Page 97 of Vengeance Becomes Her

CHAPTER THIRTY

They stood outside Kyra’s home tentatively. Rhiannon didn’t want to rush her, but patience was never her strong suit. “We should go in.”

Kyra gave the slightest nod before forcing her feet into motion.

Samara pulled her bow as they crept towardthe front door.

Rhiannon had herdaggers ready.

When the door opened to her family at the dining table eating a meal in peace, they all let out a collective breath.

After a moment of shock, the room erupted in excitement as their family was reunited.

Rhiannon and Samara stayed for a meal but once they were sure that there was no sign of Silas and Kyra’s mother had assured them she hadn’t seen him since Kyra left, they took their leave.

When they arrived at the inn, they secured two rooms. One for Rhiannon and Samara and the other for Tristain. As soon as she had the key in hand, Rhiannon went straight to the room and washed up before burying herself under the blankets.

Revenge could wait a few more hours, she needed sleep.

But Delphine had other plans.

“Rhiannon.” Delphine called her from her dreams.

Her stomach churned when she realized she was even worse off. The black roses that once again protruded from her endless sockets were showing the first signs of wilting; her pink cheeks were now sunken and sagging; vines wrapped tightly around all of her limbs and thorns were digging into her skin; her beautiful shock of fiery hair had turned white. The black moths still fluttered around her, more lively than ever.

“Will you please tell me what’s happening to you?” Rhiannon wished she could embrace her. Wanted to do something to make it stop.

“It doesn’t matter. My time in this world is nearly over. But you need to listen to me.”

Rhiannon nodded frantically, holding back tears.

“I told you that you needed to be wary of the brother. More sonow than ever.”

“Why?”

“I’m warning you now, he will betray you.”

“How do you know?”

“I just do.”

“That’s not good enough.”

“As you are connected to Silas, so am I.”

“I don’t know what that means!” Rhiannon was growing tired of Delphine’s cryptic messages.

“Follow him today, you’ll see.”

Rhiannon’s eyes drifted open. As she tried to shake off the tiredness that fogged her mind, Delphine’s image haunted her even in wakefulness. She wrestled with the thought of not being able to trust Tristain after everything they’d been through. But what harm would it do just to check in on him?

She changed into fresh warm clothes, fastening her cloak as she waited outside Tristain’s door. She knocked, no answer.

When she turned the knob, she found that it was unlocked, so she peeked in. His bed was empty and his shoes were gone. He’d gone out. She found suspicion gnawing at her gut, and she took the stairs downtwo at a time.

It wasn’t until the brisk air whipped against her face that she truly came to terms with what she was doing. She was following him because she didn’t know if she could trust him. The thought unsettled her more thanshe’d expected.

She stormed furiously through the crowded streets and deep snow that had settled on the ground overnight. It was growing steadily as the flakes continued to fall from the darkened sky.

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