“About as well as it would have if he was telling me not to go to Pensdurth if I thought you were there,” he said. “But he’s staying put.”
Thefor nowwent unsaid.
I ran the tips of my fangs over my lower lip. “If we find out Millicent’s there, it doesn’t mean she’s there willingly.”
“I know.” He paused. “But if we find out she’s there, there will be no stopping Malik.”
I glanced back at him, and our gazes briefly met. “Would you still try to stop him?”
“No,” he admitted after a moment. “I wouldn’t be able to.”
That wasn’t true.
Casteel would definitely be able to stop Malik. The fact that Casteel was powerful enough to will himself to where I was without knowing where it would take him was proof of that. But it was likely already hard enough for him to demand that Malik do something he wouldn’t do himself.
“So, this is where it happened,” Casteel said, jarring me from my thoughts. “Makes sense you’d be curious about the place.”
“It does?”
“Yeah.” He shifted behind me, and I felt his shoulder brush mine.
“I…” Those silly words rose again, but I didn’t stop them. “I thought I would feel something coming here.”
“Feel what?” he asked after a moment.
“I don’t know.” I squinted as I lifted my gaze to the thick, gray clouds. “Sadness? Anger?”
“And you don’t feel that?”
I shook my head. “I should feel relieved that I don’t.”
“You should only feel whatever you feel,” he said, and I peeked over at him. He stood shoulder to shoulder with me, his gaze trained on the lake and elms below. “As long as you let yourself feel.”
“I am.”
His shoulders rose with a deep breath. “No, you’re not.”
Shaking my head, I looked away. “You’re wrong.”
“Tell me how I’m wrong.”
Staring up at the thick clouds, I searched for how to put my feelings into words. “I don’t feel anything right now. Just…numb. But…” I crossed my arms. “I knew where Isbeth kept The Star.”
When Cas didn’t respond, I continued. “It was in Wayfair’s Vault. I forgot about it until yesterday. There are a lot of coins and jewels there, too. More than enough to better the lives of those here,” I added. “We need to use it. All of it.”
“What about The Star?” Casteel asked, glossing over that I’d just told him there was unfathomable wealth stored away.
I exhaled roughly and stepped back. “I didn’t feel anything when I held it.”
“Did you think you would?”
“Shouldn’t I have?” I rubbed my hands over my arms. “If my soul was kept in it for hundreds of years.”
Casteel didn’t respond because, seriously, what could anyone say to that?
I turned to him, my gaze landing on the gold chain around his neck. “I destroyed the diamond. That was how angry I was,” I said. “Not because I felt something while holding it, but because I…”
“Because you what?” he asked quietly.
