Page 86 of From Frost to Flame

The marble floor was cool under his hands. The ceiling soared high above them, and halfway up the walls was a line of arched windows which allowed sunlight to pour through. Between each window hung rich, blue banners with the Orion constellation surrounded by a laurel wreath stitched in silver thread.

He looked over his shoulder and saw his throne made of a collection of bones. Minotaur horns, vampire fangs, Siren wings, and more macabre remains of fallen nonhumans were tangled together into a chair coated in polished silver.

Silas had landed in the last place he expected, or wanted, to be.

He was back inside the castle.

“What? Why are we here?” Castor said, as if reading his thoughts.

There was a bang as the doors to the throne room flew open. Led by Vega, his pack rushed in.

Chapter Twenty

Lex

Lex was too disorientedto keep up with the whirlwind of questions that came from the wolf pack he hadn’t seen in years.

“Is that Lex?”

“Where have you been?”

“Why is he bleeding?”

“Are you sick?”

“I’m weak, but I’ll manage,” Lex said. They all huddled even closer around him. Silas scooped him up in his arms and held him tight as he searched for what to say. “It’s nice to see you all again.”

Castor huffed. “Lex is getting overwhelmed. You need to back up.” When they all reluctantly stepped back, he looked at Lex. “Better? I can have them leave if you want.”

Lex lookedat Silas with pleading eyes as he struggled with what to say.

“You’re quite the celebrity here,” Julian teased, coming over.

“No wonder you stayed here all the time,” Mora agreed with a giggle. “Must be fun to be the center of attention twelve times over.”

“What’s happening?” Lex asked Silas in a hushed voice. The pack was kind, but this hyperfocus was strange.

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