time she’d turned to speak directly to Aaric.
In response, he offered a gracious nod, but didn’t speak. I noted that there was no haughtiness about him. Only humility, sincerity—sides of him I never would’ve imagined existed had it not been for this very moment. When the veil had been lifted. When I saw him in his truer form.
I was overwhelmed, in more ways than one. My throat squeezed tight as I fought tears, but there was no use. They fell anyway.
“I don’t know what to say,” I choked out, swiping moisture from my face.
“Just say you’re with us,” Glenn chimed in, meeting my gaze with a grin. “Say you’ll help us finish what your mother and father started all those years ago, their legacy.”
This had been quite the turn of events, but this crew had done a lot to prove that our objectives were indeed closely aligned.
Glenn offered a gracious smile after speaking, and I couldn’t deny that it warmed my heart. He’d been kind to me at a time when I needed a little kindness, and he’d been very patient with me today, as I tried to put all the pieces together.
“I … okay,” I conceded. “I’ll at least agree to be open minded.”
“For now, that’s good enough,” he answered. And with that, he took my hand, leading me toward the staircase he had just descended with Abigail and Tomas.
“Where are we going?” I asked hesitantly, knowing he felt how my feet dragged as he led the way.
That smile he wore widened into a full grin now. “We’re going inside,” he answered, “to meet about five hundred of your most devoted followers.”
I swallowed hard and peered up the stairs toward the door at the top.
“Shall we?” he asked when we reached the last step.
Without making it obvious, I peered back at Aaric where he stood a few inches away, looming over my shoulder as we waited on the landing. Apparently, these people sought answers, direction, and they thought I had both.
My gaze met Glenn’s and I gave a nod to let him know we could move ahead. Having been out of the loop for so long, my only hope was that I didn’t let them down somehow.
Chapter Eight
Roman
“What the heck happened to you?”
The question barely left Jon’s mouth before I pushed past him, letting myself into his home without invitation.
He eyed remnants of blood left behind from a deep gash. The wounds from being punched by Julian had healed quickly, but the one it left on my soul would likely fester for the rest of my life.
My temper still hadn’t cooled, and it had been hours since the ones I once considered brothers forced their way onto my jet. They proved to me, once and for all, that whatever familial connection we shared in the past was now completely severed.
Dead.
Because of her.
“Do you have her?” I asked coldly, positive I seemed completely out of my head at the moment. “Where did you take her?”
“Take who?” Jon asked distractedly, following closely as I made my way into his living room. “You can’t just barge in here like this,” he protested.
He was singing a much different tune now that I was no longer on his hook, no longer of much use to him. He had what he needed—proof that Corina was Blackbird—and now I was pretty sure he had her in custody. Whereas I’d been welcomed in with open arms before, it appeared he now wanted nothing to do with me.
Typical.
“Where is Corina?” I grumbled sternly.
The perplexed look on Jon’s face didn’t prove his innocence in the matter. I’d known him to be quite the actor.
“Where have you taken her?” I shouted, hearing my voice echo off the hard surfaces in the space. “I demand that you take me wherever you’re keeping her, so I can finally put an end to this.”
I ached with need, just at the thought of being the one to see Blackbird take her last breath.
Jon’s brow furrowed with curiosity as he secured the belt of a burgundy, silk robe before cautiously taking a seat on the sofa. It was then that I noticed the fresh glass of blood and half-eaten bagel resting beside the newspaper on the coffee table. Apparently, I’d interrupted his breakfast.
“She’s missing?” The question left his mouth sounding convincingly sincere, but I still couldn’t be sure.
When all I offered was a weary glance, he leaned back in his seat.
“Okay,” he said with a sigh. “Did you tell anyone what we know? About Corina