The Keeper's Retribution: A Chosen Novel (The Keepers Book 2) Read online

How long had he been doing just that? Playing the role she needed him to in an attempt to help her process all of the changes in her world?

  “I’d be happy to accompany you, if you think that’s what’s best, Guardian,” she said, visibly shocking him with her answer.

  “That might be the first time you’ve ever agreed to one of my suggestions without having something to say about it,” Lucian said as she moved into place beside him.

  “I told you I could be reasonable.”

  “Hmm,” Lucian murmured, his eyes unreadable. “I think it’s more likely you hit your head while we were in the cave.”

  Biting back a laugh, Effie shrugged. “If that’s what you need to believe.”

  Lucian shook his head. “I don’t trust new, agreeable Effie. What have you done with my fledgling?” he asked, the slight twitch of his lips giving him away.

  “I need to keep you on your toes, Lucian. Can’t have you feeling too sure of yourself.”

  “Why not?” he asked, amused.

  “Where’s the fun in that?”

  Lucian sighed, pulling the Kaelpas stone out of its pouch. “Come on, then.”

  “You sure you believe it’s me?”

  “Oh, it’s you alright. Only my Effie could be cheeky enough to find a way to make agreeing with me a method of undermining me at the same time.”

  Effie bit the inside of her cheek, surprised at how much lighter she felt after exchanging a few teasing words with her Guardian. She had to give the man credit; sometimes it did feel as if he knew exactly what she needed.

  Lucian wrapped his fingers around hers. “I’ll meet you back here in three hours,” he called over her head.

  Effie didn’t even have a chance to wave goodbye to her friends before Lucian activated the stone and transported them back to the citadel.

  Chapter 11

  Lucian’s grip on her hand was the only thing that kept Effie upright as her feet made contact with solid ground once more. No matter how many times she’d done it, the Kaelpas stone still affected her.

  “How do you make it look so easy?” she panted, trying hard not to gag as bile worked its way up her throat.

  “You’ll have to be more specific.”

  Effie shot him a baleful look. “You look like you just took a stroll through the garden, and I’m probably some lovely shade of green while my stomach attempts to climb out of my throat. So what’s the secret?”

  Lucian let out a bark of laughter. “I can assure you, you’re not green.”

  “You aren’t going to tell me, are you?”

  He brushed a damp curl off of her face, his finger lingering to stroke her cheek. “If there was a secret, I would tell you.”

  “That would be a first.”

  Some of the laughter faded from his eyes. “There are many things that I am bound from revealing to anyone. Secrets I’ve kept for longer than you’ve been alive. Even if I could tell you, many of them aren’t mine to share. But I promise you, Effie, I take no enjoyment in leaving you in the dark.”

  “I know,” she whispered. And she did. It was right there in his eyes. If Lucian was closed off, it was only because he had to be.

  Swallowing, unsteady now for reasons that had nothing to do with the Kaelpas stone, she let her fingers slide from his and looked around the unfamiliar room.

  It was a cross between some kind of study and a storage room. Weapons and books dominated nearly every free surface, including the walls. Three massive padded chairs—which could easily have been mistaken for thrones anywhere else—were in the center. The room was made to be lived in, the furnishings well-worn but comfortable.

  “Where are we?” Effie asked as her fingers brushed the velvety blanket resting on the back of the nearest chair.

  “The Hall of Guardians.”

  Effie’s brows raised. “Sounds important—and off limits.”

  Lucian shrugged. “It’s a glorified barracks for my brothers and I. We come here when we need privacy.”

  Heat flooded her cheeks at the thought of what she and Lucian could do with a bit of privacy, and she turned away, not wanting him to see the direction her thoughts had taken.

  Noticing four black doors encircling the room, Effie asked, “So, you what? Come here to read?”

  “More like to sleep.” Lucian gestured to the door on his left. “That’s my room. Kael is across from me,” he said, pointing to the door on his right. “You haven’t spent much time with our other brother, but his room is just there.”

