“Yes,” she says, raising her beautiful eyes to mine, her voice quiet. “But I won’t stop you.”
Far from disconcerting, it’s reassuring that she can hear my thoughts so clearly at this moment?—
“Is it?” she asks, her eyebrows rising.
I can’t help my smile.Fuck. I clearly need to rein my thoughts back in.
Taking a breath, I draw my sense of calm back into my mind, at which her forehead smooths out once more.
To Vanguard, I ask, “Where are the bones?”
He points to the edge of the ravine. “Right beside that tree, hidden within the lip at the top of the ravine. You will need to reach down past the edge to a cavity in the rock face where the box is wedged.”
For some reason, this causes a stir among Slade, Tansy, and Archer.
Archer immediately goes on the offensive, storming toward Vanguard. “What are you playing at? Nobody can get past the edge of the ravine.Nobody.”
Vanguard stands his ground even as copper-colored power swirls around Archer’s form, and I have a sense that her wings are only seconds from being released.
“With respect, Keres,” he replies very quietly. “That is not entirely true. There are a handful of creatures still walking thisearth who can gain access to that ravine. I am one. And…” He pauses, his focus returning to me. “If I’m right, Striker Draven is another.”
His speech doesn’t seem to allay her rising anger. Or quell Slade or Tansy’s wrath, both of whom are converging on Vanguard, while Jonah quickly steps up beside him.
“I’m happy to be wrong,” Vanguard says, raising his hands. “Is there any harm in trying?”
I clear my throat, trying to defuse the tension. “What am I missing here?”
“There’s an invisible wall all along the edge of the ravine,” Archer grinds out. “A shield through which no human or supernatural can pass. So if Vanguard is claiming that he hid the bones beneath the edge of the ravine—which would require reaching past the shield—then he’s lying.”
“He isn’t.” Peyton’s soft whisper cuts through the friction in the air. “Or, at least, he believes it as vehemently as you believe he’s lying.”
Turning to Vanguard, she narrows her eyes at him. “I don’t like your games.”
Despite the snarl in her voice and the sudden descent of her claws, Vanguard grins. “Of course you don’t. You are a Fury, through and through.”
“I’ll do it,” I say, causing them all to look at me, at which I shrug. “I have nothing to lose. If there’s a shield, maybe I’ll bump my head. If I can reach past it, well, the bones will be mine.”
“Indeed,” Vanguard says, his eyes glittering. “They will be.”
Without waiting for permission from anyone else, he picks his way across the mossy ground toward the edge of the ravine.
Stopping a step away from a very sharp fall, he points downward. “The cavity containing the box is located at this point. About twenty inches down the rock face.”
The lip at the top of the ravine extends out a little bit, making it impossible to visually confirm if he’s telling the truth. Given that Archer said there’s a shield all along the edge, it would explain why she can’t simply fly out to verify his claim.
I quickly judge that I’m going to need to lie on my stomach so I can slide my hand down the rock wall to find the cavity.
“How big is the box?” I ask since I have no way of knowing how large the bones are. For all I know, I might need both hands.
“Slightly smaller than a shoe box,” Vanguard replies. “It’s locked, so the lid won’t fly open and drop its contents.”
Peyton suddenly darts to my side. Her presence makes me freeze, but not in a bad way. Her scent fills my chest, and her eyes consume my view. Eyes turning crimson with power.
She places both of her hands on my chest, stealing my breath away with her touch, before she raises herself up to eye-level with me and whispers, “Choose carefully, Striker.”
You must choose.
That’s what she said to me before I destroyed the White Wand.
