She stepped around the guards and gave Keith a hug. “You need to leave,” he whispered against her ear, and she leaned back with a fake smile plastered across her face.
“Our interviews are today, honey,” Patrick replied without missing a beat. “A guard told us where to go, but we must have taken a wrong turn somewhere.”
The other guard shifted, glancing at Tag. “No one is permitted into the palace without a pass. We need to see yours.”
Keith’s eyes shifted to Stassi. “Hey, sis, why don’t you walk us back out? Your shift should be over by now.”
Oh, no.Stassi stared at Keith with wide eyes.
“You told me you were an only child,” Tag said, shifting his attention to her. It was one of his many questions while she searched for the imaginary jacket. He turned back to the other guard. “Seize them.”
Tag grabbed her arm in a bruising grip and slung her into the office. “What are you playing at?” he demanded. “Who are those men?”
She shook like a leaf and tried to loosen his grip with her other hand. A snarl sounded from the hall, and they both turned in time to see Keith clamping down on the other guard’s neck, shaking him like a rag doll.
Fear paralyzed Stassi as she watched someone die for the first time in her life. She’d never even been to a funeral. Keith looked up with blood dripping from his muzzle and ran through the office door. In slow motion, Stassi watched Tag drop her arm, rip open his button-down shirt, and remove a gun from the holster on his chest.Guns weren’t allowed in The Capital.
She screamed Keith’s name, but it was too late. Stassi watched in horror as the bullet hit him in the chest. The wolf flew back, hitting the floor with a whimper, and his body slid across the marble, leaving a trail of blood in its wake.
Patrick ran through the office door and threw his arms wide, knocking Tag back with a gust of air. ASylph.
The sounds of Stassi’s terror filled the large office as she ran forward and hit her knees. She pressed her hand over the wound, unsure what to do. A choked sob was the only sound she could make as she watched the life leave Keith’s body. His wolfish eyes stared straight ahead, unmoving, and when his chest fell under her hands, it didn’t rise again.
Another gunshot went off, and she flattened herself on the ground, covering her ears.
She cried, fearing she would be next. Patrick approached her, holding the gun with blood spatter on his hands and shirt.
“He’s dead,” she cried, reaching for Keith as Patrick pulled her to her feet. The wolf’s blood coated her hands and dress, and she could feel it on the sides of her head.
“I-I didn’t see the gun in time,” she said, going into shock. “Keith!”
She dropped to the floor again and shook him. He couldn’t be dead.But he was.“I’m sorry. I’m so sorry.”
Patrick hauled her up and held the sides of her face. “You need to leave,” he said with tears lining his eyes. “I need to hide his body. If they find it, his family will be in danger.”
“He’s dead,” she cried again. She wasn’t made for this. Her day-to-day didn’t include fighting guards and watching people die.
Patrick tried to soothe her. “I know. Stassi, I need you to leave.Now.”
As she nodded, Patrick jogged into the hallway, picking up Keith’s lifeless body. Stassi’s eyes snagged on the cabinet where the pink soul was hidden.
She checked the hallway to ensure no one was coming before running across the room, and when she reached for the cabinet, the palace shook. Through the window, she saw the sky blacken. Terrified screams and shouts echoed through the hallways, sending chills down her spine.
She didn’t know what was happening, but before leaving, she turned back toward the cabinet, refusing to let Keith’s death be in vain.
53
THE BARRIER
Summoned by Her broken cries,the King of Monsters fractured his gilded cage and emerged from the darkness, no longer a man but a beast forged in anguish and hate.
The realms trembled as he ripped them apart, and no man nor monster could keep him from getting to Her.
54
ERDIKOA
Gedeon released Rory’s neck,and she fought to drag air into her lungs as her feet slipped, causing the chains to yank on her arms. She fell with a silent scream, her throat no longer capable of producing sounds.
