Page 162 of Stone Temptation

“Aw, you’re welcome. Happy to help however I can.”

“Where will you stay?”

“Clearly not in here.” He cast his brown eyes about the space. “Too cramped for me. I’ve got myself a room at the tower, but I’m hoping to hang out here a lot. Once Luke is used to me.” He winked, making me chuckle

“It’s so good to have you here, bud.”

Dane shot a quick glance at the living room. “That Tom’s pretty fit, isn’t he?”

What was with all these surprises? “You think so?”

“I do.” He wiped the side of his mouth with his thumb. “He smells like cake.”

I told him about Tom’s power.

He licked his lips. “I need to know more.”

Carissa and Seth joined us.

“I’ll be leaving soon,” my boss said, looking too defeated.

“What’s up?” I asked.

She shook her head.

“Outside.” Seth snapped a finger in my face. “Now.”

“What—”

“Go, Asher,” Carissa intervened. “It’s important.”

Luke smiled at me in a brief distraction from his gaming, then got back to it.

I left with the weaver, moving away from the lighthouse along the peninsula until about the halfway point.

Brinecrest was secure again, at least. The chimeras had been dealt with, and there were tighter protection measures in place around the town—extra gargoyle statues magically juicing up the place, heavier patrols. A company of knights flew overhead as we walked.

The iron tang of rain lingered on the air, dark clouds a blanket in the sky. Angry waves lapped at the cliffs in the rising winds, everything about this moment upping the dread.

“What is it?” I asked gruffly.

He glanced at the lighthouse, hands disappearing into his pockets. “I have to tell you something. Carissa knows already, and this must stay between the three of us.”

Shit. “Start talking.”

“The orange component in the potion alters Luke’s memory—used to be green. Anyway, it spares him from the greatest pain.”

Oh, Gods.

Seth shook his head. “We have to make sure he keeps taking it. He can never know he removed his brother’s protection.”

The shock hit me hard in the chest. “The fuck? You can’t… You can’t be serious?”

No, no, no. He didn’t just say that. I’d heard him wrong. This wasn’t real. This couldn’t be pissing real.

I glanced back at the lighthouse, waiting for Seth to tell me he’d played a cruel joke on me.

No such luck.

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