  Effie’s eyes were still glued to the door he’d identified as his. Curiosity ate at her. What would she find if she peeked inside?

  “What about that one?” Effie asked, turning her back to his room to try to remove the temptation to ask to see it.

  “That is the exit. It will take me directly to the Triumvirate’s quarters, which is where I am heading now. Wait for me here, this shouldn’t take long, and then we can go get the stone from your room and return for the others.”

  “You don’t want me to come with you? Tell them what I Saw?” she asked, more surprised he’d willingly leave her in such a private space than disappointed he would be seeing the trio without her.

  Lucian’s lips lifted. “Ah, there she is. I knew your blanket acceptance wouldn’t last long.”

  Effie rolled her eyes but fought her own smile.

  “As for your vision, I am sure they will be eager to know what you Saw. I wouldn’t be surprised if they summoned you.”

  “Are you eager?” she asked, wondering why he hadn’t brought her vision up before now.

  “You said it wasn’t anything new,” he replied, brow lifting. “Was that a lie?”

  “Well, no . . .”

  He shrugged. “Then I can wait. Besides, I’m not really the one you’re supposed to be sharing your visions with.”

  “Are we still clinging to that nonsense? You can’t honestly be telling me it’s still expected I filter my visions through Kieran after everything that’s happened. Besides, when has something as silly as a rule stopped me?”

  Lucian laughed. “I expect nothing less from you. If you Saw something you thought I needed to know, you would have told me by now. I will never push you to reveal something before you are ready. As for Kieran, we’re in agreement. The Triumvirate need to know what he’s done. His actions the last few days have made it clear he cannot be trusted where you are concerned. We’ll see about finding someone else to work with you.”

  Effie briefly wondered if Kieran would face any sort of formal discipline for his actions in the cave. It wasn’t like he had broken an official rule, but he had left two of their Guardians in a potentially sticky situation. The Triumvirate wouldn’t be pleased about it.

  “Will I get a say in who tutors me this time?” she asked, returning her thoughts to their conversation.

  Lucian’s lips quirked. “Doubtful.”

  “I figured as much. You’re all a bunch of control freaks.”

  Her Guardian shrugged. “Guilty.”

  Sighing, Effie settled into the nearest chair. “Alright then, better not keep them waiting.”

  Lucian nodded and started for the door. He paused with his hand on the knob. “I’d bring you with me if I could. The Triumvirate operate under layers of formality and ceremony. A breach in protocol is not tolerated—by anyone.”

  “Not even you?” she teased.

  “Especially not me.”

  Effie was surprised by the admission. Lucian seemed untouchable. It was hard to picture him answering to anyone other than himself.

  “They do love to hoard their secrets,” Effie murmured, picking up a heavy book from the table beside her.

  Lucian snickered. “That they do.”

  The unexpected irreverence in his tone made her look up. “Not a fan?”

  “Let’s just say things would be a lot easier without all of the fanfare.”

  Effie could only imagine how exhausting it must be to work for three such beings. “I don’t env
y you.”

  Chuckling, Lucian opened the door. “Alright, I’ll be back. Make yourself at home.”

  Effie lasted all of three seconds before she sprang out of the chair and crept toward Lucian’s room. It was his own fault. He had to know she was going to snoop if he left her alone. He’d practically goaded her into it by telling her to be at home.

  She didn’t hesitate as she opened the door and pushed inside, his scent immediately enveloping her. Effie closed her eyes, savoring the smell. It was like standing outside at night in the rain: clean, dark, and a little earthy. It was utterly masculine and wholly Lucian.

  You don’t have much time . . . a more rational part of her brain reminded her. Effie’s eyes flew open. Unless she wanted to get caught snooping, she’d better make this fast.

  As far as rooms went, it was fairly nondescript. There were no personal touches scattered around to indicate that it was his sanctuary. If not for the delicious smell of him, Effie would have thought Lucian never used the room.

