Page 26 (1/2)

Tane clenched his hands With Laylah in the rooain feel the connection between theed sword as it turned out While his fierce impulse to make sure she was unharmed had eased, he was acutely aware of her pain at Styx’s demand

Still he kept his trap shut As ht want to protect Laylah, he understood that the only means to keep her safe was to discover the truth of the child she sheltered

"The firston a farly revealed

"A deaze at her clipped tone "She was unkind to you?"

Tane edged closer as he sensed the sadness settle in Laylah’s heart

"No, she loved hter," she said, her voice so soft it could barely be heard "But if what I learned in London is true, then everything she said to e of the desk "Theher cub She will lie, cheat, kill, and even die if necessary Wouldn’t you do the sa Styx’s blunt words At last she gave a nod, a portion of her betrayal see to ease

"I suppose"

"What happened to her?"

"One day I was collecting the herbs that Sadira used in her spells of illusion when I heard her scream" Her very lack of e was a long way off "I rushed back to our house but I was too late She was …" She was forced to halt and clear her throat "She was lying on the porch with her throat sliced open"

"Dead?"

Laylah shuddered "I’ve always assumed she was, there was so e before I could reach her"

Styx shot Tane a warning glare as he instinctively stepped toward Laylah

Reluctantly Tane came to a halt They were at theto at least listen to Laylah, but Tane didn’t fool hier to his vampires she would be sacrificed to the Oracles No fuss No oes by the naer replaced her painful memories "He never told rowled

A sharp pain lashed through Tane as Styx punished him for his interference

Just a tiny taste of what could be

"The truth is all that will save her, Tane," the king warned Then, he snapped his attention back to Laylah

"Well?"

Laylah stiffened, but she stubbornly refused to cower beneath the chilling gaze

"I don’t know exactly how the e knocked me out, but when I woke up I was locked in a cell in northern Siberia"

"Siberia?" Tane echoed in surprise "That’s a little remote, isn’t it?"

"Actually, it confire," Styx answered

"Victor already has intel on the bastard?" Tane was i if not efficient"

Efficient?

Yeah He was also a brutal, ruthless, stone-cold killer It was no wonder the info superhighway had a direct route to his desk

"What did he learn?"

"Sergei Krakov made his first appearance as a mystic in the royal court of Peter the Great" Styx’s voice held the conteic-users "He provided hi a fewas a spiritual advisor, but from what Victor could uncover his true interest was in the ancient prophecies His library is said to rival Jagr’s"

"That’s saying so," Tane murmured It was rumored the ancient Goth’s library had over twenty thousand books and scrolls

"The e is convinced he’s destined to lead the world into a new era," Styx continued with a grimace "Whatever the hell that means"

Tane rolled his eyes Every half baked tyrant claimed to possess the ability to lead the world into a new era

Laylah, however, pressed a hand to her chest, the scent of her fear spiking the air

"The baby," she breathed "He and my bat-shit crazy aunt think they can use the child to reincarnate the Dark Lord"

Styx nodded, clearly having been given a blow by blow account of Laylah’s encounter with Marika from Victor

"Where did the child come from?"

"I’m not entirely certain" She lifted a hand as Styx’s eyes flashed with frustration "Chill"

Styx arched a brow "Chill?"

"You have that look that says you’re planning to lecturesecrets … yadda, yadda, yadda"

"I never lecture," Styx tried to deny, only to backtrack at Tane’s sharp burst of laughter "I s from my point of view"

"Well don’t bother with your encouragee either locked in a cell or so tightly wrapped in spells I could barely senseyou ree entering the cell oneand then the world went black" She rubbed her hands over her bare arms, as if she were suddenly cold "When I woke up I was in a dark, frozen cave"