Page 133 of Winterfall Destiny

Dorian blinks for a moment and then laughs in the annoying, patronising way I’m too familiar with. “Yeah. That girl’s the First.”

“Fuck.” Jamie stares at the screen, not paying attention to Dorian.

“I speak a lot of languages,” says Dorian casually. “Most, actually.”

“Of course you do,” I mutter.

“Plenty of spare time as a kid.” He wrinkles his nose and sips again. “In between… things.”

“And your marvellous language proficiency is relevant, how?” asks Tobias.

“Erste is German for First,” says Jamie flatly and holds up his phone before Dorian can open his mouth.

I’d expected a connection between the girl and the First, but fear squirms in my stomach at the confirmation. “The First is working with Gabriella.”

“Nah.” I glare at Dorian’s dismissal. “Why would the First hide amongst the kids and leave a cryptic clue? More game playing with you lot, I reckon.”

“I don’t believe that,” says Jamie.

“We have two days,” urges Tobias. “Less than that now. I’d planned to watch who entered and left the catacombs—especially on Friday—but that’s pointless. Dominion won’t leave the recruits in the tunnels now.”

All eyes turn back to Andrei. He’s dishevelled from fighting with me on the catacombs floor, but his aura and appearance returned to the new everyday Andrei. If he’d killed as a hemia, blood would cover his pale face and hands, but there’s no evidence he slaughtered three people in less than a minute.

“I understand I fucked up. Whatever happened in the catacombs came from something leashed inside me,” he says stiffly. “Pressure that built up over the days exploded. And I’ve learned something about my painful vulnerability.” Andrei nods at me.

“Can you control this power? Are you the one controlling it?” asks Tobias.

He glares. “The First isn’t using me.”

“From now on, stick with Maeve in any situations likely to go south,” says Ash. “Then you won’t have to leap across the room and defend her.”

He’s semi-sarcastic, but correct.

Dorian sets his empty glass on the small round table near the window. “On that note, I’m leaving.”

“How did your chat with the Confederacy kid go, Dorian? Or is that where you’re going now?” interrupts Tobias as he crosses the room.

“Eloise thinks the kid’s more use to us alive.” Dorian wrinkles his nose. “And she remembers him from Ravenhold.”

“How is he more use alive?” I ask.

“Apparently, my questioning techniques weren’t appropriately successful.” I stifle a laugh at him, despite the sickening undertone—I’ve seen the result of those techniques. “Someone locked the kid’s mind too. Put it this way, we now have a short-term guest on our estate.”

“Short-term for you or him?” asks Jamie.

“That depends on Dom’s cooperation—if the Confederacy kid isn’t taking the piss and that really is his name.” Dorian flashes a smile, then pushes his teeth through skin on a recently healed finger. “I’ll give your regards to my family. Mia would like to visit again soon.” Laughter bursts from him at our horrified silence. “Joking. She isn’t leaving the estate until we’ve dealt with the First.”

“And dealt with Gabriella?” asks Tobias.

Dorian’s blood-smeared lips press together, and he stabs a bleeding finger at Tobias’s chest. “You’ve cried wolf twice, Whitlock. I’m not coming anywhere near ‘Gabriella’ without proof.”

“But you’ll help with finding her?” he asks.

“If I hear anything, I’ll be sure to let you know.” I don’t miss Dorian’s sarcasm as he examines his finger then points at the conservatory door. “I’ll draw my runes outside. I find blood can be hard to remove from the floor.”

As if gracing us with the biggest favour in the world, Dorian heads through the sliding glass doors and into the gardens.

“Interesting that Dorian never spoke to me,” says Andrei, watching him go.

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