“You have no idea what I do or don’t care about,” she fired back.
“And you know what? I don’t—” A deep moan cut me off, drawing my gaze to the empty, dark hall behind her. Remembering the thudding sound, I took a step forward. “Millicent?”
She clasped her hands in front of her. “Yes?”
“What was that sound?”
“Why would you think I know what the source of the moaning in your haunted castle is?” she countered.
My father started forward, obviously at his wit’s end. “I’ll check it out.”
“No. No need.” Exhaling loudly, Millicent rolled her eyes. “I’ll go get him.”
“Him?”
She was already moving down the hall…humming.
My father looked over at me.
“I don’t even know what to say about that. Her.” I shook my head. “Whatever.”
Luckily, Millicent didn’t take her time. She disappeared around the bend in the hall and then reappeared a second later, dragging a…person-sized sack along the wall.
“Oh, for fuck’s sake,” I muttered. What now?
“You know, I could use a little help.” She dragged what was clearly a person straight into the base of a heavy pedestal. “Oops.”
My father met her halfway and took the rope from her. He started to lift whoever was in the sack.
“I wouldn’t waste precious time or effort on him,” Millicent said, her arms swinging at her sides. “Thank you, kind gentleman.”
My father only looked at her and then dragged the sack a bit more gently as sheskippedback to the atrium.
“Who is he?” I asked as my father let go of the rope.
“He is why I’ve been gone.” Millicent knelt and untied the rope at the top of the sack. Pulling the burlap back, she revealed matted, blood-streaked golden hair and—
“Callum,” I spat.
“Yep.” She rose. “I’ve been chasing him clear across the kingdom as he tried to get back to his daddy.”
“Daddy?” My father frowned.
“Kolis,” I said. “It’s not really his father but…” Picking up on another set of footsteps echoing from the corridor opposite the Hall of Gods, I dragged a hand down my face. Who now? Knowing my luck, it would be Reaver. “Where did you find him?”
“Somewhere between Lockswood and it doesn’t matter,” she replied as Callum’s pale face tensed. “Hold on.”
Before I could say a word, she reached between the halves of her cloak and spun. There was only a brief glint of crimson—bloodstone—before she plunged the blade into Callum’s chest.
My father’s brows lifted as the Revenant’s body jerked once, twice, and then stilled.
“Bloodstone burns like a bitch.” She wiped the blade on the burlap and rose, sheathing it. “I figured if anyone knew anything about Kolis, it would be him. He’s a fucked-up treasure chest of fucked-up information.”
I stared at Callum. Having him here a few weeks earlier could’ve changed everything. I kept that to myself. The lessconversation with Millicent, the better. Glancing over to the hall, I spotted Malik.
A barely-there smile appeared on Cas’s brother’s face when he saw my father. It did little to soften the harshness of his features, but therewassome measure of relief in his expression.
“Malik,” my father called after a deep inhale.
