Emil now stands in the doorway, fully visible.
He must have conjured fresh clothing because he’s dressed in undamaged white pants once more, although he’s still shirtless.
I pause, this time standing well within the garden, my hand brushing the edge of a rosebush, the petals soft beneath my fingertips.
There’s an intensity in his expression that I can’t decipher.
He’s… angry, maybe.
Very different from the surprised look he gave me only moments ago.
Oh, but it’s so hard to tell…
He takes a pointed glance at the sparkling trees behind me before returning his focus to me.
What do you want from me?
It’s the questionheaskedme.
Without taking his eyes off me, he takes a single step away from the doorway, slightly farther inside the hallway, still fully visible, and then?—
His right fist darts out and crashes through the wall at his side.
I jolt.
I can only stare as he throws himself through the wall with a roar that reaches me where I stand.
Wood splinters in all directions, some of the debris shooting through the doorway and more through the window, while I’m certain even more debris is spiraling within the cottage itself.
Emil himself has disappeared behind the outer wall, and now I can only hear him.
There’s another crash, more sounds of breaking wood, followed by smashing glass.
What the fuck?
I don’t understand what he’s doing, but dark saints, the crashing and cracking sounds that are coming from inside the cottage tell me he’s tearing the place up like there’s no tomorrow.
My eyes are wide as I pause on my front foot, uncertainty raging through me.
I’m also aware of Riot running toward me and that my pack is stirring in the distance. But of course, the commotion is hard to ignore.
“Darkness!” Riot calls my name before he reaches me in a flash, veering toward the cottage, as if he’ll run into it.
I catch his arm. “No, Riot. Stay out here.” Then I spin to the rest of my pack, holding my hand up for them to stop.Don’t come over.
“What the hell is the keeper doing in there?” Riot asks.
I can only shake my head. “Breaking things up, but I have no idea why.”
At that, there’s a sudden silence from within the cottage.
Riot and I both freeze, waiting and watching, and I’m ready for anything.
CHAPTER TWENTY
Afew moments later, Emil reappears in the doorway, looming there like a quiet, angry beast.
He’s covered in scratches, his chest is heaving, and he’s holding the broken leg of what could be the table he hoisted me onto.
