Page 99 of Break Her Heart
Benedict nodded once. “Yes. But he would die before betraying Carrow.”
“Not after Winnie gets her hands on him.”
I glanced at her, the corner of her mouth twitching from what I said. Benedict looked between the two of us with open wariness.
“And after you get your information?” he asked, tone low. “He will come after you. He won’t let it go.”
“Not if we kill him.”
The words left Winnie’s mouth in a quiet breath, but they slammed through me like a thunderclap. I turned fully to face her, and gods help me, I smiled.
She really was terrifying. And I adored her for it.
Benedict’s voice dragged me back to strategy. “How do you expect to get him without raising suspicion? He’s either downstairs or with a handful of servants at all times.”
“I’ll do it,” Winnie said before I could offer myself up.
“No,” I snapped. “He’s paranoid. Always has been. If he senses even a sliver of threat, he’ll lash out. He won’t hesitate to kill you.”
Winnie stood from the table and crossed the room, her chin lifted in defiance. “He won’t suspect anything. All I need is to get a hand on him. Once I do, we’ll be gone before even you high-sensing vampires could notice.”
Benedict muttered a curse under his breath but nodded. He knew he was outnumbered with two crazies in the room. “Fine. Bring him here. Just make sure you land in a dark corner so he doesn’t burst into flames before we can question him.”
She nodded once. Then she looked at me, amusement dancing across her expression. “I need you to bite me first.”
32
Bronwen
I walked down the steps with my hand covering the open wound on my neck, praying that I wouldn’t come across a vampire before I got to Halston. I kept reminding myself—over and over—that the only real risk was running into Lavina or Simon, since the others remained deep underground.
And even they weren’t stupid enough to mess with me anymore.
August nearly snapped the chair arm in two when I told him I planned to walk through the castle alone, blood dripping down my neck. But once he heard the full plan, he knew I was right. There wasn’t a better way to get close to Halston.
I slowed my pace as I neared the dining hall. A sharp voice barked out orders beyond the heavy doors, the clank of dishes echoing behind it. Good. He was right where we expected him to be.
I grabbed the large door and began to ease it open.
“Where are the silver for—” Halston turned and froze when he saw me.
I stumbled into the room, catching myself on the nearest chair, breathing heavily, as if I could barely stay upright. It had to be believable.
His face drained of color. “What happened?”
“Augustus. He lost cont—” I paused for a breath, eyes darting around like I couldn’t focus. “He lost control and took too much.”
“Oh, dear.” He straightened, his eyes narrowing. “Well, you shouldn’t be in here. Not like this.”
“He said he was done with me!” I let tears fall as I took another weak step toward him.
The servants moved around us like ghosts, setting dishes, saying nothing. Either they were compelled or were simply pretending like nothing was happening.
Halston’s mouth curled. “Of course he was. He always tires of his toys eventually.” He moved closer, slowly, deliberately. “Do you think anyone will protect you in this castle? You smell like temptation, and not everyone has Augustus’s self-control.”
He threw up a hand as if swatting away a nuisance. “I’m sure he’d like to finish what he started. Please find your way back to him.”
“No.” I locked eyes with him and tried to mimic the blank glaze I’d seen on the servant August compelled in front of me. “He said to go to the great room. He wants a show tonight—to share his queen.” I swallowed hard. “Please. Take me there.”
