Page 87 of Empire of Dark

My mouth pulled to a tight line. “No. That, he did on his own, twisted self. Has your uncle arrived yet?”

“No.” Sylas looked to my men behind me, then shifted his gaze to me.

I glanced over my shoulder. “Clear the hallway.”

My men nodded, retreating.

Once Sylas and I were alone, he set his gaze on me, his voice low, in the hushed tones of wayward deals made in back alleys. “Your brother wants my family to dethrone you.”

“No. On that, you are mistaken. My brother is loyal to me.”

United front.

Alwaysa united front. Eustice damn well knew that. No matter what riffs were simmering within the Folotto family we were always a united front—especially between us brothers. If there was one guiding star that we all aligned under, that was it. It was how we had held onto power for so long.

Sylas gave one shake to his head. “I tell you this as a friend?—”

“We’re not friends.”

“Fine, I tell you this as a loyal comrade that doesn’t want to see your brother take over your family—he stole Lenora to get our attention, he stole her for leverage.”

My tongue slipped between my molars, biting, and the metallic tang of blood seeped onto my taste buds.

Sylas could very well be lying for his own purposes. But Sylas wasn’t like that. He’d always been the sane one in the Genora family. A peculiar sanity we had both been forced into and recognized in each other.

Sylas was sane. Or sane enough. My brother was not.

I heaved a sigh. “What does Eustice hope to gain?”

“He wants us to destroy you so he can take over.”

Rat fucking bastard.

I nodded, keeping a tight rein on my reaction. “Why now?”

“Your brother believes you to be distracted—losing your grip on, well, everything. Slicing off arms of your own men.”

Fucking hell—if Sylas knew that particular piece of information, that meant I had a leak with one or more of my men. That hadn’t happened in decades.

I inclined my head slowly, keeping my voice even. “And your uncle’s take on it?”

“He wants Lenora back. He has other plans for her. He’ll do what it takes.”

I nodded, grim. I let a moment of silence pass as I weighed my options. “Is my brother in the back room?”

He nodded. “He’s been in there for two hours.”

“Sober?”

Sylas shook his head. “High as a kite. Entertaining himself with a slew of women.”

“Per usual.”

He set his hand on my arm. “Damen.”

I looked down at his hand.

He dropped it and the stony façade he’d kept up until now broke slightly. “Lenora. I—we all want her back. Unbroken. She is the only beating heart we have in our family. Without her—chaos. Chaos would rein.”

---