Page 240 of Tempest of Wrath and Vengeance

But he wasn’t.

She shrugged, slipping the wine bottle into an outer pocket of her coat. “What is the plan for leaving?”

Corbin and Lange stared back at her. She recognized the looks of shock and terror. She’d seen them enough in her years.

“We’re, uh, meeting Tristyn one floor up,” Corbin answered, placing himself between her and Lange.

Interesting, but not entirely surprising considering who they were.

“Is he there yet?” she asked, directing her question to Lange.

“Why would I know that?” he countered. She only stared back at him expectantly. It was a few more seconds before he said, “He is probably waiting for us?”

It was good enough for her, and she stepped to the side to let them lead the way. She’d been in that room for weeks. She certainly didn’t remember her way around the Faven Palace. The few times she’d been here with Valter, they’d always been led from the entry to either the dining room or a study.

Rival kingdoms and such nonsense.

Sure enough, Tristyn was waiting for them, a look of disapproval on his handsome face. Whether it was from their tardiness or the blood splattered across her, she didn’t know, nor did she care.

“What now?” she asked.

He glanced at Corbin and Lange. “Any issues we need to deal with?”

“I think we should just get out of here,” Lange said, eyeing her in a way that told her he was questioning whether they should even bring her along.

“If you leave me here, I will be forced to try to free him,” she said in response to his unasked question.

“Tessa asked us to do this. We owe her this,” Corbin said. When Lange sent him a glare, he added, “I never said it was a good idea. She rarely has those.”

Tristyn huffed a laugh at that. “You’d be surprised how wrong you are in that statement.”

He reached out a hand, placing it on Lange’s shoulder. Lange reached for Corbin, who stretched out a hand to her.

“We all have to be touching,” Lange explained.

She hesitated only a moment before placing her fingers in his palm. Not because she trusted these fools. Not in the slightest.

But because she knew what to do.

Kill whomever she must.

Fuck whomever she must.

Do and sacrifice whatever was necessary.

Not for a kingdom or for her master.

But for a little girl named Priya.

“Should we take those bands off?” the Fae with the red-gold hair asked.

“No!” Corbin and Lange both shouted in unison.

The female huffed, crossing her arms with a glare.

“I think we should hold off on that until Theon returns,” Tristyn said, everyone in the room seeming to relax at his words.

Eviana observed him, trying to figure out how he fit in here. The male had always been elusive, known for his glamours and technology. He had never once taken a meeting with Valter. Or if he had, not in this form. With the ease with which everyone was conversing with him, she was inclined to believe this was not only his natural form, but that they knew him well.

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