Page 71 of Hallowed Games

My stomach dropped. I’d really been hoping for a visit from Maelor. Sadly, I had a feeling he’d be avoiding me from now on.

I looked up at Sion through the steam of my tea. “What do you want?”

“Is that any way to greet the Magister Solaris?” He closed the door behind him and pulled out the chair from the desk. He dropped into it, leaning back against the desk and folding his arms. He looked perfectly at ease in here. Of course, someone like him probably felt comfortable anywhere. Someone who could kill literally anyone he encountered and didn’t feel an ounce of guilt about it.

His dark amber gaze flicked down to my wrists. “Tell me exactly how you got the scars that I did not give you.”

“Are you going to kill me if I don’t?”

“I might.”

The heat from the tea warmed my face, steam coiling into the air. “I’ll take that chance.”

He sighed, looking bored with the conversation already. “Baron Throckmore, was it? The man you worked for before you came here.”

“How exactly is this your concern?”

He sat up, leaning closer, and pulled the cup of tea from my hands. He set it on the desk, then grabbed both of my wrists, turning them over to see the damage. “It’s just that it looks very intentional to me, as if someone held your arms above a flame. You’re burned in exactly the same spot on both sides. That left me with some questions.”

I shrugged. “Just a freak accident. I was cooking.”

“Was it?” Malice danced in his eyes. “That’s funny. That’s not what the Baron said when he spilled his guts.”

My stomach plummeted. “You spoke to him?”

He dropped my wrists. “Harboring a witch is a grievous crime.” He shrugged slowly. “And he was harboring two. I had to investigate what he was up to.”

My heart slammed fast. I couldn’t imagine what kind of torture the Baron had endured to give up that information. And while I didn’t have a huge well of sympathy for him, he couldn’t be murdered. Not if I wanted Leo to stay safe. The Baron’s men could find him in Eboria.

My mind started to whirl with panic. “I don’t know why he said that. But I’m assuming he was in a great deal of pain when he told you that he burned me. You must know that torture doesn’t yield reliable information, don’t you? He didn’t know a thing about my magic.”

His eyes glittered in the firelight. “I didn’t tell you that he said he burned you. But of course, he did offer that up. He wanted you to feel the pain of fire, didn’t he? And it gave you a pretext for wearing the gloves. He was helping you hide your magic.”

My throat had gone dry. “Please let him go.” I didn’t give a fuck about the Baron. But if he was killed, his soldiers might come after Leo.

A lock of his dark hair fell down before his eyes, hanging beneath his square jawline. “You’re protecting a man who maimed you.” A faint smile flitted over his lips. “I have heard of women falling for their captors and tormentors. Since you’re so keen on the Raven Lord, perhaps you’re exactly that sort.”

Anger flickered through my chest, simmering hot.

The way I saw it, I had two options. I could hope for the best. Maybe no one would find Leo in Eboria. Maybe if the Order executed the Baron, his last will would be null and void. I didn’t have the laws memorized.

Or I could find a wooden stake and kill Sion.

I stood, staring directly into his eyes. They sparkled, the deep amber of whiskey.

I pressed my hand over his heart. Nothing. No warmth, no heartbeat. Just a solid wall of still muscle.

“What are you doing?” His voice was a low murmur, accent thickening. “If you think you can seduce me like you did my old friend, it won’t work. I kill who I want, Elowen, and I enjoy it.”

He smelled of spiced wine and old books, with the faintest hint of leather. Light and shadow danced over his square jawline, his perfect features. His terrible beauty felt like a weapon, designed to confuse and seduce. Was that a vampire thing?

I pulled my hand away and met his gaze. “If you kill the Baron, there might be consequences.”

He arched an eyebrow. “Why don’t you illuminate me, then?”

I clenched my jaw. “Maybe I’ll tell the world about your secret.”

“You’d risk your life to protect that filth? Did you fall for your tormentor?” A wicked smile curled his lips. “And Maelor, too. Is there any end to your sinning, dark one?”

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