Page 118 of Seducing Hope (The Hope Legacy)

I jump down and slide into the empty seat. I glance at Duncan, wondering how the hell I hadn’t noticed them being tied up; he doesn’t speak but dramatically rolls his eyes in the back of his head. I screw up my face in confusion. Ah… shields. As I start the opening lyrics of Iron Maiden’s “The Number of the Beast,” Lawrence laughs.

“I’m flattered, but I’m not quite that high up.”

Can everyone read my mind?I shrug. “I thought you were royalty.”

He narrows his eyes. “I’m more interested in you.”

I put my hand over my mouth and yawn. “Let me guess—you still want to know what I am? Four years, and you still have the same inane question?”

He crosses his ankle over his knee. “No, I know what, and who, you are. I’m here to offer you a deal.”

“No, wait, I think I’ve got it—come and join your evil minions, and I can have everything my heart desires?”

He chuckles. “Not quite. My offer is this—join me, and I will teach you how to use the power you have bubbling away like the apocalypse inside you. I will tell you who you are, your legacy, and your destiny.”

“And if I don’t?”

His eyes flick between Zee and Duncan. “I’ll be merciful and only kill one… your pick. How is Jack, by the way? You survived, but did he? I didn’t realize his hostility would erupt in such a…deliciousway.”

Icy fingers prickle my spine, and my shoulders flatten as flashes of Jack’s livid face skip across my mind. I keep silent and blank my features.

Lawrence throws his head back and laughs. “He’s dead? Oh dear, sweet Iris, killing someone not in their right mind will have consequences for a soul such as your own. He was easy to manipulate—a gentle push here, a harsh word whispered there, and I created the perfect monster.”

I blink. “I thought… but the wards.”

“You thought what? I wasn’t real? Naive girl, your wards won’t keep me out.” My stomach rolls as the knowledge that Jack wasn’t himself when he tried to… I shake my head.

“But he hated me.” I glance between Zee and Duncan, who have nothing but understanding in their eyes for the murderer in their midst. I should have known, should have waited for help…

“Don’t feel too bad. Jack’s need for violence was bubbling below the surface; he just needed a little help enacting it.” I’ve told no one of Lawrence’s involvement with my assault. I was certain I had imagined it in some twisted PTSD episode.

Lawrence glances at his watch. “Tick tock, Natia. I don’t have all night.”

I scan Duncan’s face. He shakes his head furiously. “Can I think about it?”

“Of course. It will just cost you one of their lives. But I’m a generous man, so I’ll give you atinybit of information. You arenotone of the five, Natia.”

Without warning, Lawrence slices Zee’s throat and disappears.

“You have one week,” his disembodied voice echoes.

I clamp my hand over the blood pouring from Zee’s throat.

“No, no, no… Don’t you dare die on me!” I shout.

Duncan starts making incoherent noises against his gag. Right, he can heal Zee. Letting go of Zee’s neck, I grab a kitchen knife and slice through the ropes on Duncan’s arms. He grasps the knife and frees his own legs. Spinning back to Zee and slipping in his blood, I shove my hand against his throat and let out a string of curses as Zee’s eyes flutter closed.

“Zee, stay the fuck with me!”

Duncan pulls my shaking hand away. The force of Duncan’s magic causes me to stumble and grab onto the table for support. I stare at Zee, willing him to wake up. Duncan lifts his hand away, and I see that Zee’s neck is knitted together—new, bright red tissue replaces the gushing wound.

“He needs blood,” Duncan presses.

“The wards?” I ask.

“Still up, probably will be for a few hours yet.”

Zee’s pale face shines with a fine layer of sweat. “Can he wait?”

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