Page 17 of Ruthless Ends

I meet Cam’s eyes for a split second as he leans against the wall, shoves his hands in his pockets, and crosses one ankle over the other. He winks, though his smile is too soft to be the smirk I’m sure he’s going for.

“Whyisthe wolf here?” Queen Carrington asks.

“I’ll thank you to speak to my guests with respect,” says King Auclair pleasantly. “Allof my guests. And I’d assume you’d welcome any allies we can get, considering your position.”

Her position?

The condescension leeches from her expression as she sits up straighter.

“If you’re really that concerned about the qualifications of our Marionettes, I’m sure Camden would be happy to aid with their training. He’s been incredibly helpful in a similar position for me before,” continues King Auclair, folding his hands on the table. “And if you’re quite through wasting all of our time, shall we get to the purpose of this meeting? The Carrington estate was seized yesterday, along with the entire territory of the first region.”

The news shouldn’t be surprising considering the state of the city a few days ago. It had been abandoned, a ghost town ripe for the taking.

And yet…

So many memories on those grounds, in those halls. The room I lived in for most of my life. To think of someone else in there, going through the things I’d left behind…

“…a scouting team has reported back there’s a magical barrier around the region. No one can cross the line. Not from the outside, at least.”

“And our people on the inside?” Reid asks tightly.

His mother sighs. “We haven’t been able to make contact with anyone.”

Grief, humming and low, flashes through the bond before Reid slams the door between us, cutting me off. I peek at him out of the corner of my eye. His hands are fisted tightly in his lap, the line of his jaw sharp enough to cut glass.

He’s probably blaming himself for leaving them behind. We werejustthere.

“It’s clear what he’s doing,” says Shane. “Using the wendigos to create chaos, lower our numbers, clear out the region. And we did exactly what he wanted by evacuating. Leaving the territory open for him to swoop in and claim it. The Carrington estate won’t be the last.”

I glance at Cam, and Anya doesn’t bother being subtle as she turns around in her chair. “Have you asked him? He’s Westcott’s lapdog, is he not? Did you know about this? What is he planning next?”

“You overestimate his trust in me,” Cam mutters. “I’ve never been privy to the details of his plans.”

“So you say,” says Anya.

He meets her gaze, unflinching. “Yes. So I say.”

“We should be focusing our Marionettes on getting through the boundary,” says Shane, ignoring Anya beside him.

“There’s no guarantee Westcott is there,” offers one of the Auclair advisors, an older man with graying hair tied in a low ponytail. “He could be planning another attack elsewhere as we speak.”

“So we do nothing?” counters Shane. “Let them have the first region?”

“Of course not,” snaps Queen Carrington.

“Officials from the other estates in the alliance should be arriving later tonight,” cuts in King Auclair, his eyes briefly flitting to Anya, and he bows his head. “Vasiliev has already sent their representative.”

Anya straightens, her smile sharp as the room’s attention falls on her. But it’s the look in her eyes that has the hair standing up on the back of my neck. Like maybe what Auclair is saying isn’t quite true, and that’s not why she came at all.

According to Queen Carrington, they hadn’t been expecting her.

“…all of whom have agreed to offer aid in whatever way they can,” continues the king. “No one wants to see this man’s plans succeed. They all know it’s only a matter of time before he comes knocking on their doors.”

“And the estates that left the alliance?” Anya asks.

There’s a crack in King Auclair’s calm exterior. “We haven’t been able to get ahold of them.”

What if Cam’s right and the reason we can’t get ahold of the other estates is because they’ve already flipped sides?

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