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"Alright, so going under the assumption that this is actually Terletov… then that means what?" Kiran continued "He is after the throne And he has absolutely no respect for Ireed

Avalon Eden interrupted This is not theirelse and nohat’s inside of thehed on disgust and revulsion, trying to process Eden’s explanation How did he do that?

Fro Kiran up here, you need to see this Eden demanded

A chill of fear slithered down my spine I nodded my head toward the door, and turned around to find Eden Talbott and Kiran had fallen silent when they noticed I was talking to Eden again and folloithout question

The electricity inover as I preparedht Experio I had been convinced that Lucan was the worst evil this people had ever seen

But I had been wrong

Chapter Twelve

The acrid s flesh washed over us in unwelcouest roo reflexes andHenri’s hand and whispering soothing things in a quiet voice

Kiran i hands on her shoulders while Talbott hung back against the far wall assessing the situation with his military paranoia I noticed then how still the roo to take care of this h I suspected he ith Sophie I wondered what I missed in the few minutes we had been apart, and then wonder turned to worry when a lone tear slipped out of the corner of Eden’s eye

I clearedI was about to be very insensitive, but suddenly feeling pressed for tiently as I could "Were you released or did you escape?"

Henri’s eyes were overly large and deathly hallow on his gaunt face, and when he opened his s rattled with the effort to survive, gurgling and rasping deep in his chest "He… let us go… No reason… to keep us," his sentences were broken and each as a struggle to put sound to "We… are… dead…"

"But why?" I choked on the words "Why did he do this to you?"

"Used… to be… Shape-Shifters… Not any…out in the stillness of the rooently, his voice weak and full of co our fears "There were… more Not… all… Shifters… No one es-" he trailed off, his eyes fluttering with the determination not to close "escapes… He took us to… Siberia… to the old… Titans…" he trailed off, not able to finish his sentence and I realized our time was out

"What does he want? Why did he do this to you?" I asked quickly, desperately

Instead of answering er just barely from where it rested on the bed He pointed to er ly slowly uphere the crown I inherited with this job sat lopsided on er as it started trele to stay elevated And when it dropped to the bedspread in defeat I knew this was the end of his interrogation It was the end of hi hinity His chest heaved with one iving hi to take it disappeared froic whooshed from his body in a breathy sound that ser just in ti his body a concave, defeated shell

Eden let out a shuddering breath before her tears fell in hot strearief onto her cheeks Kiran picked up her hand and then pulled her to hirieve him the person that he was, or the life that he lived But his death was unnatural and even more than that it was traumatic, even for me And I would always feel responsible andon inanything about it?

Before er I ainst the stone wall It hit with a force strong enough to break apart the surface stone and send the piece of gold clattering to the ground unhared but not the crown infuriated rowl shookfroainstto cal ize," I offered insincerely to the rooe