Silence stretched between them as Effie gave Lucian the space to regain control. When he looked at her again, his eyes had lost their predatory gleam.
“Are you alright?”
She lifted a shoulder. “They were just words. I’ve heard worse.”
Lucian nodded and then frowned. “I wasn’t spying.”
It took a second for Effie to follow the shift in conversation. “I didn’t think you were.”
“The door was open. I was coming to fetch you. We’ve already received word of other attacks.”
Effie took a long breath. Right. Time to focus on something more important than wounded male egos. There was a realm to save.
“Well, what are we waiting for?”
Lucian’s eyes dropped to her bare feet.
She rolled her eyes, and bent to snatch her boots off the floor.
Lucian was smirking as he watched her lace them.
“What?”
He shook his head.
“What?” she demanded, standing with her hands on her hips.
“I was just thinking that you must have something against shoes. You never seem to be wearing them.”
Effie bit back a smile. “I’ll have you know this is only the second time you’ve seen me without my shoes on.”
“Fourth.”
“Fourth?”
“You’re forgetting when I found you in the pub.”
“Right, then and now. That’s two.”
“And the next morning . . . and the other night in the hallway.”
Effie groaned. “Fine, four times. That’s not exactly a habit.”
“Sure seems like it.”
“Lucian,” she groaned, picking up a pillow and waving it threateningly.
He smiled, the first full smile of his she’d ever seen. It was transformational. His eyes crinkled, and the small metallic flecks shimmered with his mirth. If possible, his bottom lip looked even fuller as it curved up, and a hidden dimple flashed high in his cheek.
Robbed of her ability to speak, Effie blinked at him. He’s beautiful. She’d been attracted to him before, but the strength of her reaction to him now was . . . unexpected.
“What?” he asked, eyeing her warily.
Effie shook her head, nowhere near ready to repeat that little revelation to him. “Nothing, let’s go.”
He stared at her a moment longer before nodding. “After you.”
It wasn’t until she walked past him and out into the hall that she realized she wasn’t the only one with a habit.
“Is there some reason you’re always making me walk in front of you?”
For a second, she didn’t think he was going to answer, but then a slow grin spread across his face, warming her insides.
“I like the view,” he said in his low growl.
Her stomach clenched, and her heart flipped in her chest. Mother’s tits.
Effie stumbled as she turned back around and picked up the pace. Lucian’s laughter followed her the entire way.
Chapter 3
Any fragment of levity fled as soon as Effie stepped across the threshold of the Triumvirate’s inner sanctum. The room could have doubled as a tomb, not one person speaking as they waited for the last of the summoned guests to arrive.
As she took her place beside Ronan and Reyna, Effie ignored Kieran as he glowered at her from the far right of the room. She cast them a brief smile before glancing up at the lone figure standing atop the raised dais.
A ripple of unease slid down her spine. It was the first time one of the Triumvirate had removed their hoods since she joined them. She’d almost forgotten how eerie it was to be stared down by a man that had black sockets in place of eyes.
Needing something to focus on that was less disturbing—which instantly ruled out his cracked lips and the cord of black that stitched them shut—Effie shifted her eyes up to the top of his bald head. The deep navy runes that were inked there seemed to pulse and shift along the pale white skin. Effie blinked, and the markings settled back into place.
It was hard to reconcile the memory of Smoke and his brief glimmers of humanity with the being standing before her. Although, the person on the dais could be any one of the Triumvirate’s three members. It’s not like there was a way to tell them apart unless they were using their personal voices while speaking telepathically.
Swallowing, Effie focused on the dark red wall behind him, but it did little to ease her unrest while she waited for him to speak.
The sanctum was painted the same deep scarlet as the Triumvirate’s robes. In contrast, the bone-white skin of his gaunt face practically shone against the vibrant color. Effie couldn’t shake the image of a skull bobbing in a sea of blood. The similarity to her visions was more than enough to distress her.
Lucian chose that moment to stand next to her. He did not touch her in any way, but the sheer force of his presence commanded Effie to look up and acknowledge him. Her Guardian gave her a long searching look, a deep crease forming between his brows as he frowned.
A side door Effie hadn’t noticed creaked open, interrupting whatever she might have said to him.
Kael stepped across the threshold, two men in blue robes trailing behind him. It took less than a heartbeat for Effie to recognize the delegates from Sylverlands. They both had long, pale blond hair and silver eyes, trademark features of the Sylvanese people. One was slightly taller than the other, although neither of the men came close to Ronan or Lucian’s towering size. That did not diminish the aura of quiet confidence they exuded. These were men that were used to others obeying them without question.
“Zane Sylver, heir to the Sylvanese throne, and his consort, Xander,” Kael intoned.
Effie’s brows lifted slightly. She hadn’t realized Zane was the Sylvanese heir. They must be worried about the Shadow attacks if he came personally.
The men bowed their heads a fraction of an inch.
“We appreciate you replying to us so quickly,” Ronan said as they straightened. “And being willing to meet with us here while the Kiri is away.”
“It is a privilege to be welcomed to the citadel, despite the unfortunate circumstances. I have long wondered about the Keepers and the information contained within these walls,” Zane said.
“When we have dealt with the matter at hand, you are more than welcome to return.”
Zane and Xander flinched, not accustomed to the Triumvirate’s ability to mind speak. Not that Effie blamed them. It was uncomfortably personal, especially when coming from a being that looked like a walking nightmare.
Pressing her lips together, she dipped her chin to hide her smile. Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed Lucian do the same.
“You honor me. Thank you,” the heir said with another bow.
“Please relay to the others what you disclosed in your missive.”
“A little less than a fortnight ago, three of our raiders discovered one of the lakes was covered in unfamiliar algae. It is rare for any of our lakes to become polluted, and algae of any kind is always investigated to ensure that no harm comes to the fish and other wildlife that live in our waters. We didn’t need extensive testing to tell that this was no natural growth. It was foul smelling and a gray color peppered with black. Not a day later, fish began to float to the surface. At first, we thought they had died, but when our fishermen cast their nets . . .” Zane paused to clear his throat, as if he was unsure how to verbalize what came next.