Page 2 of Dawn to Dusk
Edur tilted his head to the side, and his white hair shifted to let an ominous shadow hang over his lethally handsome face. This beast was delicious as sin. It would almost be worth the risk to my health to try to seduce him. Shame.
“A family of beasts was supposed to be extracted from the Horizon Isles after they managed to get Hunter Pylo on their tails, but they missed their check in.”
“Then they are dead,” I told them. Pylo Quies was scum who killed for the fun of it. That family probably didn’t do a damn thing wrong. I knew that all too well, thanks to our loveless marriage. My husband was not in the habit of letting his quarry go, and he loved to use families to create terror.
Edur took offense to my cold words and roared at me. Balthazar signaled for Edur to stand down. “She has a point, Edur. Let her speak her mind.”
“Which island were they on?”
“Rashik.”
My lips tightened to hide my displeasure. Rashik was my family’s front yard. The island I was born and raised on, and theisland most loyal to Grand Councilwoman Ira Petriv’s Regime. “Moving around the island is not simple. My mother’s eyes are everywhere. They may be hunkering down until it’s safe to move. It’s possible they needed to divert from their original plan.”
“What do you think?” Balthazar’s earthy brown eyes waited patiently for me to make a call, trusting my opinion on the matter.
If Pylo caught them running, he’d want to make a big show of the execution. Which meant they could still be alive. It all depended on Pylo’s unstable moods and what the current situation on the island was.
“Don’t leave this up to her. She’ll do whatever will save her skin.” Edur told Balthazar. His lip curled to bare his incisor to me.
“What’s the family’s name?” I asked.
“A group of thylacoleo.” Edur spat out, before Balthazar gave me their actual name.
“They served Pylo directly. Their family all live on his property.” I took a strengthening breath. “If that’s the case, Pylo is probably not in a rational state of mind, and I would be surprised if he didn’t butcher them in his house.”
Their chances plummeted.
“I still think I should search Rashik before we declare them dead,” I decided. If there was even a one percent chance of saving them from my husband, it was worth a try.
“You know a lot about Pylo,” Edur said.
“I do.” I held my hands up and moved my hands in opposite directions. Flames sparked from my hand and gathered into a thick smoke cloud, reminding me of a dying campfire.
“She could kill them.” Edur hissed.
“Are you volunteering to go?” Balthazar smirked.
“Time is against us. Make your decision quickly.” I warned them.
Edur snapped his teeth together. “I’ll go to ensure the family’s safety.”
“You can ensure nothing.” There were no promises on this. The likelihood we would find them in a shallow grave in Pylo’s backyard was high. I stepped up onto my cloud and gestured for him to join me.
Hopefully, he would not get in my way or slow me down, and that I kept from enraging him into killing me. Both scenarios were strong probabilities.
“I’m an ice beast. Are you a simpleton?” He eyed my flames.
“Every sol witch travels this way. This is our best chance of successfully infiltrating Rashik.”
The arrogant expression on his face irritated me.
“Can you fly?” I asked him.
He crossed his arms. “I can swim.”
“Thirty thousand feet above sea level?”
“What?” The response shocked him. It gave me a certain satisfaction. The Horizon Isles were not easy to get to and were heavily warded so human sailors couldn’t see them. Even if they could, they would never reach the top. Most people never laid eyes on them.
