace, his gold eyes pinned on my sister with fiery intensity, a slow smile spreading across his handsome face when he caught her looking.

Malachi nodded, his gaze focused on the drawing. Just seeing the three of them like this…my chest tightened and I rubbed my burning eyes.

“That tunnel could be our salvation or our downfall. We'll need to…”

Malachi broke off, his eyes finding mine, the air between us charged with unspoken meaning. The bruises on his face shouldn't have made him more beautiful, yet somehow, they did and I wanted to kiss away every single one.

“There you are.” Blake cut across the room and took my hands. “I’m sorry we were idiots. We’ll fix this, all of it.” His eyes darkened with apology and an earnestness that warmed my heart. “Rohr’s called an abjurist. By tomorrow, everything will be just like new.”

I touched his swollen lip. “Does that include you?” I asked softly. “You should go see Sylvester, let him heal this.” I brushed my fingers over his battered chest and he winced slightly. “I take that back. Youwillbe going to see Sylvester, because you’re too stubborn for your own good.”

My gaze drifted to the table, where Riordan and Malachi watched with the kind of intensity usually reserved for professional sports and apex predators, and I couldn’t stop my shiver.

I didn’t know why this shiver seemed to reach into my soul, why my body came alive at the realization all three sets of male eyes were pinned intently on me, but…God, I felt like I was standing under a spotlight.

The moment splintered as Bex burst through the door, Nash right behind her. The commander’s face was grave, his usual calm replaced by an almost-panicked fervor.

“Bex told me about Ravok. About the Darkening, and this…transformation.” He strode to the table and planted himself between Rohr and Malachi, flipped the map over and began drawing.

“It's possible Ravok found a power source,” he said without preamble. “There was a rumor some years ago, of a disruption that caused a major blackout across most of Europe. They never definitively pinpointed the cause, but narrowed the source down to southern France.”

“That doesn’t mean anything.” Blake shook his head. “Who cares about the human power grid? We’re talking about cosmic energy here, not electricity.”

“The area they narrowed it down to is uninhabited, deep in the Alps, far away from the nearest transformer and yet…whatever happened took down twelve countries for two entire days. A surge capable of doing that…it was as big as a nuclear explosion.”

“Tell them what you told me,” Bex urged, her face pale beneath her freckles.

Nash ran his hand over the scars in his cropped gray hair. “I asked around. There were two ancient royal houses that once ruled that area. Bloodlines running all the way back to Caine, according to my source. And before you accuse me of jumping to conclusions, even the High Council sent out special envoys to look into the issue.”

“Who are the two houses?” Riordan asked quietly.

“House Vespertine and Malvyth.” I looked between Nash and Riordan, waiting for an explanation of why, exactly, this was significant.

“That’s impossible,” Malachi hissed through bloodless lips. “House Malvyth was exterminated by Caine himself, and Lord Aurelius is long dead…and the Château des Ombres is…” His face paled, his eyes locking with mine before he whirled away, stalking over to the window.

Eldric’s expression had lost all traces of humor. “I’ve heard of House Malvyth. They were a barbarian kingdom and Lord Volkmar…slaughtered an entire town who refused to bow to his rule, down to the last child.” His voice tapered down to a whisper.

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