WITH A FIXED gaze, I walked back to my room. I wasn’t even sure what happened back there . . . if it was the ribbon or just my imagination, but I was afraid of what I might do if I saw one of the council members right now, afraid of what I was capable of. I wondered if this was the darkness taking over. If this was the beginning of the end.
As I opened the door to my room, I found Lucinda inside, packing my belongings.
“We have no use for these. Dane wants you to keep them as a token of his appreciation.”
“I’m not leaving.” I took the clothes out of her hands. “Not until I find my brother.”
She clutched the amulet around her neck and gave me the strangest look, like she was desperately trying not to cry. “You need to leave.”
“Look.” I let out an irritated sigh. “I get it, you don’t like me. You had some kind of relationship with Coronado. But things are different now. We’re blood bound—”
She took in a hissing inhalation of breath as if my words had offended her in some way. “You have no idea what you’re talking about. What that even means. Where were you when he needed you? You weren’t here to put him back together again. You have no idea what he’s had to endure. The agony he’s gone through to try to gain control. To reach you. You didn’t listen to him cry himself to sleep every night, worrying over you.”
“Well, I’m here now.”
“And what about tonight? The immortals have gathered to watch a brilliant display of dark magic.”
“All I have to do is smell a sheet and act creepy, which isn’t much of a stretch for me these days.”
“A child’s response. This isn’t one of your games. The council suspects something’s not right with you, and if I had it my way, I’d let them tear you to pieces. But I know Dane, and he will protect you with every bone in his body. To his peril.”
“What do you want from me?”
“When this goes wrong, and believe me, it will, you need to confess. Tell the council that you tricked Coronado into believing you were Katia. If you do that, I will help you escape. I will deliver your brother. You have my word.”
Part of me wondered whether she was doing this to protect Dane, or whether this was just a sick way to get Coronado all to herself again. But it didn’t matter. The last thing I wanted to do was put Dane in harm’s way.
“If I’m backed into a corner, I’ll take the fall,” I said. “You have my word.”
“I’ll make the preparations,” she said solemnly as she turned and left the room.
I locked the door. Not that it would make any difference.
I was scared—for me, for Dane, for all of us, but I kept going back to Beth’s vision—the four of us together under a snowy sky, but it wasn’t cold. I believed in her and I needed to believe in him. That he could control this. That he could bring Rhys home.
I started to head downstairs when I looked at how I was dressed. Sure, I was comfortable, but I remembered what Lucinda said about behaving like a seasoned immortal. If I was going to do this, I was going to do it right.
Opening the armoire, I thumbed through the dresses. “What would Katia wear?” My fingers stopped on a tight oxblood dress that zipped all the way up the back. It was perfect.
I brushed out my hair—which was no small feat—and pulled it back from my face, twisting it into a sleek French twist, securing it with a jeweled comb.
I used the makeup. Not just my usual stroke of mascara and some lip balm. I really used the makeup. After three tries, I managed a halfway-decent smoky eye and paired it with a nude lip. Coiling the black silk ribbon around my wrist, I slipped my feet into a pair of deadly heels.
I made my way downstairs and stood in front of the dining room, taking in one last steeling breath.
This was it. The moment of truth. The moment of lies.
As I entered the dining room, Dane stood and the rest of the immortals followed suit.
I felt their stares as I passed, like icy liquid fingers on my skin, but I kept my eyes trained on Dane, who sat at the far end of a long banquet table.
As I approached, Dane pulled my chair out for me, but I surprised him by stepping in close, pressing my lips against his for a kiss. The warmth traveled all the way down to the tips of my toes.
“Sorry I’m late,” I announced. “I didn’t get much sleep last night.”
A low chuckle erupted throughout the room.
Dane smiled at me. The sexy smile I knew belonged only to him. And we all sat down.
Let the games begin.