“I could feel the book recording every step and movement,” I stated. “Writing present history.”
“Fucking hell.” Ash scoured his face, muttering under his breath.
“Did you see them?” Warwick asked.
“No... they were in the shadows” I started to shake my head, though a prickle of something kept dragging across my gut. “It showed me what looked like some underground room... an altar, I think. I got the feeling it was once used for the old religious practices.”
“An altar?” Ash’s eyes widened as he stood up. “In a cave?”
“Yeah, why?”
“Faszom,”Ash muttered, tipping his head back.
“What?” Warwick rose warily.
“I know exactly where the book showed her... and neither of you is going to like it.”
Warwick’s chest expanded, his fists rolling into balls, waiting for Ash to continue.
“What?” I stood up, already knowing the answer, but hoping I was wrong.
“The old Gellert Hill Cave.” Ash cringed. “The gutted church at the bottom of Lord Killian’s palace.”
“Killian?” Warwick barked. “He has it? He’s the one who has the nectar?”
Ash rubbed his forehead, frowning deeply, his head wagging with puzzlement.
“That doesn’t make sense. I don’t think he does.” My thoughts settled back on Killian, my time with him. If he knew about the nectar, had it the whole time, why would he have been so concerned about the pills?
“You are clouded by your feelings for him, princess.” Warwick gritted his teeth, his gaze drilling into me. “Yourboyfriendis not the nice guy you like to think he is.”
“Think about it.” I ignored Warwick’s pointed tone. “If Killian hadthe nectar, he has the ultimate prize, especially for humans. I mean, game over. Killian wouldn’t be concerned about the pills or what Istvan is doing. I get that you hate him, what he did, but I spent every day for a month with him. If it’s there, he doesn’t know about it, or he hasn’t found it yet.”
Ash’s eyebrows curved up. “He literally could be sitting on a gold mine and doesn’t know.”
“Exactly.” I smiled at Ash, his grin spreading, both of us turning to Warwick. “One we can take off his hands.”
“How do you expect to get in?” Warwick’s jaw rolled. “Knock on the door, bat your lashes, and ask nicely?”
“No.” I put my hand on my hip, irritation tapering my lids. “Figured you would just blow it up.”
“Funny.” He scowled back. “That only works when you arefleeingan area, not trying to get in. Have any brighter ideas,princess?”
“Yeah, actually.” I twisted, getting in his face. Warwick’s chest hit mine, closing the distance, his nose flaring. “How about you shove?—”
“Okay! Ease back, you two.” Ash pulled us apart. “I thought you would have worked all this tension out by now. You didn’t hate fuck enough?”
“Not even close.” Warwick scoffed, still using his massive size to loom over me. I didn’t flinch, daring him to test me.
Ash grasped my arm again, tugging me farther away.
“Man, you guys are killing me.” He cupped his pants, his face pure agony. “I’m about to dry hump the skeleton over there if you don’t take it down a notch or two.”
A dry laugh rose from my throat, the visual making me cringe and laugh. I really hoped he was kidding.
“Warwick’s right.” Ash folded his arms, taking a deep breath, switching the subject back. “We need to find a way into the underground caves that won’t be guarded by a dozen sentinels. If he knows about the nectar or not, he’d have every entrance around his palace highly secured.”
A memory flashed from my time in the underground tunnels when Sloane, Conner, and Vale hauled me through, and especially my exit from them.
