I told them about Cato’s journal. Then I told them about my dream-walk to Melanie and Lilith, something I still needed to tell Oliver.
Ronen scoffed. “I’m not surprised he’s somehow behind this.”
“Maybe Lilith and the first strain,” I said. “I’m not so sure about the second. But there may be a way to figure that out.”
“How?” Aspen asked.
“Anya.”
Both of their faces creased.
“She’s Lilith’s daughter. A blood-witch.”
Chapter
Thirty-Eight
Lucille
Ronen dragged his blood across the dungeon door and unlocked it. The hinges groaned as he pulled it open. Something skittered across my boots. I jumped, and Rune whimpered. Hadrian lunged toward the scurrying, red-streaked mouse, missing.
I shuddered as it escaped into a crevice in the hall.
“I don’t miss those,” Aspen muttered.
Ronen turned and eyed me, Aspen, and Rune, his expression all but saying,Seriously?Hadrian tilted his head as if to agree, except he scooted closer to Rune.
The three of us descended the stone steps, leaving Hadrian and Rune up top. That same warm, putrid stench from last time shoved up my nose the farther we went.
“Did someone die recently? I don’t remember it smelling like this when I was in here,” Aspen commented.
“Two blood-banded, in fact. Even burning their leftovers couldn’t relieve us of their rot.”
Ronen had just given him a straight answer without a grunt, insult, taunt, or calling him pet.
“I hope you didn’t have MJ performing that burn.”
Ronen chuckled. “The fire princess has only been down here twice. To save your ass, and to release your ass.”
Was Ronen joking with him?
Aspen’s lips lifted in a smirk.
I couldn’t stand it any longer.
“What the hell is wrong with you two?”
They both stopped on the bottom step, looking back at me like I’d just interrupted their bonding time.
“Are you two… friends now?”
“I wouldn’t call it that,” Aspen said—which softened Ronen’s adamant, “No.”
“We…” Aspen glanced around the uneven stone walls as if searching for the words.
“Understand each other,” Ronen finished.
My mouth dropped open. “Since when?”
