Page 197 of Lady of Ashes

“No,” Talwyn bit out.

“He does not know where she is,” Scarlett said nonchalantly from beside Sorin on the sofa. She pushed to her feet, unclasping her cloak and removing it from her shoulders. She looped it over her arm. “Is there food here? I am famished.”

“Of course I know where my Contessa is,” Auberon snapped before quickly regaining his composure.

“Such lies,” Nuri crooned from where she leaned against a wall, one foot propped behind her and ?ipping one of her knives. “You have been trailing us since we crossed the border, hoping we would lead you to her.”

“Youwere following us?” Sorin asked, his brow arching in surprise.

The Night Child pressed his tongue to his cheek, glaring at Nuri.

“He waited to approach until it was just you four,” Scarlett said, stretching her arms above her head. “Kitchen?”

“You three scaled that wall so he would come out?” Luan asked.

Scarlett seemed to mull this over. “It seemed easier than dragging him from the trees. Although to be fair, Nuri did make a compelling argument for doing so.”

Nuri smiled that grin that made Sorin fairly certain she was half mad. “Anyway... Food?”

She didn’t wait any longer. Nuri and Juliette peeled away from the wall, and the three of them wandered away down a hall, chatting idly about what kind of food they hoped to ?nd.

“She is … unconventional,” Auberon commented, watching her go. “You have no idea,” Talwyn muttered. “You do not know where Rosalyn is hiding?”

“No,” Auberon answered tightly. “I have been unable to ?nd her for months.”

“Who else knows?” Cyrus asked soberly.

“No one.”

Sorin blinked at him. “You have kept this a secret for months?”

“She is reclusive enough that no one seeing her for months is nothing new,” Auberon replied. “She once did not make a public appearance for eight years. Only showed herself to take care of asmall clan who believed her to be dead and were planning to try to take over her leadership.”

“I can ?nd her.”

They all looked to the doorway where Scarlett stood, a sandwich in hand. Where had she found that so quickly?

“How exactly?” Talwyn asked tightly.

With a wicked grin, a shadow panther appeared, a book in its large maw.

And Sorin knew exactly where this was going before she held up the book of Blood Magic spells.

“No,” Sorin snarled at the same time Luan barked, “Fucking hell.”

“I thought you said they didn’t get along,” Nuri said, sauntering past Scarlett back into the room. She had a glass in her hand, and when she raised it toward Auberon, Sorin was fairly certain he knew what it contained. “I helped myself,” Death’s Shadow said with a wink.

Scarlett’s nose wrinkled at her. “Drink that somewhere I cannot see you please.”

Nuri arched an amused brow at her. Clasping the sandwich between her teeth to free a hand, Scarlett ?ipped her off in return.

And then Juliette was there, handing Scarlett something else that she slipped into a pocket before Sorin could make out what it was.

Then Death Incarnate took the sandwich from Scarlett’s teeth.

The queen growled. Literally growled like a feral cat at Juliette. “Give that back,” she said around the food in her mouth.

“It wasmineto begin with,” Juliette retorted, taking a big bite. “Get your own.”

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