It’s probably just that Malrik hasn’t resurfaced yet. I don’t like that he just let me go. The longer I’ve thought about my escape, the more certain I am that he should have been able to stop me. He might have his limits, but The Keep isn’t one of them. At least not from what I’ve seen.
Did he let me go on purpose, and I’ve just walked into another one of his traps?
I don’t know that either, and I think that’s what’s bothering me most.
If I’ve done something else he wanted, I’m not sure what I’ll do.
Especially if it ends up hurting anyone I care about. Again.
I swallow hard and step toward the front doors of the manor.
They swing open before we reach them, and I stiffen.
Cade sticks close to me, but Iris pays him no attention. She bursts out in a rush of lavender perfume and frantic energy, nearly tripping on the steps. “Rowan!” She barrels toward me like a heat-seeking missile and smothers me in a hug that smells like old books and citrus cleaner.
“Hi, Iris,” I murmur, resting my chin briefly against the silver hair covering her shoulder. For all the unease twisting inside me, I’ve missed her. Her wildness. Her uniquewarmth. Her absolute refusal to behave like a normal grandmother.
She pulls back and holds me at arm’s length, scanning me the way only Iris can—rapid, clinical, and offended on my behalf.
“How are you?” she demands.
“I’m okay.” It’s a lie. And she knows it.
She squeezes my biceps hard enough to make my eyes water. “Don’t you lie to me, young lady. I can feel it.” Her gaze sharpens. “You’re thinner. Your aura is frazzled. Your hair is limp, and you’re pasty.” She leans closer, squinting. “But not in the adorable cream-puff way of the pastries I made while waiting for you to arrive.”
I laugh—a broken sound, but it’s real.
“I apologize for not getting sun or hitting the salon before I returned,” I drone. “I’ll be sure to get right on that.”
She waves a hand as if I’m the unhinged one. “We don’t have time for that. Now—” she pivots abruptly, scanning behind me “—how’s my other girl?”
Iris sidesteps me, and it’s a relief to have the attention off me.
Liz hobbles toward us like a disgruntled newborn deer. She’s thawed, but not gracefully. She might not run as hot as wolf shifters, but her internal temperature is still far lower than normal, which she’s blaming on her lack of food. Her movements are jerky and stiff. She’s wrapped so tightly in a blanket that she resembles an irritable burrito with fangs.
“Yes, I’ve come back from the brink of death,” sheannounces, lifting her chin as if daring anyone to challenge her dramatics. “But I’ll be fine as soon as I get to my room.”
She stumbles mid-sentence. Elias moves on instinct, reaching to steady her, but she snaps her sharp teeth at him with a dangerous click.
“Don’t even think about carrying me again,” she warns, wobbling but undeterred. “Iwillbite you this time.”
“Right,” he says slowly, stepping back with the patience of a saint or maybe just someone who’s been traumatized recently. “You currently can’t even move your eyebrows.”
Iris pats the side of her fanny pack—the one she’s refilled with who knows what—before speaking. “Well, I refilled my glitter. I can at least make you sparkly.” She barks out a laugh that’s almost too loud. “A sparkly vampire. Can you imagine?”
I grin. Gods, I really did miss her.
I’ll remind you of that when she’s tossing glitter at one of us, Wolf says with a grumble.
Truth.
Still, the warmth in my chest is undeniable. After everything…after nearly losing myself, losing them…this moment feels like stepping into paradise. So long as I don’t think too hard.
“Iris, I don’t know if the others told you or not,” I start to say, but she takes care of re-introductions herself.
“Marius Landry.” She smirks, glancing around me. “You haven’t aged well. Probably all that time with nature.”
“It’s good to see you as well, Iris,” he replies dryly. “I see you’ve grown more comfortable with our kind.”
