“I’ll do it.” Saros’s tone was gruff, confident, and I clung to it, knowing it would help me soon enough. “So long as you let Oakley go.”
“Very well.” Aleander pointed over to Festus to escort him. “As soon as you’re done, we will.
“I’m going to need you to taketheseoff,” Saros said, lifting his wrists, “and she stays with me so I can ensure she’s okay.”
He nodded to Festus who unclasped Saros’s cuffs.
“Hers too.” Saros pointed to me, clenching and unclenching his hands.
With Aleander’s nod, Festus removed mine next, and I rolled my wrists, savoring the heaviness of the rough mystery material finally gone, my arms now completely bare minus my aspen tattoo. I was so glad Hazel had insisted on getting a bracelet for herself when we’d left Aspen at the community center since mine was nowhere to be seen.
Saros and I had to play the timing just right for this to work.
“Now shall we?” Aleander said, leading the way out of the room. Festus followed us, and I shot some Desire his way, glancing over my shoulder to spot him shifting uncomfortably. Then I shoved out every bit of Atlas’s ability I had access to. Thankfully, he’d been amplified when it transferred to me, otherwise this wouldn’t have been possible.
By the time Festus adjusted his untimely erection and got back to walking behind us, it was done.
“Alright, Agent Holt, have you decided who you’re going to start with?”
I stared down at my blood-soaked sleeve and dark, calloused hands, ones that didn’t truly belong to me, hoping beyond hope that this worked. “Auro— I mean, Mrs. Wells.”
Next to me stood my true reflection, Saros illusioned with my likeness. He placed a seemingly tentative, delicate hand on my shoulder.
When we got into the Wellses’ room, Fitz had already been taken elsewhere. Aurora sat in her chair in the center of the otherwise empty room. Festus was with Saros in the corner, Aleander standing opposite of them.
“Tell me, Mrs. Wells, why did you kill Acacia Mirabel?” I asked in my illusioned voice, hoping I’d nailed Saros’s inflections. “This is the only time I’ll ask nicely.”
“My husband was just taken away broken and bloody and we are locked up Goddess knows where. I think we are past the point of doing things nicely,” the former coveness replied, any smoothness in her tone completely vanished. “If you want more, you’re going to have to hunt for it.”
“Very well.” I took a deep breath, recalling Saros’s instructions, hoping I did this right. “Don’t say I didn’t warn you.”
I stood in front of her, my hands threading through her oily blonde strands and gripping her scalp. My eyes focused on hers. I’d never been more grateful for Atlas and his gifts than I was at this moment.
In a blur, Aurora and I stood in the pine forest, just the two of us on some imagined astral plane. The pines felt like neutral territory, and I needed to buy us some time for Lynx to hopefully find us, since Saros was confident he would have a way to track him through their vow runes.
“Aurora. I need you to listen very carefully. I don’t honestly give a shit about you killing Acacia. She kidnapped my sister, so as far as I’m concerned, her death is no loss.” Her eyes went wide, realizing who she was really talking to, but the surprise also came with a relieved sigh.“Look, I’ve never liked you. Not even a little bit.”Her lips pursed, definitely not shocked by this revelation. “But apparently my sister cares about you. She still doesn’t want to believe you’d kill someone. I’d like to believe she is a pretty good judge of character, so I need you to tell me, was she wrong and you really are as heartless as everyone thinks? Or is there some good in there?”
Aurora’s throat bobbed a moment at the mention of Hazel, but then the queen bee returned.“What do you think?”
Aleander cleared his throat in the background, reminding me we weren’t really here. These pines were just in our minds, our bodies, however, were still trapped in The Casket. “See anything yet, Agent Holt?”
“Not yet. It’s going to take some time. If you think you can do a better job, then you’re welcome to come try,” I called out, giving my best impression of Saros’s grouchiness.
“I saw Chrys earlier tonight.”
Aurora’s blue eyes snapped to mine.“You did?”
“Yeah. She was helping with the witchlings for the Halloween festivities.”
“How was she?”she asked, biting her lip. Maybe no one had been able to get answers from her, but I knew how it felt to be a mother desperate for her child. As desperate as I was to get us out of here and get home to Aspen.
“She’s doing okay. Such a sweet young witch.”I smiled.“Now, if you didn’t have anything going for you, I don’t think I’d be able to say that.”
“I’m glad she’s okay.”Aurora’s throat bobbed and I knew the topic was hitting its mark.
I cocked my head.“I’m sure she’d be doing better if her parents weren’t locked away for murder.”
Her gaze narrowed.“What do you want?”
