a shout from above. The rage that echoed in the sound competed with the blasts of thunder that tore through the sky.
Silviu.
I looked back, spotting the tiny, pale figure of my maker standing at the door to his castle.
He’d always been a bastard.
I turned back and raced alongside Carrow. A dozen meters later, and I felt the protective charm that surrounded the castle break.
I grabbed her hand and pulled her to a stop. “We can transport from here.”
“Thank fates.” She spun toward me, face pale and lips shaking with cold.
I plunged my hand into my pocket and withdrew a transport charm. Quickly, I slammed it to the ground. A silvery gray cloud exploded upward, and I gripped Carrow’s hand tightly, imagining the courtyard outside of my tower.
Together, we stepped into the mist. The ether sucked us in and pulled us through space, spinning us wildly until my feet landed on the cobblestones of Guild City.
Night had fallen, the sky dark and the city streets nearly empty. Streetlamps flickered with a golden glow, giving Carrow’s pale face some color.
She heaved a sigh and tipped her head back. “That was close. No wonder you got the hell out of there as soon as you could.”
I nodded. “It was an unpleasant decade.”
My shirt stuck to my back, torn and bloody. Though those wounds had healed, I was a mess and needed another healing potion for my jaw. My natural healing was gone now. “I haven’t had a hit like that in a while.”
“He was powerful.” Worry twisted her mouth. “Are you all right?”
“Fine.”
“Will he come for us?”
“Possible, but doubtful. He hasn’t left that castle in centuries. I’m not sure he knows how anymore.”
“Good.”
“I need a change of clothes,” I said, feeling the wind on my back through my torn shirt. My jaw ached, a reminder of the mortality biting at my heels. I needed to seek another healing potion immediately. “I assume you want to return to the library?”
“I do.” She shifted, pulling at her ruined shirt. “But do you mind if I get cleaned up at your place first?”
“Not at all.”
7
Carrow
It didn’t take long to get cleaned up and borrow a shirt from Grey. It was far too big, but I tied it at my waist and rolled up the sleeves.
The worst—best—part was that the shirt smelled like him. I drew in a deep breath, though I knew that wasn’t smart. His scent filled my head, sending me back to the last time we’d kissed. Heat thrummed through my veins, and my skin prickled with awareness.
“Are you ready?”
Grey’s voice dragged me from my thoughts, and I blinked at him, returning to the present.
I stood in his living room, right in front of the bookshelves. He’d just changed and stood at the door to his bedroom, looking handsome as ever in dark trousers and a sweater. His jaw was no longer slightly swollen, and his hair was damp from a shower.
“Yes. Let’s go.” As much as I wanted to spend the night there with Grey, the thought of the answers the book might hold got me moving.
We left the tower in silence, passing Miranda at the hostess station and the guards at the front door. When we were in the courtyard and alone, Grey spoke. “The seer mentioned your past as being important to this, but you’ve never spoken of it.”
Somehow, I wasn’t surprised to hear him mention it. He was right—I never spoke of it.
“That’s because I hardly ever think about it,” I said.
“Really?”
I nodded. “As a child, I became very good at compartmentalizing. It’s a useful talent.”
“I’m aware.”
I looked up at him, spotting a wry grin on his face. We were passing a brightly lit shop full of potion bottles. The lights from within flickered in his eyes, which were shadowed with misery, no doubt at the memory of his past. Of course he’d be good at compartmentalizing after the life he’d led.
“I guess we have that in common,” I said.
“What?”
“Pasts we don’t think of.”
“I can’t imagine yours is full of murder and terrorizing you’d rather forget.”
“It’s not. But you need to remember that you weren’t in control then.” We passed a coffee shop, the interior bustling with people who laughed and talked. It was a such a contrast to our conversation.
“I may have been controlled by the monster within, but it was still me who did those things. I bear responsibility.” I could feel the burn of his gaze, and I looked up to catch him staring at me. When