"She told you? You've seen her?"
"Yes." His answer was abrupt.
"She's here, isn't she?" Cleo's heart started pounding, jacking into her throat. Premonition tingled yes along her arms.
A hand grabbed her wrist and warm breath washed over her face. The scent of him was lush with earth, roses, and sweat, all things she'd never thought to associate with her elegant husband. "You are not going to do a thing about it. Morgana will kill you, Cleo. If you know nothing else, then know this: My mother is dangerous. She has the Blade of Altarrh in hand as of last night, and she won't hesitate to use it."
It was the first time he'd touched her voluntarily. The physical impact of it stole her breath. "The Blade of Altarrh?" Why did that name sound familiar? She couldn't quite place it. "A part of me will die if they kill Mrs. Ross. A little part of me will never forgive myself. Please. Please help me."
He turned away, blowing out a breath in frustration. "Fucking roses." The clipper's hit the lawn and clattered.
"You say you're a monster," Cleo said. "I know you're not a monster, but if you pretend this isn't happening, then what do you become? Every little shadow darkens your soul. You'll become something I don't think you want to be."
"And what do you suggest I do?" Sebastian snarled. "I cannot break the wards on the cellar. It's too complicated for my magic, and my mother will know I did it. She'll take me down with sorcery before I can even lift a finger."
"I don't want you to be hurt."
"That's the problem." Fabric rustled as he paced. "She won't hurt me, Cleo. She'll come after someone I care about, and she'll do it while I watch and cannot react."
Her heart became an odd pitter-patter in her chest. "And who do you care about?" She was met with another one of his silences. It told her everything she was afraid to hope for. "Oh," she said. "Oh. I'm not afraid."
"You should be." Bleak, hopeless words. "And now that she's seen this entire little encounter, I'm going to have to tell some pretty convincing lies."
Cleo caught his wrist. "Wait." Her mind raced. "Knock me over."
"What?"
"And look angry."
"I'm not going to—"
"Yes, you are," she whispered. "Or I will."
"Bloody hell." He shook her off. "I'll do something for Mrs. Ross. I promise. Don't you attempt anything. Now, there's a rake behind you. I'm sorry." Then his shoulder hit hers in a heavy thud of heated flesh, and he pushed past her as if toward the house.
Cleo's foot caught on the rake and she went down, tumbling to her bottom on the grass. She stayed there, in her puddle of skirts, hot emotion lodging in her chest. What a horrible mess she'd found herself in, but the oddest sensation was that of relief. Sebastian was going to help her. She had an ally in this mess, and he had a chance at redemption, if he dared to do this.
When tears flushed through her eyes, she let them soak her blindfold as she buried her face in her hands.
He couldn't get near the Prime; his mother had eyes watching the Duke far too closely. And he couldn't rescue Mrs. Ross himself. Such an act would only earn him untold punishment, and if Morgana realized how much his wife had gotten beneath his skin, then she'd know exactly how to cut at him.
There was only one hope.
So Sebastian wrote a letter, using a scrap of Louisa's hair that he'd kept, to prove who it came from, and then waited for his chance to deliver it.
Chapter Twenty-Eight
"It’s got to be a trap," Lucien said.
"I know," Ianthe replied, her skirts swishing around her ankles as she paced. They'd been halfway to the door when the letter arrived, care of some young street urchin. "I know! But Eleanor... If she's hurt, then Drake will be devastated. And the address leads to Knightsbridge, which is where Thea said she tracked Noah Guthrie to."
Lucien rubbed at his face. "Why would someone tell us just how many sorcerers Morgana has at her beck and call? Or give us her address? You don't find that conveniently suspicious?"
"I do, but then I think perhaps Thea and I aren't the only ones who were unwilling to help her. What if she has her claws in someone else?"
True. "Where's the Prime?"
"He's fetching the carriage and reinforcements." Ianthe rubbed the lock of Louisa's hair that had fallen from the envelope. "We're going to need them if Morgana has this many sorcerers on her side."
