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Lawrence laughed as he stared at the well in the center of the courtyard. Dry now, it had once been a source of life for the castle inhabitants. And for the very same reason he was becoming annoyed by his baby brother now, he’d once threatened to push Torr down that very well.

“Do you remember the time I grabbed you by the tunic and threatened to toss you down the well in the courtyard at Bowden?”

“What made you think of that?”

Lawrence opened his mouth to tell him and then promptly changed his mind. He wasn’t quite ready to share the tale of this journey with his siblings. When he’d called Laria to tell her he’d changed his mind, he had let her assume he was staying in Stone Haven. Instead, he’d stayed at the airport and purchased a plane ticket to Scotland.

“If you’ll remember,” he said, ignoring the question, “you refused to tell me why you missed training that morning—”

“Though I eventually admitted my inability to leave the bed of that fine new handmaiden, which is when, I believe, you threatened to toss me into the well.”

Lawrence lowered his voice. “And may have if Alec hadn’t stopped me.”

The phone went silent for good reason.

Lawrence never spoke of Alec. But that was going to change.

“He ordered me to training. I missed the midday meal, if memory serves.”

While he spoke, Lawrence walked toward the well and placed his hand on the crumbling stone, so different than when he’d left it. Alec. His brother had deserved better than to die in a skirmish that decided nothing, but such was their way of life back then.

“Anyway, the reason I’m calling—”

“And finally,” he said, pulling his hand away from the stone, “the man has a point.”

“Seth said our Cheld has been hunting vampires for some time, though this particular trick of removing the cloaking is a new one. Apparently, Seth tried to kill our South American friend and failed, though he says his reputation as a hunter is growing.”

“Is he working with the Sect?”

“Not as far as we can tell. Although that doesn’t mean he won’t be in the future. But I wanted to bring you up to speed and let you know we have an ally. And not to—”

“Worry. You sound like Laria now.”

The other end of the phone went silent, and Lawrence thought he’d lost him.

“We’ve got this, Lawrence.” Torr’s normally slick tone sounded serious. It actually reminded him of their older brother. Maturing maybe? It had only taken him several hundred years.

“Besides. With you here, I’d have too much competition. Laria already agreed to a quick pit stop at Leidseplein tonight for a bit of entertainment, if all goes well.”

Maybe not quite mature yet.

“Seriously. Stay there. We’ll come for a drink at your new fancy taphouse when all of this is finished. I mean it.”

Torr had told him as much a million times before. We can handle it. Be happy. Be boring. This last directive delivered with a smile. Normally, Lawrence would give him some flippant response, but this time he hoped to take his brother up on the offer. There was just one thing he had to do first.

“It’s a deal,” he said. And then added, “Keep me posted.”

“Later.”

Lawrence put his phone back in his pocket and walked past the oversized oak doors propped open for the castle’s visitors. Taking a deep breath, he made his way to the winding stone staircase. His destination, two floors above them.

Alec’s bedchamber.