Page 24 of Owned

“The Black Council is ripping apart at the seams,” Bastian said with a shrug. “We could just wait—”

I frowned and shifted my legs to push him away and he chuckled softly at my movement, but didn’t release his grip on me. “Wait for what? What could Lucian have to gain from this? Isn’t losing followers abadthing?”

Nothing made any sense, but I wasn’t entirely sure I wanted to know the answer.

What did I care about what happened to the Necromi?

I cared about stopping this wedding—about stopping Lucian from wiping out whatever chance I had at having a normal life.

“Normal—there’s nothing normal about you,”the grimoire whispered.“Not now. Not after what you’ve done—”

“Shut up,” I muttered and then bit down hard on my lip.

Bastian looked up at me and a curious smile curved the corner of his mouth.

Had he heard me?

He said nothing, just drew lazy circles against my knee with his thumb.

“They know he’s dangerous,” Titus said. “It makes him powerful. And if the ranks are thinning themselves out—”

“Then only fanatics will be left,” Bastian finished. “That makes everything easier. No one will question him when he takes over the Sages Council.”

Was that what he was planning?

My throat tightened with the urge to warn them, to tell them what I suspected—what the grimoire had whispered to me in the darkness. That Lucian may have wanted them here, may have known they’d hatch some sort of scheme. But if I told themwhat I suspected, they’d know how strong I really was—and how much of myself had been lost to the grimoire.

They’d never trust me.

And I couldn’t be sure if what the grimoire whispered in my mind was really the truth—it had led me astray before.

If Luciandidsuspect his own sons, if he was setting them up, they needed to figure it out on their own.

“If all you’re going to do is wait, you won’t get anywhere,” I said. “When he marries me, it will be too late.”

Bastian’s fingers stilled on my shin and Valen’s grip on my shoulders loosened.

Titus looked at each of his brothers in turn, then at me. “You want us to move faster?”

I let out a bitter laugh that tasted as acrid as it sounded. “Why shouldn’t you? You made it pretty clear you’re using me as much as he is.”

Valen winced and lifted his hands from my skin. The cold emptiness he left behind made my stomach twist.

“I should go,” I mumbled.

They were silent for a long moment before Titus ran a hand through his hair and strode across the room to the bookshelves and disappeared from sight. Bastian sighed heavily and unfolded himself from the floor.

He rose to his feet with an effortless grace that was almost feline and looked at me with knowing, silvery eyes in a way that sent a shiver through me and made me think of the sensations that had resonated through me when those same eyes devoured my naked skin.

“It’s not like that,” he said, but I could tell he didn’t mean it—not entirely.

“Isn’t it?” I choked out.

He shrugged and turned toward the fire, the dark smoke of his magic twined around his hand like writhing snakes.

Valen extended his hand to help me up, but I pushed it away as I stood.

“What else happened?” I asked.

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