Page 18 of Kingdom of Chaos
Any hackles that were raised when the black-haired beauty showed up immediately go down. That in itself is confusing as well as concerning.
Imogen laughs. “If you call throwing a dagger at his head when he woke me uphospitable, then sure.”
What’s up with this family and throwing daggers?
“Are you the only two here in this castle?” Ensley asks, glancing around the gym-slash-training center.
“We have a big family that comes and goes from Grimspire,” Talon says, his tone evasive.
Ensley’s eyebrows rise. “But surely your parents are here.”
Imogen answers, “Both our parents are out.” She glances at Talon before adding, “On business.”
“What type of business?” Ensley presses.
“Our own,” she replies bluntly.
So it’s not just Talon who’s secretive. His whole family is too.
“What’s the Arcane Society?” I ask, deciding to cut through the nonsense and finally get some answers.
Both Imogen and Talon whip their heads toward me.
“How did you hear that name?” he asks sharply.
“Your uncle mentioned it,” I answer truthfully.
See? At least one of us is capable of being forthcoming.
“Uncle Drake?” Imogen asks, and when I nod, she presses her lips into a hard line, clearly angry at the dragon shifter. I couldn’t care less if I bring their wrath down on him. Drake deserves it, and more.
“So?” I prompt, looking between the two of them. “What is it?”
Talon starts to answer, and Imogen cuts him off with a harsh, “Don’t even think about it.”
He sighs, looking even more exhausted than he did a minute ago. “After everything, they deserve to know.”
“You’re not the one who gets to make that decision. If you want to spill all our secrets, you’d better wait until your parents return. Aunt Jade will have your head if you don’t wait for her go-ahead.”
Talon crosses his arms over his chest, distracting me all over again, so I look away. “I’m not scared of my mom,” he says.
“Well, you should be. I certainly am.” A visible shudder runs through Imogen.
Talon turns to the three of us. “You drove straight through the night to get here, right?” When we nod, he continues, “You must be exhausted. I’ll show you to the guest rooms so you can rest.”
He starts toward the door, but I plant my feet and cross my arms. “You just expect us to sit tight while you decide how much of the truth to share with us?”
Titus and Ensley stay quiet beside me, but their expressions say enough. Ensley even crosses her arms, mirroring my stance.
Talon rubs a hand over his face. When he looks back at us, there’s a glint of vulnerability in his gaze. It’s a look I don’t think I’ve ever seen from him before.
“Listen, I get it. You guys have no reason to trust me. But even so, I’m still asking you to. Just for a little while,” he adds quickly. “There’s something I need to check out.” His gaze drops to the hollow of my neck before traveling up to my face. “And then I’ll explain everything. I promise.”
I know he’s talking to all of us, but his eyes don’t leave mine.
I chew on my bottom lip. I’m not sure how much weight Talon’s promises really carry. I don’t trust him any more now than I did before I knew half his secrets. Probably less now.
I glance at Ensley. Becks is her brother. She should have a say in this.
