“F-fine, sugar,” he gritted out, looking pale beneath his sun-kissed skin.
Remi let out a soft whistle, taking in the remains of the sprawling estate before us. “I know you guys said it was in ruins, but I didn’t expect that to be quite so literal.”
“What were you expecting?” Thorne asked with a curious lift of his brow.
“A castle, maybe. Or something you might find in an adaptation of a Brontë novel.”
“Once it was a love letter to Gothic architecture,” Rosie mused. “Spires, arches, balconies where I used to spy on my brothers when they didn’t know anyone could see them.”
Looking at it now, I could imagine what she was describing, but the reality was much more reminiscent of a war-torn castle.
A frown marred the smooth skin of Rosie’s brow. I’d heard about the explosion that masked her escape. I could only assume she carried a fair bit of guilt over it.
“So where should we begin our search?” Grim asked, likely sensing the same emotions I did and wanting to move things along.
“I’m not sure,” Thorne said. “It all looks so different in this state. The entrance should be over there, but it’s nothing but rubble now.”
“I don’t know if we can even locate the stairwells to the basement levels.” Rosie sounded dejected. “It’s worse than I imagined.”
Ben wove an arm around her shoulders, while Remi did the same around her waist. The gentle reassurance from her mates seemed to go a long way in curbing her spiraling mood.
Merri nudged me with her hip. “What do you think?”
“About what?”
“Where the blade might be.”
“How should I know?”
She gave me a look. “It’s supposed to be tied to you, isn’t it? That’s what the others said.”
“You’re Famine-y too, kitten. Don’t put it all on me.”
A soft laugh escaped her before she took my hand and began tugging me toward the ruined side of the estate. “First step, find a fairly clear path. It looks like the fire really ate up the interior of this place.”
“Do me a favor?” I asked as I surveyed the unsteady structure. “Stay back until I make sure it’s safe? I’m immortal, you’re not.”
She heaved a sigh, but released my hand and fell back, Grim taking my place at her side.
Closing my eyes, I shook out my hands and let my other senses take over. Merri was right; my brothers had allmentioned having a sixth sense when it came to finding their weapons. Unfortunately none of them had explained how they tapped into it. I was hoping it would just do its thing and activate like a sleeping compass.
That was a thing, right?
“What is he doing?” Remi whisper-shouted.
“I d-don’t know.”
“He looks like you when you need to shit, Benny.”
“Sh-shut up, Remi.”
Frustration swelled inside me. “Yes, please shut up. I’m trying to focus here.”
A buzz began at the tips of my fingers, growing stronger as I moved in search of the source.
“I found something,” I said, opening my eyes. “This way.”
“That’s got to be the ballroom,” Thorne offered. “Or what’s left of it.”
