I didn’t know the answer, but for him, I nodded. Not long ago, I’d made him promise that if it came down to a choice between an innocent life and mine that he choose the innocent. I would have to stand by the same promise, even if it carried a truth I didn’t want to contemplate.
He grasped my hands. ‘Once we get in there we might think of another plan. There’s only one way to find out.’ He seemed too confident and again it sparked nerves in me. In fact, since coming back from dropping Phoenix into town last night, Lincoln had not only developed an unnerving acceptance, but also a certain belief in the plan.
Sensing my concern, he pulled me to his chest. ‘I’m not afraid to die. After having you in my arms, knowing that we are together …’ He stepped back, his hands bracing my shoulders and his eyes locked on mine. ‘I was a fool to think there was any other way for us. I have no regrets, not one.’
It was true for me, too. Right now I had everything and I wouldn’t have traded that for an eternity of life denying myself Lincoln’s love. We were soulmates in the truest sense, heart-mates to the greatest depths. That we must now die … That was irrelevant to our love. Lincoln was right – we were endless.
As he hid the last knife inside my boot, I felt Phoenix’s nearing presence.
‘He’s almost here,’ I said. ‘And he has company.’
Lincoln smiled, shaking his head in awe. ‘I can feel it through you, every sense like never before.’ His nose crinkled. ‘Never liked musk,’ he added.
I rolled my eyes and his smile broadened.
‘What is it?’ I asked.
‘I can feel your emotions for him. It’s real and intense on so many levels, the way you care for him. I can even see how deeply he scarred you.’
My brow furrowed. This was not a normal conversation. ‘So, why are you smiling?’ I wasn’t sure if I needed to start defending myself or not.
Lincoln knelt on one knee to strap his own knife under his jeans. He looked up at me with a knowing grin. ‘Because what you feel for him doesn’t even come close to what you feel for me.’
I snorted, though I was smiling back. ‘Ha, ha. Can you please get out of my head now?’
‘Not in your head.’
I knocked him on the shoulder and he lost his balance, falling back. ‘Male egos,’ I grumbled as I walked past where he was on the ground laughing.
I walked out to the front of the cabin. Phoenix was standing on the grass, looking resigned. A small troop of six exiles stood back at the tree-line beyond the glamour. Lincoln came out behind me and, despite our fast-approaching doom, he was still chuckling. Countless expressions passed over Phoenix’s face and through his eyes in one moment.
He knows.
I held my breath.
But Phoenix’s reaction quickly dropped to zero. His eyes narrowed and he growled, ‘Let’s go.’
I glanced at Lincoln nervously. He had also registered the waiting exiles, but nonetheless was smiling. I could actually sense his satisfaction in showing Phoenix that we’d bonded.
Men.
Lincoln’s smile broadened.
Phoenix gave a huff that would’ve put Dapper’s efforts to shame and stomped towards us. ‘At least try to control your goddamn emotions!’
I was already nodding apologetically, embarrassed.
Lincoln, on the other hand, simply chuckled again as he replied, ‘I am.’
Jesus. Phoenix will kill us before we even get to Lilith!
We opted to drive the truck, rather than let Phoenix use his powers to get us to Lilith’s estate. Right now, we were all keen to conserve as much of our strength as possible. It also meant that Phoenix could arrange us some privacy, separating us from his exile enforcers. Heading in the opposite direction from the town, they drove in front and behind in their own vehicles.
It was a long twenty minutes and yet every one of those minutes had become precious.
‘Will Lincoln and I be held together?’ I asked Phoenix.
‘No,’ he replied. ‘Lilith will lock up Lincoln on the far side of the estate, where Evelyn is imprisoned. She’ll most likely put you down in the dungeons until the ceremony tonight.’
I nodded, trying to ignore the spark of fear.
‘This is it,’ Phoenix said, pointing towards a massive estate coming into view.
When we neared I realised why no one had been able to pinpoint Lilith’s location. She and her cohorts held a glamour over the entire building, which made it look like an ancient castle, with crumbling walls and large sections of the roof missing. To passers-by it would be considered a ruin.
It was genius. Hidden in plain sight.
The reality was quite different. The building stood in perfect isolation, with massive stone walls and wroughtiron gates. It was indeed a castle-like estate, but unlike its glamoured appearance, it was pristine.
It wasn’t difficult to spot, and sense, the numerous guards patrolling outside. I pushed my senses out a little further and gasped.
Lincoln glanced at me. He had felt it too.
There must have been at least sixty exiles in there, both light and dark, and almost all of them were powerful.