Page 111 of Kingdom of Chaos
“Wait, is that—?” Ensley starts to ask before she’s cut off.
“Oh, hell to the no!” Imogen shouts, and with a burst of speed I didn’t know she was capable of, she’s suddenly across the room and has someone pressed up against the wall with her hand on their throat.
“Nobody move or I’ll rip his throat out with my bare hands,” she snarls. The tension in the room spikes instantly.
“Who is that?” Becks asks, and I crane my neck, trying to see past Imogen blocking my view. Her reaction makes total sense when I realize who she attacked.Tobias. The leader of the Florida chapter of the Silent Order.
“Will one of you stop her?” Kade asks, looking at our group, but none of us move or say a word.
I cross my arms over my chest, content to let Imogen do whatever she wants with the human who tried to kill all of us.
Kade sighs and shakes his head.
“Okay. Everyone calm down,” he says, his voice booming.
“Do you know what he tried to do to us?” Imogen snarls.
Kade pushes through the humans in his path until he’s standing next to Imogen.
“I know,” he says as Tobias struggles in vain to pry her fingers from his throat.
Watching him squirm in her grasp is deeply satisfying, and judging by the looks on Ensley’s, Titus’, and Talon’s faces, they feel the same way.
“I’ve spoken with Tobias about the misunderstanding when you met,” he says.
That is the exact wrong thing to say, because a look of rage comes over Imogen. “Misunderstanding?” She tightens her gripand Tobias’ face turns an unattractive shade of purple. “You expect us to trust this piece of garbage after he tried to kill us?”
Kade lays a hand on Imogen’s wrist. “Nothing like that will happen again. You have my word on it. Tobias knows you’re not the enemy, and he’s offering to help. That’s not an offer we can afford to turn down right now.”
Imogen bares her teeth at Kade, her fangs fully extended, but to his credit he doesn’t even flinch.
“Come on,” he coaxes. “Let him go so we can get down to the business of defeating the real enemy here.”
When Imogen still doesn’t release Tobias, Kade leans in a little and whispers in her ear. I’m too far away to hear, but it looks like he says, “He’s not worth it,” to her.
With a huff and a final fang-filled snarl, Imogen releases Tobias. He crumples to the ground, coughing and gasping for air. Even from where I stand, I can see the indents her nails left on his throat.
Without sparing him a second glance, Imogen turns, and wide-eyed humans quickly scramble out of her way as she strides back to Talon’s side.
Talon gives her a smirk and a small nod of approval.
I’d already filled Becks in on the Florida incident, so I quickly tell him that Tobias was the leader behind the attack. Around us, everyone grabs chairs and pulls them into a large circle so we can talk.
Once we’re settled, Kade stands and begins explaining why we’re all here. He includes his theory about me being Lucian’s heir, the one mentioned in the prophecy, and it makes me want to melt into the floor. The faces of the Order members around us, who I’ve learned are mostly heads of different chapters from across the country, show a mix of reactions when they sneak glances at me. I catch everything from awe to fear in their eyes.
After he lays everything out, Kade opens the group for discussion on how to defeat our common enemy, Kerrim. I don’t say much as the Order leaders discuss and debate our options. I may consider myself a fighter, but strategy isn’t in my wheelhouse. With the exception of Ensley, everyone else in my group takes turns voicing their opinions, with Imogen and Talon being the loudest.
Eventually, everyone agrees that the best course of action is to lure Kerrim to a location of our choosing and try to separate him from the dagger. In a crowded city like New York, there is no perfect battleground, but the Silent Order, whose mission is to keep the existence of creatures hidden from humans, decides that Central Park is the least problematic option. They believe they can establish a perimeter to prevent unsuspecting humans from accidentally stumbling onto the battle, and the park’s open layout should make it harder for Kerrim’s followers to ambush us. Kade adds that he has a creature ally who can magically seal off part of the park, making any destruction invisible to the human world until the fighting is over. Once that is settled, the discussion turns to how to lure Kerrim where we want him.
Imogen stands up, garnering everyone’s attention. “I know exactly how to get Kerrim to Central Park,” she says, and then looks at me. “By using her as bait.”
Wait. What?
“Me?”
Imogen nods. “He’s already looking for you, so all we have to do is let him know where to find you.”
Panic sends a spike straight to my heart. “What are you talking about?” Glancing around, the others in my group look just as perplexed as I do.
