A Curse of Shadows - Page 91

“Where are you?” Grayson’s voice cuts through my thoughts.

“My office. What happened?”

“Don’t leave. We’ll be right there.”

I don’t want to find out if this day can get any worse, but I have a feeling I don’t have a choice in the matter.

I point toward the door and glare at my mother. “Unless you have something useful to share, you need to go and tell my father that I’ll deal with him later. He also better be ready to show me that vault and tell me everything that’s missing so we figure out what we’re up against. Anything less is unacceptable and that’s coming from his king, not his son.”

She nods respectfully, casting her eyes down. “Of course.”

As she slips out of the room, the smallest part of me feels bad for treating her that way, but too much shit has been thrown at me in the last twelve hours. I can’t weaken now, not even for my mother.

“Asher.” Isla says my name sharply, but when I turn around, she’s holding her arms open.

I walk into them without a second thought. “What the fuck is happening around here? I don’t know what I’m supposed to do.” I shudder within her strong hold. “If I thought you’d forgive me, I’d take you and run away, leaving all this behind, if it meant keeping you safe.”

“I know, my love,” she says quietly. “But we’re not going to do that and one way or another, this is all going to sort itself out. I just need you to be strong a little longer without killing anyone who may not deserve it. Now, tell me why you kicked your mother out?”

“Your father, and I would assume sister since he said ‘we,’ are headed here.” Gods, please don’t let what they want to talk about be anything other than something that gets us closer to the end of this mess. “I knew I needed a minute to calm down before they got here. That wasn’t going to happen with her in the room.”

She pushes me back until she can see my face. “Just remember, your mother loves you and you love her. You can deal with your father in your own way, but give your mom some grace. She came to you as soon as she could.”

That’s easier said than done, but Isla is the only light in my life right now. I have to try harder to believe in her and her newfound faith that everything is going to somehow work out.

I press my forehead against her, soaking up her strength and trying to steady my breathing. Our bond pulses between us, easing my tension ever so slightly. I really would be okay if it were just me and her, for the rest of our lives. There is nothing more I need in this life than to feel her warmth and love, giving me a reason to live.

All too soon, my door crashes open. As soon as Grayson and Estee slip inside, they close the door behind them, and just like that, the sliver of peace I was attempting to grasp on to is ripped away.

“I remember how I died,” Estee announces. “I went to Elyn and asked her to kill me like she did Isla?—”

My mate cuts her off. “Why didn’t you tell me before? Are you okay?”

Estee waves a hand in the air. “There isn’t time for that. I remember. I saw everything.” She trembles with palpable fury. “We need to get to the basement now.”

“You know who killed you?” Isla demands before I can.

“Yeah. Declan, but that’s another problem to deal with after we’re done,” she says, reaching for her sister’s wrist.

I step between them, my chest letting out a warning growl. “Why? What did you see?”

Grayson pulls her back to his side. “I told you to explain everything before you rushed them. He needs to know.”

“And I want to make sure I don’t get sent back to Earth,” she snips, rolling her eyes. “Excuse me for being concerned with being lost for a few more centuries.”

“Estee, what are you talking about?” Isla says, clinging to me. Though I’m not sure if she’s holding so tightly to my arm because she needs my presence or because she doesn’t want me to unleash my simmering wrath on her sister.

“Declan is just a pawn,” she says. “Just like I was. He killed me, but it was as if he wasn’t in his right mind. His eyes were black just like you said mine were and he didn’t speak a word. He found me at the falls and stabbed me in the chest, then drug me back to the castle.”

My eyes narrow, glancing between Estee and Isla. “How do you remember that if Isla doesn’t?”

“I fought back.” She shrugs. “Well, sort of. I remember seeing the glint of the blade under the sun and trying to dodge out of the way. I went down quickly, and my body felt paralyzed, but my mind was still aware until he dumped me in the basement. More importantly, until we get down there and remove the daggers from our bodies, we’re still cursed.”

Fucking hell. While this isn’t more bad news, we’re still no closer to figuring this out. Though at least Isla will be a little safer with this information.

Estee was right. We need to get to the basement now.

CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX