The Secret of Spellshadow Manor 6 by Bella Forrest (books for men to read .TXT) 📕

Even crying, she was the most elegant woman Alex had ever seen. “It would ease my pain to know you at least respected what he was doing, despite your differences.”

“I do,” Alex promised.

“And if he is scared, calm him,” Venus pleaded, more tears running down her cheeks. “Don’t let him die alone, please, whatever you do.”

“I won’t. I swear I won’t.”

Venus sighed heavily, letting the tears drip down her chin. For a long while, she said nothing, composing herself. Still, Alex couldn’t take his eyes off her, a magnetic pull keeping him entranced. Finally, she raised her chin, her face proud, and addressed the whole room.

“Then, since I can’t change his mind or yours, might I make a suggestion?” she asked, her regal tone returning.

Alex nodded. “Anything.”

“My husband will not be watching Kingstone Keep quite as closely as Stillwater and Falleaf,” she said. “There will be a handful of scouts, but there won’t be an army.”

“Kingstone?”

“Yes, Kingstone. If you’re going, go now—don’t linger a moment longer. Oh, and use that Thunderbird of yours, to avoid portals. That’s where they will be watching,” she insisted. “Remember that, as volatile as the king is, he wants what you want. If you succeed, he can be persuaded to keep his part of the bargain, regardless of how you left things. If you do not succeed, however, there will be nothing anyone can do to calm his wrath. Not even me.”

Alex stared, open-mouthed, at the queen. In one fell swoop, she had eased his troubled mind. Yes, there would still be challenges ahead, but if she meant what she said, then they had a window of opportunity and a continued flicker of hope. The only problem was gauging whether she did indeed mean what she said. In that moment, Alex believed every word.

“Thank you,” he whispered, standing up, although he was almost shaky on his feet.

“Leave your thanks for later,” she replied, smiling. “The hard part is yet to come.”

With those parting words, Alex hurried back to Ceres, who was still casting a suspicious eye over the whole scene.

“I hope you didn’t say anything you weren’t supposed to,” Ceres chided. “As beautiful as you might think she is, she is still our enemy’s wife, and she has these ways of making people say things they don’t want to. I’d have warned you if you hadn’t already been drawn in, like a little puppy dog—I wouldn’t risk getting drawn in myself.”

Alex flushed. “Hey, I was no puppy dog! I was fine—I kept my cool,” he lied. “Anyway, we’ve got to get going. You bring Virgil; I’m going to rally the others. We’re off to Kingstone!”

He didn’t wait for Ceres’s response as he rushed out the windmill door and into the cool air, his mind set on the tents and the friends he hoped he’d find there. Attempt number two would be underway before the day was over.

Suddenly, however, his mind felt foggy, a dull pain pulsing at the sides of his temples. Glancing back at the windmill, he realized with a start that Venus had done something to him. She must have used some kind of hypnosis spell. It had felt like Demeter’s empathic abilities, only more intense, borne out of her allure. Now, he understood why Ceres had told him not to walk up to the bars—he had revealed so much and gained little in return. Was that part of her power? To learn as much as she could about everyone around her, storing it away so she might use it against them one day?

Even so, she had seemed genuine enough in her advice about using the pit at Kingstone and avoiding the portals. That was likely the best course of action, despite the source of the suggestion.

Sighing, Alex wondered whose team the queen would be on, when all was said and done.

Chapter 16

Nearing the tents, Alex was pleased to see his friends sitting around the fire. They looked up as he approached, eager to know where he’d been all this time. With time being of the absolute essence, he gave them a quick rundown of events before diving into the task at hand.

“Venus told me I should take Storm, which means only one of you can come with me,” he said. It was something he’d been thinking about on the way over. With Virgil in tow, that left only one other space. Although he could see the sense in avoiding portals, since they were the spots most likely to be guarded by Julius’s soldiers, he couldn’t help feeling doubt in the back of his mind that Venus was somehow setting him up. With only three people, they could easily be captured and put into the king’s custody. He glanced around, hoping to see the shadowy figure of Elias perching somewhere close by. At least with the shadow-man around, they wouldn’t be quite so outnumbered. However, it appeared Elias still had not returned from his little research trip. Disappointed, Alex returned his attention to the group.

“You think you can trust her?” asked Aamir dubiously.

“I’m not sure, honestly. She seemed genuine enough,” Alex replied. “And she probably has more reason to hate Julius than any of us. I know she’s his wife, but you remember the way he was with her.”

Aamir’s expression darkened. “I hadn’t thought of it like that.”

“I think we have to trust her,” Alex insisted. “I mean, we had to pick a haven. She just narrowed down the options.”

Ellabell smirked. “I’m sure she did. I bet you’d believe anything she said.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Alex said defensively.

“Just that she’s a very beautiful woman, and if she can control Julius the way you’ve said she can, I don’t imagine you stood a chance against her charms,” she teased.

“Look, we need to decide who’s coming with me,” said Alex, wanting the subject changed as quickly as possible. “Ceres is bringing Virgil over as we speak, and I’d like us to be ready to go when she arrives.”

Ellabell chuckled knowingly, but said