Page 97 of Reaper’s Curse

I do hope I have found a satisfying treat. Within the gilded cage, a banshee is suspected to stare at a wall of bars. There be monsters here, but no monster that can hurt me. I am flying safely.

Black Bird

P.S. A golden creature should come bearing a gift.

I gnawed on my thumbnail and watched the large bird carry my message away. Should I have mentioned the specter attack in the note? No, he would have already heard. Should I have mentioned the tower since he’d asked about it? Addressed his concerns about Winter, or possibly shared something personal, flirted?

An ugly ball of discomfort dropped into my gut.

Would I worry with every letter I wrote about all the things I did and didn’t say to Chace?

Futile.

Where the in-transit message was concerned, it was too late for all those things. I’d have the opportunity to mention one or more of the neglected items next time.

“Are you finished? May I clear lunch from the table?” Neive asked, tearing my gaze from the terrace view.

“Yes. Thank you.” I rested my cheek on my knee and rocked gently in my place on the bed.

A minor lockdown owned the castle while personnel were assessed. As a result, my morning access to the archives was cancelled, but I didn’t feel the loss. The information that Valen had finally provided was enough for me to act on. I merely needed to figure out where to start.

“My lady.” Lucas stepped into the room and bowed his head, a sure sign I had an official visitor. Lucas ditched all proper decorum in private. “Your midday appointment is here to collect you.”

Because of the specter attack the night before, the royal healer was in high demand. Doing what, I couldn’t even guess, since he wasn’t able to heal the afflicted. Nevertheless, he was busy, and I had been asked to work with another. General of the queen’s special unit. A hush-hush group that usually moved in the shadows unseen, carrying out whatever operation the Crown wanted kept quiet...and likely off the books.

I met the male with a warm smile…or as warm as I could muster. “General Beckett, I presume?”

“Yes. Would you please come with me.” He turned on his heels and marched from the room without awaiting my answer.

I glanced over my shoulder at Neive and Lucas and exchanged an expression of humored shock.

Lucas leaned forward and whispered for only us to hear, “All warm and fuzzy, that one. Don’t let your thick coat of armor slip.”

With a snort, I allowed General Beckett to lead me onto the palace grounds, beyond the gardens, and through one of the warded barriers. “Where are we going?”

“You’ll see.” He strode straight for the outer gate.

Or rather, a smaller gate set several feet to the side of the main entrance. Two people wide and made of iron bars placed two inches apart, the smaller gate provided a peek into the streets beyond the royal compound.

I glanced over my shoulder to the castle looming at my back and considered Chace’s request that I stay within the palace walls. Not that I was afraid of whatever might wait beyond the royal protections.

“Are we going out into the citadel?”

He strode several feet away, calling the nearby guards to him, then glanced back at me. “Wait here. I’ll only be a moment.”

Thanks for the transparency, reaping jerk.

I observed them for a brief moment, then I repositioned myself beside the smaller gate. The last time I’d stepped beyond the palace grounds, Valen had acted like a royal jerk, the Killian had stolen me away and tried to kill me, and then I’d somehow ended up fighting Chace.

Kissing Chace.

I gnawed on my lower lip.

Yeah, I didn’t expect today to end quite the same.

Leaning against the brick bordering the iron entry, I touched my head to the wall and soaked in the sights. The visible citizens were quiet. Dismal like Lucas and Neive had been. They whispered in small groups. Some cried.

The view of the street vanished behind a wide chest as a male stepped in front of me on the other side of the gate. He stared down at me with wild intensity, his black eyes drinking in my soul, seeing straight to the core of my inner reaper.