Page 98 of Incoronate
I studied their faces, searching for any flicker of anger or disappointment that I’d sent the baby away. That I’d removed him from their reach before they could sink their claws any deeper into whatever plans they had for him. But therewas nothing. No frustration darkening Anita’s expression. No reproach pulling at Annabelle’s jaw. Just that same knowing calm that always seemed to surround them, as though they existed perpetually several steps ahead of everyone else.
Which meant I’d made the right call.
If they weren’t upset or concerned, it was because they’d already seen that this was how things would unfold. That Ares would be gone before they arrived, and that he wasn’t in any danger because of it.
Relief and unease warred in my chest in equal measure.
“If you’re not here to see Ares, then what are you doing here?” I asked, crossing my arms over my chest in a futile attempt to put some kind of barrier between us. A measly show of bravado, even though I knew seeing them like this was generally never a good thing.
“We came to check on the anchoring spell to make sure the bonds are holding properly,” answered Anita as she pushed off the doorframe and glided deeper into the room.
Annabelle followed closely behind her, smiling coyly at Trace, while Arianna remained by the entrance, looking like she was somewhere else entirely, her amber eyes fixed on something only she could see.
The girl definitely hadn’t come back all the way right.
I glowered at Annabelle as Anita closed the distance between us. “Wait a minute,” I said, my gaze snapping back to Anita as my pulse picked up. I’d been too distracted by Annabelle eye-fucking Trace to register what she’d just said. “Are you implying there’s a chance it’s…not holding?”
That was the first I’d heard of that even being a possibility.
“The bonds are permanent,” Anita assured me, though her tone carried a gravity that suggested the answer wasn’t quite so concrete. “Once forged, the anchor doesn’t dissolve. At least, not easily. But we’ve never performed this kind ofspell on a Nephilim before. One can never be too careful with untried bloodlines and magic.”
“Right.” The tension in my shoulders eased, but just barely. Different didn’t necessarily mean dangerous, but with the Roderick sisters, nothing was ever straightforward. “So, it is holding, right?” I asked her outright, needing to hear her confirm it out loud.
“Yes. The bonds are stable.”
As much as I wanted to feel relieved, I couldn’t quite let myself relax as Anita’s gaze lingered on me, scanning every inch of my face as though she was peeling back layers I didn’t even know I had.
“Well, since you’re already here, you might as well make yourselves comfortable,” said Dominic, his tone casual as he moved to the bar to fix himself another drink. “It seems we’re going to require your assistance again.”
Arianna’s unfocused gaze suddenly cleared, snapping to Dominic with startling clarity. “You want us to bring the wards down around Temple.”
I tried not to flinch at her shockingly accurate guess.
Dominic’s gaze cut to hers for a fraction of a second, as though he were just as disturbed by her accuracy as I was, before turning around to face Anita fully. “Is that something you’re capable of accomplishing?” he asked, before bringing his glass up to his mouth and taking a slow sip.
“Of course it is,” she answered, looking offended he’d even ask. “But you’re going to need a hell of a lot more than anchors and a ward disrupter to survive what’s coming.”
I straightened, meeting Anita’s dark eyes head-on. “Meaning what?” I asked, even though part of me wasn’t sure I wanted to hear the answer.
“Meaning this is more than a matter of vengeance.” She walked toward me, slow and measured. “There is a war onthe horizon that has the potential to not only shift the balance of power but destroy the very foundation that our world was unjustly built upon. For that, you need to be more than what you are now.” She paused, eyeing me long enough that an icy chill traced down my spine. “You must accept what you truly are.”
What I truly am?
“What’s that supposed to mean? What the hell are you even talking about?” I snapped, dread already pooling in my stomach as I was certain I’d already done this song and dance multiple times before.
“You’re really not quick on the uptake, are you,” sneered Annabelle, not even bothering to pretend to say it under her breath.
I gave her a flat look. “Yeah, my bad. I must’ve missed the class on vague prophecy delivery,” I said and then turned back to Anita with as much calm as I could pretend to have. “What does any of that have to do with me? I’m not waging a war against the balance of power. I’m waging a war against the people who hurt my family.”
“They are one and the same. Don’t you see?” Her chin lifted slightly, fixing me with that unblinking stare of hers. “The blood you carry in your veins is no different than the one Ares carries. They will always fear you because of what that means. Because of what you have the potential of becoming.”
Deep down, I already knew that. I did. But hearing her confirm it out loud in the light of day made something brittle fracture inside me.
“That is precisely the reason they will hunt you no matter where you go. No matter how far you run,” continued Anita. “Eliminating the Senior Magister will only cause another to take his place. The Order’s roots run deep. Centuries of infrastructure, connections, power structures that extend farbeyond Hollow Hills. You cut off one head, two more grow back.”
“Then I’ll kill them too,” I said, my voice hard. “Every single one who comes after my family.”
Anita’s smile inched wider, her gaze never leaving me. “And for that you will need an army.”
