He passed us, carrying the wolf that was his brother. His expression was shattered, grief in every line of his face.

Seraphia reached for my hand and squeezed. I looked over at her, feeling tears prick my eyes. “This is so much worse than I expected.”

She nodded. “I know, love. But it’s going to be okay.”

“Not for Lachlan.”

She sighed, her expression sad. “Maybe not.”

I swallowed hard. “Let’s go get this over with.”

19

Eve

 

Lachlan brought Garreth down to the basement. To the same cell I’d been tossed into, in fact. Apparently, it was reserved for murderers.

At the door, he turned to Seraphia and me. “Give me a moment.”

We nodded, and he shut the door.

While we waited, we sent a text to Carrow, letting her know that the search was done and everyone was fine. Well, mostly. She didn’t need all the details.

A few minutes later, Lachlan opened the door. Behind him, I spotted Garreth, human once more, semi-conscious and bound with huge iron chains.

I looked at Lachlan. He met my gaze with eyes of steel. “The truth potion?”

I nodded and pulled it out of my leather cuff, which I’d found on the floor of the attic. “You should be able to get three or four questions out of him. Depends on how shit he’s feeling right now. A healthy person, you’d get just one.”

He nodded, his expression grim.

My heartbeat thundered as I followed him into the room. Seraphia made to follow, but Lachlan turned around and shook his head.

She nodded. “I’ll be upstairs.”

He’s letting me stay.

I kept my distance as he pinched Garreth’s nose and made him drink the potion, my heart breaking with every second I had to watch him. Memories of them as children flashed in my mind. I’d seen them occasionally from a distance, always together. Playing when they were younger, competing when they were older, but always together.

Why had Lachlan had to lose so much? I hated how unfair it was.

After he’d swallowed, Garreth blinked and sat upright, his black eyes still crazed.

Lachlan looked at me, and I nodded. “Go ahead. It works right away.”

“Why did you kill them, Garreth?” he asked.

He clenched his jaw, resisting at first. Finally, he spat, “Erasing my past.”

Lachlan didn’t look surprised, just nodded. Bill and Danny must have been Garreth’s friends as children, and Lachlan knew it. That also explained desecrating their father’s grave and going after Lachlan.

My heart hurt just to think of it.

“Did you fake your own death?” Lachlan asked.

“No.” He shook his head, stubbornness creasing the side of his mouth.

Confusion flashed on Lachlan’s face, and he turned to me.

“The potion is still working,” I said. Garreth’s attention would be riveted to us until the effect wore off.

Lachlan turned back to his brother. “I saw your body. I buried your body. You would have had to plan that. We don’t reanimate.”

I frowned. What the hell was happening? Lachlan had buried his brother’s body, yet he was here?

“What happened?” Lachlan demanded. “Tell me, damn it! What happened to you?”

“I don’t know!” Garreth shouted, his black eyes wild. He struggled against his chains, and pain flickered over Lachlan’s face.

It was true. Everything he was saying was true. He really didn’t know how he’d survived the accident Lachlan had seen.

“Careful,” I murmured. “Just one more question. Maybe two, but probably not.”

He gave a short, bitter laugh. “Don’t waste them, then?”

He looked like he was at the end of his line, his face tight with pain. He turned back to his brother. “Is it over, or are more people threatening our pack?”

It was the right question. The most selfless question. Lachlan was Alpha for a reason.

“There are more.” Garreth nodded. “Many more. And they’re coming. For her.”

His gaze moved to me, so bright and intense that I shivered.

“Me?” I whispered, my skin chilled.

He laughed, crazed with the Dark Moon curse. “I felt it when I took the necklace off. She’s the one we seek. The one he seeks.”

“Who?” Lachlan demanded. “Who, goddamn it?”

Garreth shut his mouth, then leaned back against the wall and stared into space.

Shit. Shit. Shit.

The potion was done.

I looked at Lachlan. He turned to me, frustration creasing his mouth. “Do you have more of those potions?”

I shook my head. “Not here. And it will take time to make them.”

“Fine.” He gave his brother one last look, then turned and left, gesturing for me to precede him out of the room.

Every inch of my body vibrated as I walked before him. I gave Garreth one last glance over my shoulder. He looked like hell.

“He’ll need medical attention,” I said.

“He’ll get it.” There was no anger in Lachlan’s voice, just exhaustion. Sadness.

He shut the door behind him, closing Garreth in, and I turned to him, having no idea what I’d say.

“Not here.” His tone was curt.

Well, that made it easy. I spun back around and marched up the stairs. On the main level, Kenneth and a woman waited for us. I’d seen her when the troops were organizing themselves for the search: Moira MacKenna, the leader of his security forces.

She met Lachlan’s gaze. “He’s in the dungeon?”

Lachlan nodded. “Kenneth, arrange medical treatment for him. And food. But use extreme caution. He’s dangerous. The Dark Moon curse.”

Moira frowned. “The curse? And we’re not killing him?”

She didn’t know it was Garreth.

Oh, fates.

“Not yet,” Lachlan said.

“That’s not protocol. You know it better than anyone.”

She wanted him to kill his brother. Now.

No, no, no. I couldn’t bear it.

“We will,” Lachlan said, his voice totally devoid of emotion. “But not yet. He has information we need. If anyone does anything to him, they’ll be banished.”

Moira paled. Lachlan was at the end of his rope, and she could tell.

He met her gaze. “Assign the appropriate forces to help Kenneth, then see to it that the Shadow Guild members leave the premises immediately.”

My heart lurched.

I’m leaving.

It was a good thing, of course. But I hated how torn up Lachlan looked. How broken.

Moira nodded and gestured for me to follow her.

“Not her.” His voice was sharp.

She nodded and spun on her heel, departing. Kenneth was already gone.

“What do you mean, not me?” I asked. “I’m Shadow Guild.”

“Are you, mate?”

I bristled. “I am now. And I had my reasons for my secrets.”

“I don’t care.” His voice was harder than I’d ever heard it, sharper and colder. He gripped my arm, and I yanked, trying to pull away. “Stop,” he said. “You’ll bruise yourself.”