  The bed was neatly made, a red blanket folded at the foot of it. A large chest, similar to hers, was filled with folded clothes. Not so much as a quill sat on his desk and its accompanying chair was tucked beneath it. There wasn’t even a rug on the floor to add a bit of warmth to the space. It was completely lacking in deep, dark secrets.

  Effie fought back a wave of disappointment. How underwhelming.

  There was a door to the right of the space that was partially open. Effie pushed open the door, expecting to find more of the same. What she was not expecting was the black tiled bathing chamber, which was easily bigger than the one she had to share with the other female Keepers.

  “Not fair,” she whispered in awe, her voice echoing around her.

  As she stepped inside, hidden orbs sprang to life, illuminating the room with a soft glow. Unlike the rest of his room, this was a space he clearly used. Everything about it screamed relaxation. There was a deep tub set into the floor, large enough for three or four people, with benches carved into the sides. Thick red candles lined the tub, most held in place by hardened pools of wax.

  Effie had to force herself to look away from the tub before the image of a naked Lucian—submerged in water and surrounded by candlelight—made her combust.

  A recessed section of the back wall caught her eye. Effie moved closer, trying to figure out what Lucian used the space for. She stumbled when the floor dipped, not noticing the cubicle was slightly lower than the rest of the ground. Squinting, she bent over, noticing small holes evenly spaced along the bottom.

  “Huh, what are those for?” she wondered, using the wall to push herself back up.

  As she did, her hand moved over a silver square she hadn’t noticed. Effie shrieked as warm water began to fall from the ceiling. She was drenched in an instant, her stunned brain struggling to make sense of what just happened. When it finally caught up, she slapped at the silver square until the water stopped.

  “Mother’s tits,” she groaned, shoving her damp hair back.

  She was sopping wet. There’d be no hiding her snooping now. Even if she managed to make it back to her room and change before Lucian returned, the wet trail she’d leave behind would give her away.

  Effie froze at the sound of low chuckles. No. Please, no. Lifting her head slowly, she cringed at the sight of Lucian standing in the doorway, arms crossed as he leaned against the door frame.

  Shivering a little as the cooler air touched her wet skin, Effie lifted her chin. “Back so soon?”

  “I forgot something,” Lucian said, still laughing.

  Effie nodded as if she should have expected as much.

  “Find what you were looking for?” he asked.

  “Not quite,” she said, stepping out of the cubicle and slipping a little as her wet boots slid over the tile.

  Lucian laughed harder as she struggled to catch her balance.

  “That’s an interesting um . . . what do you call that thing?”

  “A shower.”

  “Right. So, are you going to find me a towel or just stand there luxuriating in my misery?” she asked, taking another careful step forward.

  Without looking, Lucian reached over to a shelf she hadn’t noticed on the other side of the door and held up a plush towel between two fingers. “You’re going to have to come and get it.”

  “You can be a real bastard; you know that?” Effie grumbled, slipping once more.

  Lucian grinned. “Only seems fair to make you suffer a little for being nosey.”

  She couldn’t even argue the point. In his place, she’d do the same. “You could try to be the bigger person and just help me out.”

  “Where’s the fun in that?” he said, throwing her earlier words back at her.

  Effie glared at him. “You’re evil.”

  “I’m not the one who needs the towel.”

  After two more steps, which were more accurately graceless slides across the tiled floor, Effie looked over at him. “Lucian?”

  “Yes, Effie?” he replied, his eyes crinkling with silent laughter.

  “You might not want to be still standing there by the time I make it over. There’s a good chance I’m going to kick you.”

  Shaking his head, Lucian pushed off the wall and strode forward. “Don’t ever say I didn’t do something for you,” he muttered, using the edge of the towel to wipe some of the water drops from her cheek.

