Page 93 of Drawn in Blood
To Ember’s surprise, Killian let out a gruff laugh, a small smile barely ghosting his lips. His eyes locked with hers, and she could almost hear what he was thinking.
Go along with it.
Veda turned as Malcom called her and Oryn, and she gave Ember another smile. “I’m sure we’ll see you very soon, Lothbrok.” She grinned and then turned to Killian. “Make it quick, cousin. We have work to do.”
“Your family is so charming,” Rowan drawled, as she turned her back on the retreating duo. “How on earth do you deal with them at Sunday dinner?”
“Cut the shit,” Killian hissed. “What do you want?”
Rowan glared at him, then rolled her eyes. “I wanted to warn you to watch your back.”
“Is that a threat?” Killian growled, hackles raised. His eyes flashed gold, and Ember held her breath.
“Not me, you mangy mutt,” Rowan replied, as she rolled her eyes. “Your uncle is a regular here, and he has no problems leaving boots prints on people’s backs, if you catch my drift. It seems your cousins might be following in his footsteps.”
“I can take care of myself,” he grumbled, but it didn’t stop him from glancing toward his uncle on the other side of the room.
“Why were you with them?” Ember asked, as she narrowed her eyes.
Rowan shook her head, biting her lip to keep the secret in. “That’s on a need-to-know basis.” She smiled, but Ember could see the battle being waged behind her eyes. She gave her a nod, then to her surprise the girl looked to her left and right and wrapped her in a tight hug.
Ember stiffened, eyes wide as she looked toward Killian, who seemed ready to hex her if need be.
“Remember what I told you—be careful,” she whispered in her ear, then let go and walked toward Helvig.
“What was that all about,” Killian asked, as he narrowed his eyes toward the other side of the room.
“I don’t know,” Ember replied, shaking her head. Killian turned around, just as Malcom motioned for him to leave, and Ember felt her heart sink.
“I have to go,” he said, as he stuffed his hands in his pockets, “but I’ll be back. I’ll figure out a way to get here alone.” He began to walk away when he suddenly stopped and turned around. “I forgot to tell you. Cormac from Celestial Steel said he was sorry he couldn’t fix the spell on your ring.”
Ember furrowed her brow.
“What spell?” she asked.
Killian shrugged in reply. Malcom yelled across the room for Killian to leave, his patience apparently growing thin. “I’ll come back for you.”
Ember nodded, throat suddenly feeling like it was lodged with cotton as he wrapped her in a hug. “Promise?” she whispered in his ear.
“I swear, Starshine.”
Ember shot up in bed,desperately trying to suck air into her lungs. It was the third night in a row that she had dreamed of that damn song and that strange woman with the silver hair. Her damp shirt clung to her, drenched with sweat, and she quietly crawled out of bed to change. She rummaged through her pajama drawer when she suddenly stopped, her blood running cold.
The song that was echoing through her dreams didn’t stop when she woke up this time.
She whipped her head around, searching for the source of the noise, but it didn’t sound like it was coming from any one direction. No, it sounded like it was all around her, reverberating off her bones and rattling around in her skull. Just when she was about to crawl back in bed and try to drown it out, a blue light floated onto the balcony outside of her window. She pulled on her long, woolen coat and her shoes and quietly pushed the glass door open, seeing a little blue wisp bouncing in the air two feet above the balcony floor.
“What are you doing?” Ember whispered, as she closed the door behind her. The wisp started to float away, down into the yard and toward the wall at the edge of the property. Ember sighed, dread pooling in her stomach, but decided to follow it.
What’s the worst that could happen?
She followed it over the wall, creeping through the grass and trees surrounding that property of the chateau. The mountains loomed in the distance, towering over her like giants. She pulled her jacket tighter, feeling the midnight breeze from the sea whispering against her skin. She made it to the top of another hill, and all of a sudden, Eldfjall Castle came into view.
“Oh, you’ve got to be kidding me,” she mumbled under her breath.
The wisp stopped, bobbing up and down in front of her as if it could sense her hesitance.
“I am not going in there,” Ember said, arms crossed over her chest in defiance.
