Page 36 of Poison Nights & Twilight Alchemy

While the garden emptied of guests and the Tree of Life became still once more, Dulce’s gaze settled on Reed, kneeling in the center of the garden near the fallen oak. And he wasn’t alone.

Her heart sank as two enforcers held him up by the arms, three more standing guard proudly at his back. A bruise was already forming along one cheek.

She’d had a dreadful feeling that they’d recognized him.

One she certainly now recognized—he was the sameman who’d visited her manor to inspect her grave, the same enforcer she’d met when she’d disguised herself as her dead husband.

Dulce ducked behind a stone pillar just as Enoch barked at Reed, “Who knew I’d discover a coveted prize at the Duke’s party.”

“Why, thank you.” Reed grinned, and Dulce stared bug-eyed. How could he remain so calm? “But that’s not the first time I’ve been called a prize.” He leaned forward, turning his head to look the man up and down slowly.

Enoch narrowed his eyes and started to kick Reed, but the other enforcer raised a hand, stopping him.

He seethed in frustration as he sputtered, “You’ll answer to the Duke for your crimes, filthy swamp maggot.”

The enforcers hauled Reed toward where the Duke lingered, not the least bit phased by the pandemonium of magic, the scattered dead bodies on the ground, the guests that had fled his gardens in terror, the fallen oak before him, or the Tree of Life’s hysteria. In fact, he appeared positively thrilled, seeming to relish the chaos.

Not fighting back, Reed instead smirked at the Duke. “So we meet at last. The Grand Duke of Putrefied Pompousness, and the, what was it again? Oh, yes. The Coveted Prize of the Glen.”

Dulce palmed her forehead, hoping Reed would keep quiet before someone ran him through with a blade. But she had to admit a part of her admired the way he didn’t cower as most surely would’ve.

The Duke cocked his head, his crown of curled horns making him appear like a king instead of a witch’s servant. Gray streaks peppered his deep auburn hair, and whileReed was taller than the Duke, the man was much wider as his costume hugged his muscular form.

“Meet the criminal who started the fire at the prison,” Enoch ground out, his hand still clamped around Reed’s arm. “And stole your property.”

“The fire wasn’t me,” Reed clarified. “One never takes credit for another man’s work.”

The Duke sneered, raking his icy gaze down Reed. “Why, he’s nothing but a foul dog who can’t stop barking.”

“I take that as a compliment,” Reed drawled, looking genuinely smug. “Hardly any compare to the dog in loyalty and affection.”

“A sharp tongue,” the Duke grunted. “I will enjoy cutting it out.”

“How about a duel to make things even more entertaining?”

Be quiet, Reed. Dulce knew what he was doing—he was distracting the Duke so she could escape if she hadn’t already.

Dulce’s heart thundered against her ribs—she couldn’t remain hiding uselessly and watch the Duke end Reed’s life on this fateful night. She’d brought Reed into this, she’d been the one to give him her jewelry, then convinced him to come with her on this journey. He’d even given her back her beloved ring when he could’ve kept it.

And then, all at once, Dulce knew precisely what she must do.

To alter her appearance further, she didn’t need a new batch of elixir, not when she’d consumed enough of the previous one for it to feed through her veins for days.This would only take a toll on the magic thrumming inside her already, lessening its effects so her disguise would need the next batch of elixir sooner rather than later. It was a very small price to pay for saving Reed’s life.

“I think we should start with removing a hand.” The Duke unsheathed the sword at his waist. “See how that mouth of yours sounds with pretty screams coming out of it instead of impertinence. There’s no need to inform me of which hand you use the most—we’ll slice off both, as is the fitting punishment for thieving. How does that sound, yapping dog?”

Dulce slammed her eyes shut, focusing on the alchemy alight within her. She instructed her body’s flesh to turn translucent, and she opened her eyes, observing as every fiber of her body became ghostly alabaster. Cuffs of vines wrapped around her wrists like bracelets that she could release as whips, and large blooms of spiky hellebores gnashed their razor-sharp teeth.

It wasn’t just any ghost she chose to mirror, but the one who children and adults alike would fear, a spirit that had haunted the bedtime stories of every town near and far. Centuries ago, the story went, the ghost of the hanged widow Leski had returned from the grave to murder half of Alder Bay with her carnivorous flowers, taking all the children to her cave and feasting on them, before a witch banished her to the bottom of the sea.

Once Dulce’s transformation was complete, she stepped from behind the pillar.

“Your magic called to me, Duke,” Dulce cooed in a low voice, gliding her feet against the ground in his direction. She kept her gaze trained on him, showing nointerest in Reed. “The magic here called to me, and I am here to answer it.”

The Duke’s wicked expression faltered, and he paled as his gaze fell upon her. “Who are you?”

“Don’t be coy. You know my name,” she purred and motioned him with a finger. “Come closer, or I’ll devour all who live in your village.”

The Duke did as told, inching toward her on quaking legs. Out of the corner of her eye, Enoch had released Reed, and she noticed the brute had even soiled himself.

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