  She blinked, looking up into his face, feeling a little breathless at the warmth in his eyes. If he kept looking at her like that she wouldn’t be responsible for her actions. Snatching the towel from his hand, Effie started to run it over her hair to hide what the tender gesture was doing to her.

  “I think I’ve got it from here. You can go now.”

  “And miss you try to figure out how to get out of this? Not on your life.”

  “The Triumvirate are waiting for you,” she reminded him.

  Lucian sighed loudly, and Effie risked peeking out at him from behind her towel.

  “That is quite possibly the only thing you could have said to get me to leave.”

  “I know,” she replied, throwing him a cheeky grin.

  He shook his head, his smile still warm. “If I have to miss the aftermath of your little transgression then it just means I’ll have to think up another way to repay you.”

  “You’re welcome to use my bathing chamber whenever you want, but you might give the other ladies a heart attack.”

  “That’s not quite what I had in mind.”

  “Oh no?” she asked, running the towel along her arms, trying to soak up as much of the water as she could. “What do you have in mind?”

  Lucian gave her one of his enigmatic half-smiles. “I guess you’ll just have to wait and see.”

  Chapter 12

  Kieran slammed another heavy tome onto the table, his fury thrumming through him like a second heartbeat. Teeth clenched, he frantically flipped through the pages searching for the annotation he’d found a few days earlier.

  Nothing about these records was straightforward. Few, if any of them, were dated or labeled in a way that made logical sense. Instead, they seemed to be grouped by topic, sometimes with footnotes indicating that a prophecy might also appear elsewhere as it could be inferred in another manner.

  He’d still yet to find a single volume that was comprised of prophecies explicitly about the Shadow Years, but he had discovered a reference to a marker. It would have to suffice.

  “Where is it?” he growled, practically tearing the pages out in his haste.

  Sucking in a frustrated breath, Kieran forced himself to slow down. He couldn’t afford for anyone to know he’d been in here. Thankfully, the Triumvirate likely thought he was still traipsing around with that band of fools. He wouldn’t be missed for at least another hour or two. He had time.

  Running a finger down another page, Kieran let out a triumphant whoop. “There it is.”

  ‘And beasts will fall, the docile becoming fiends in their
quest for blood.

  Peaceful no more, the prey become the hunters;

  upon the threshold of day, where life and death meet, converging into one.

  Let it be a mark of the end, a herald of destruction.

  None will be safe when the gentlest amongst us are lost.’

  Kieran would have missed it initially, if not for the bold lines beneath the reference to the mark. Scrawled in the margin, was another note:

  Connection to TMJ prophecy? Ref. 274-00249

  He had no clue what the numbers meant, or the letters TMJ. His best guess was that the numbers were associated with another book, which contained the prophecy in question. He needed to find that prophecy, but in the meantime, this passage would serve. It was certainly vague enough that it gave him room to maneuver, and after what he’d seen in Bael, he knew exactly what he needed to do.

  Lifting his knapsack from the ground where he’d dropped it, Kieran pulled out the glittering purple stone.

  Now to bait the trap.

  Chapter 13

  Effie walked beside Lucian, hoping she at least looked mostly put together. Her curls were still damp, but she’d managed to pull on a fresh pair of pants and a light blue tunic before the summons came.

  Lucian had been oddly reserved since coming to fetch her. Well, not odd for the old Lucian, the one whose dark scowls and brooding silences had filled many of their first interactions. But it was a far cry from the playful banter they’d shared less than an hour earlier.

  His meeting must not have gone well. The thought sobered her; it didn’t bode well for her own.

  They came to a halt outside the door to the Triumvirate’s sanctum.

  “Here?” she asked.

  Lucian nodded, and Effie frowned, wondering if their use of their formal chamber held any significance. Previously, whenever she’d met with the Triumvirate alone, it had always happened somewhere in the archives. Or the healing wing.

  “They’re waiting for you,” Lucian said when she made no move to go inside.