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"Is the daughter with the Order?" Will asked
"We don't believe so," Malkom said "From e know, Webb disappeared after the prison escape His daughter had no idea where he was, had been searching for hiuess is that Webb kept the Order part of his life secret It s I've done"
"Wait" Will frowned "If she was searching for Webb, then she does no' have his location What's her tactical value if she knows nothing about the Lore and does no' have a twenty on her dear ole sire?"
"Bait," Malkom said "Surely she'll lure Webb in"
Will i her to trap that bastard Gods, the satisfaction
"The Vertas won't win her, though," Malkom continued "While the Pravus have pooled theirto bid against each other We're supposed to be allied with the fey? Their king is phone-bidding through that juvenile witch right there Millions in Draik gold The witch beside her is bidding for Nereus the sea god All we're going to do is drive up the price"
Will turned to Munro "Then she truly canna be won by us?"
Munro shook his head "Look, we'll stalk whoever gets her We'll lie in wait for Webb This is no' over"
Why couldn't Will get one break? All he wanted was one bloody, viscera-coated e Then he'd find peace in death
Filled with frustration, he pinched his nose, none-too-gentlythe bone back in place Ah, that was better He inhaled deeply, suddenly bombarded by new scents, tens of thousands of them-
One stood out
So so sublime he was thunderstruck, nearly put to his knees
Disbelieving what he'd smelled, Will tentatively raised his head for another hit of that beautiful thread For the first ti loud and clear
-Yours-
He sed, had to clear his throat before he could mutter, "It'shappened"
"Excuse us, Malkoed Will away
"My Instinctit said" Will could barely form words
"I scented her too," Munro said, excite his expression
Excite, Munro snapped, "While your Instinct is cla sister"
"Oh" Will gazed around, desperate to see her, to knohat kind of creature could possibly s her before, but now
"Is it like Da said?" Munro asked
Will briefly closed his eyes, inhaling deeply "The hands of gods," he breathed "Aye"
"Then let's find her"
Sudden doubt hammered at Will, and he hesitated
Munro said, "Look, I ken you're in pain, but you've waited ages for your et another one"
He shook his head "I'm fit for no one"
"She can help you heal if you just let her Besides, you've taken her scent into you There's no letting her go now No' without trying first"
"I can still walk away," he said, even as her scent beckoned
"Are you no' about to die of curiosity, man? I bluidy am, and she's no' even mine!"
No, doona get too excited Will tried to tamp it down "What if I'm no' ready for this?" Good and fked up "I canna tell what she is, but I sense she's no' Lykae" There was a fifty-fifty chance she was Pravus With Will's luck, they could just go ahead and round that up to absolute certainty
"Will, do you no' understand-it's happened for you After nine hundred years What I wouldn't give" Munro grabbed his shoulders "It's happened"
A shocked look between them
"Brother, give the lass a chance"
With grim intent, Will started toward the source of the scent, Munro following Wherever she was, she remained stationary
Lesser beings took one look at Will's face-a Lykae in his pri-and cowered from him
Before, he'd been ambivalent about his er He had to see her face Would she be tall or petite? Would her locks be long or cropped? Her personality lighthearted or serious?
And since she wasn't a Lykae, would she even want him in return? Mayhap his cursed looks would finally come in handy He scrubbed a hand down his face, surprised to find thick stubble and bruised skin "I ht've shaved today, huh?"
"Might've" Munro yanked his clean, nice shirt over his head,for Will to trade his faded, ratty one Withouta step, they swapped shirts; ny past them
Once they'd changed, Munro gestured to indicate all of Will "It is what it is"
Nix had ht she'd betrayed hi steps toward histo plan If he hadn't been on the island, he never would have coht Nix had set this in motion
To what end, soothsayer?
"We'll find her," Munro assured hih crowds of immortals
"And then what?"
"Then nature takes over"
The throng around thee Catcalls and jeers followed They hter of Webb out
The sound of soed Will's sensitive ears, dredging up memories of torture What didn't remind him of the island? Shake it off
"Welcoht," a female announcer said into the rabs is Chloe Todd, the verified Daughter of Webb Age of twenty-four Excellent health Tonight's her first ti welcome to the Lore"
The crowd booed louder
Though Will was curious to see the spawn of his enemy, he was enthralled by his new mate's scent
To go to sleep awash in it? To wake to it? Resisting the call felt impossible
"The bidding will begin at one million US dollars or equivalent" As Munro had predicted "Who would like to open?"
-"Oneof Draiksulia"
-"One point five froamen Chain"
More bids came in, and still the brothers hadn't reached her A line of centaurs blocked their way; just as Will bared his teeth, about to plow through them, Munro yanked him around "Keep your head"