Hyacinth - By Abigail Owen Page 0,57

once. She gave him a look, and he winked.

He turned to the rest of the group and nodded at Griffin. “Gabe.”

Griffin glared at him silently, and Selene rolled her eyes. She wasn’t quite sure why Dez insisted on trying to get under Griffin’s skin.

Dez smirked. “Time to go, folks.”

They moved down the corridors and towards the High Council’s hall. No one spoke. Selene reached out to take Ellie’s hand and gave it a gentle squeeze. Then she opened the door, glanced over her shoulder, and gave her friends a final nod.

“If something happens to me, you know what to do,” she instructed them.

She turned and walked calmly to stand inside the empty chamber. Only Desmond joined her. Selene could almost feel Griffin’s gaze burning a hole in her as the door fell closed behind her. At the last second, she opened her mind to him, preparing herself to be disappointed when she heard nothing. Then, as she settled herself in the throne-like chair in the center of the room, she heard him.

“Selene…”

“What?”

A long silence greeted her. Until she almost thought she’d imagined his call in the first place.

“Please be careful,” he finally said.

Selene allowed herself a small smile. His words were so much a part of who Griffin was, cautious and deliberate. She loved that part of him. She loved every part of him and had for years. From afar. With no hope of her love being requited. They’d spent the last few months dancing around each other. Not really interacting unless it was necessary.

And suddenly it struck her…if ever there was a time to make sure the love of her life was aware of her feelings, it was now. The timing couldn’t be more horrible. Or awkward for that matter. But sometimes you just didn’t get to pick your moments … the moments just sort of happened.

“I love you,” she thought back, attempting to put every ounce of her feeling behind the words.

Silence again. The only sounds Selene could hear were the thumping of her heart.

“You love me?” The incredulity in his voice came through loud and clear.

“For a very long time, now. I remember the first time I saw you. You grabbed for Ellie and she turned back to human. And then together you turned into falcons and flew away from my brother. About a year later, I approached you in a dream. You held my hand. Do you remember?”

“I remember,” his low voice rumbled through her mind. “You visited me often in my sleep.”

“How could I stay away? Those visits were the only moments of light, of happiness, in my world. I will always be grateful to you for that. You saved my life by giving me hope.”

“And you thought now would be the best time to tell me this?”

Selene allowed him to hear her mental chuckle. “It seemed like the perfect moment. Don’t say it back though, okay? I’ll only think you’re saying it because I might be sitting here awaiting my own death.”

“Don’t even think that! If I believed that, you sure as hell wouldn’t be in there without me right now.”

Oren appeared before her in a shimmering projection, preventing her reply. “Thomas says they’ve entered the castle. It should only be a few minutes,” he said.

“Thank you, Oren.”

“You hear that? Wish me luck,” she thought at Griffin.

“Don’t forget to leave your mind open so that Ellie and I can listen,” he reminded her.

“Right.” She certainly wasn’t going to forget that part of her own plan.

Selene straightened her back and placed her hands over the arms of the throne. She didn’t bother looking around for Desmond, as he was currently invisible. He’d insisted on being in there with her as protection.

The waiting and listening for any sign of the intruders on the other side of the door was torture. It gave her time to imagine all sorts of horrible things. Just as her tension reached screaming level, the massive doors opened and three men entered the chamber. Selene sat perfectly still, only her eyes moving as she watched them come to stand before her.

Chapter 36

“Hello, gentlemen,” she greeted them once they came to a halt. “Welcome to my home.”

They glanced at each other, and a tall man with dark eyes stepped forward. “My name is Marcus,” he said, a strange accent coloring his words. “I lead this clan. We’re from Louisiana. These are my lieutenants, James and Stephen.” He paused and gave her a hard look. “I believe you already know why we’re here.”

“Vengeance is