I shook my head, astounded not just by the scale of the place but by the fact that I’d had no idea that there evenwasa library concealed beneath the fortress.
“We can speak freely here,” the princess added. “The monks care only for the preservation of knowledge. They do not concern themselves with fae politics.”
Adriel scrutinized the monks with narrowed eyes, but if he worried about them overhearing our plan, he did not say. Perhaps he was too afraid to open his mouth, lest he start vomiting so close to the precious ancient texts.
Sorsha rounded on him. “Do you seriously mean to go traipsing through the Demon Woods in search of an ancient race of fae who haven’t been seen in a millennium?”
“Why not?” He lifted his shoulder in a shrug. “If the Scolendra are myth, as you say, then we can simply capture a demon for its blood while we’re there.”
“You’re hardly capable of ensnaring a demon in your current state,” she muttered.
Darkness flashed in Adriel’s eyes as he loomed over her,and when he spoke, his voice came out as a growl. “Oh, princess. You have noideawhat I am capable of.”
Sorsha blinked up at him, looking angry and flustered.
“There’s no point in hunting down the Scolendra until we get the hands,” I said. “And Mirabella’s crypt is in the mortal realm.”
“There’s a small tear in the veil that can take us there,” said Adriel, still holding Sorsha’s gaze. “Its terminus is just above the House of Guile.”
“That’s convenient,” I muttered.
“Three guesses whocreatedthe tear,” said Sorsha, glaring right back at the royal guard.
Adriel’s flat look was his only reply.
“And itsorigin?” the princess asked, finally stepping out of his shadow and drawing herself up to her full height.
“On this very isle. In a cave where we used to play as younglings. It’s about an hour’s hike from the fortress. Once we cross into the mortal realm, we’ll be less than a mile from Mirabella’s manor.”
I wanted to ask Adriel how he knew the precise location of the vampire’s lair. Had he visited when Kaden and Mirabella had been lovers? Instead, I said, “What makes you think she’ll give up those hands just because we ask?”
Adriel frowned, staring at me as though I’d grown two extra heads. “Who said anything about asking?”
Chapter
Three
LYRA
Achill crept down my spine as I stared at the brass door knocker shaped like Medusa’s head. It seemed a lifetime ago that I had stood here with Kaden, not fully trusting the male at my side.
So many things had changed since then, though the one thing that hadn’t was my utter disdain for vampires.
The plan was simple: Slip into Mirabella’s party using her mortal pets as a cover, find the hands, and get out. With a little luck, her clan would be so overcome with bloodlust that they wouldn’t even notice a huntress, a fae, and aMorkahlfin their midst.
Swallowing down my unease, I adjusted my neckline and checked the witchwood blade sheathed at my thigh, along with the stakes hidden beneath the gown I’d donned at the House of Guile. It was made of the same curious gossamer fabric as the dress Kaden had given me in Adraeis, only this one was a deep shade of crimson that was a bit on the nose for a vampire party.
Adriel was dressed in a black velvet tunic with a band ofsilver embroidery along the cuffs. Sorsha was resplendent in a shimmering golden ball gown with a deep plunging neckline.
I hadn’t wasted much time wondering how Kaden’s residence in the mortal realm always seemed to be equipped with custom-tailored finery. I suspected that, like the Forest House, his home in the Quarter was enchanted to meet the needs of its occupants.
I’d found two leather thigh holsters in my chamber, fitted with fresh hickory stakes. Tears had pricked my eyes as I’d imagined Kaden looking out for me, even when he was a prisoner in another realm.
Standing on Mirabella’s doorstep, I could feel Adriel and Sorsha watching me expectantly. My hand shook as I reached out and ran a finger down the center of the door as I’d seen Kaden do on our last visit.
Almost at once, Medusa opened her sightless eyes, and her face twisted in a monstrous expression. I jerked back as the brass snakes began to writhe and hiss, but a second later the door creaked open and I was hit by a wave of sound.
Adriel’s face tightened as he breezed past me and Sorsha and strode into the house. He’d magicked away his wings and wore no visible weapons, but I had no doubt that Kaden’s royal guard was plenty lethal without them.
