I did it!
Ireallydid it!
Breaking through the surface with a gasp, I felt the frigid morning air hit my face like a slap. The gown clung to me, heavy and dripping, but I didn’t care. I was here. I was in Evermere.
And where’s Amabel?I thought with a little smile.Oh, still in her room, planning.
The gown was an unexpected nightmare. It dragged me down like an anchor, the sodden fabric tangling around my legs as I treaded water. I cursed under my breath, shoving the heavy skirts aside, but I didn’t dare leave the lake. Not yet. Wards were everywhere, and I wasn’t stupid enough to think I could outsmart them entirely. No, the water was my shield, my hiding place. I just had to be patient.
Patience. Ugh. Amabel’s favorite word.
I made a face, but knew this wasn’t the time to get sloppy. I poked my head above the surface, scanning the grounds of Evermere with narrowed eyes. The manor loomed in the distance, its windows glittering in the early morning light. The air held the kind of chill that made your breath fog, and the lake was still, its surface like glass. Picture perfect.
It made me sick.
“How dare she? A little mouse like her, thinking she can rise above her station. She belongs on her knees, scrubbing floors, not playing lady of the manor. Well, I’ll remind her where she belongs. On her belly at my feet, where she’s always been.”
I ducked back under, letting the water swallow me whole. The cold bit at my skin, but I reveled in it. Pain was good. Pain made mefeel. Pain let me know I was alive.
My mind spun with possibilities. Now, how to lure her out? How to make her come to me? I needed something irresistible. Something she couldn’t ignore.
And then I saw them.
The husbands. All three of them, striding across the lawn like they owned the world. Zane, with his fiery red hair, Koa, dark and brooding, and Casimir, blond and annoyingly perfect. They wereheading toward the garage, the dire wolf pup trotting at their heels. My lip curled in disgust. That stupid wolf. Serafina’s little pet. I still didn’t understand why Mother hadn’t simply destroyed it. A rare moment of pity, no doubt, when Serafina begged to keep him.
I watched as they climbed into their SUV. Of course they’d leaveherbehind. I didn’t care where they were going. All that mattered was that they were gone andshewas alone.
Vulnerable.
Mine.
I waited as long as I could stand it, which wasn’t long. The moment the SUV disappeared down the drive, I was moving. My magic surged, hot and eager, as I rose above the water surface and conjured the illusion with a flick of my fingers. That stupid dire wolf. Or at least, a perfect copy of him. He appeared on the shore, and I sent him bounding up toward the manor, barking in distress, his cries sharp and desperate.
It didn’t take long. A Latino boy, one of the servants probably, appeared at the back door, his eyes widening as he spotted the pup. He hesitated, then turned and bolted back inside. I grinned, my heart pounding with anticipation.
It was working!
And thensheappeared.
Serafina. My stepsister. My victim. She stepped out onto the lawn, her honey-gold hair catching the light, her gray eyes wide with concern. She looked delicate, like a single touch would shatter her. It made me want to scream with excitement.
She followed the illusion pup without hesitation, her steps quick and purposeful. Of course she did. Of course she’d come running to save her precious wolf. She was so predictable. So pathetic.
I sank deeper into the water, letting it swallow me until only my eyes and nose were visible. I was so close,so closeto ruining her. So close to making her pay. How dare she think she deserved happiness! How dare she think she could escape us!
The illusion wolf stopped at the edge of the lake, whining softly. Serafina knelt, her hand outstretched, her voice gentle.
“Brummy? What’s wrong, sweetheart?”
I almost laughed.Sweetheart. How sickening.
She was right there. Right at the water’s edge. Right where I wanted her.
Smirking, I slipped beneath the surface, the water closing over my head like a curtain. The world above was muffled, distorted, but I could still see my prey. She was wading into the shallows now, herdress dragging in the water, her voice trembling as she called out to the illusion wolf.
“Brummy! Are you hurt?” Her voice was frantic. I could hear the fear in it, the desperation. It wasdelicious.
I floated closer, my movements slow and deliberate. The water was my ally, my cloak. She didn’t see me. Not yet. But she would.
