“What about us?” I ask.
Castiel stares at us, then glances at the blond captain from Aquila. They share a loaded glance, and then finally Castiel answers, “You’ll come to Lynx.”
“And then what? Are we your prisoners now?” Cheryl’s voice rises in pitch.
With a tilt of his head and an arch of his brows, Castiel replies, “Prisoners? Of course not. You’re coming to the Lynx court as my guests.”
Narrowing my eyes, I ask, “What if we don’t want to visit your court? Are we free to go, then?”
Guilt seems to flash in his eyes before he shakes his head. “I don’t think that’s the wisest decision for you.”
Right. Guests my ass.
“This isn’t a leisure visit to Ellnesari,” Cheryl grits out. “We’re looking for?—”
“You’re looking for Manu and Karl.”
Every fiber in my body turns as rigid as a rock. “What do you know about them?”
“I know where they are, and before you ask, no, you can’t go to them. You’ll have to wait until they return.”
“That’s a load of crap!” Cheryl cries out, startling Rio, who begins to cry in earnest. Her face falls, and guilt emanates from her. Rocking him, she whispers, “Shhh… I’m so sorry, sweetie. I didn’t mean to scare you.”
Castiel stares at her. “This isn’t a trick. Besides, if you go after your brother and his mate, who will care for your new charges?” He looks pointedly at Rio and then at Ollie in my arms.
Shit. He’s realized Cheryl and I have become attached to these children. He might have been Rikkon’s friend in a distantpast, but I wouldn’t put it past him to use the knowledge against us. For now, I’ll have to pretend that I trust him.
“Very well. We’ll go to Lynx with you and wait for Karl and Manu there.”
Through my connection with Cheryl, I sense her displeasure. When we lock gazes, I read rebellion loud and clear in her turbulent green eyes. But she doesn’t utter her objections out loud, and my guess is that’s because of the baby in her arms.
Needing to reassure her and be near her, I step closer and kiss her forehead. “It’ll be okay, Cher. Trust me.”
The connection works both ways, but I hope she doesn’t sense the seed of doubt in my heart. Even though Castiel seems friendly, Nightingales can’t be trusted, and he has an agenda. I’m just not sure yet what role we’ll play in his plans.
Thirty-Six
MANU
ELLNESARI, PRESENT DAY
Adrian’s house in the Valley of Lost Souls is a cozy chalet made of logs. It smells of pine and cedar, with a hint of something sweet I can’t quite figure out. The large windows are framed by heavy wool curtains in a deep shade of red. None of the furniture and fixings are modern, though. It seems as if I’ve traveled back in time to when I met Karl. If this place holds significance to Adrian, then it’s logical to conclude he’s been stuck here for centuries and somehow his body stopped aging. It does make me wonder what will happen to him if he leaves the Valley of Lost Souls. Will he decompose rapidly before our eyes like the Nazi asshole from the Indiana Jones movie?
I push that gruesome visual to the back of my mind and continue to explore the cabin. The fireplace is dormant, and in front of it, there’s a dark brown fur rug. Perhaps the pelt of a bear. Everything I see is rustic and straight from medieval times.
“Is this where you used to live before you were imprisoned here?” Karl asks.
“Your guess is as good as mine.”
I spot a bookshelf with a few old tomes and investigate. I pull a book out, but Adrian says, “Don’t bother. The pages are blank.”
“All of them?” I arch a brow.
“It seems knowledge of the outside world isn’t available to me.” He clutches a gold medallion hanging around his neck. Funny, I didn’t notice he was wearing any jewelry before.
“Thanks for inviting us over, but we can’t stay long. We must locate the Magna Vis, and then hopefully, you can help us find the way out.”
“It’d be helpful if we had a description of the object and what it does,” he says.
