Runebinder (The Runebinder Chronicles #1)(95)

“What the hell was that?” Tomás asked.

“A going-away present.”

Justin gave Leanna a wary look, but she just nodded dismissively. Tenn closed off to Earth and let Justin haul him to his feet.

“Wait,” Tenn said, just before they reached the door. The sky outside the window was starting to lighten.

“What?” Leanna asked.

But he wasn’t looking at her. He was looking at Tomás.

“Why do this?” Tenn asked. “Why did you bring me here? If it was to kill her, why not just do it yourself?”

Tomás’s look of indignation took on its usual elfish grin. “Oh,” he said. “That.”

Leanna’s jaw was clenched, and Justin was clearly torn between following his mistress’s orders and watching this play out. Tomás sighed dramatically and walked over to an armchair in the corner, settling himself down and crossing his ankles. Leanna looked ready to spit fire, but Tomás’s grin was all comfortable mischief.

“I crave power,” he said. He was looking straight at Leanna.

“I fail to see how this,” she said, gesturing to Tenn, “is your path to power, brother. I have precisely what I sought: the one who can speak the language of the runes...” Tomás started miming her with his hand, rolling his eyes. Leanna snapped her jaw shut.

“Oh, yes, sister. You have the ‘Chosen One,’” he said, making air quotes. “Too bad you’re going to die before you can use him to create more of us.”

Leanna actually laughed at this.

“What? You believe this boy can kill me?”

“No,” Tomás said. “But having him here will make him the perfect scapegoat. After all, our brethren already know his name. They know to fear him, as much as they covet.”

“Coward,” Leanna said.

Tomás chuckled.

“I am many things, but a coward I am not. If I killed you, the rest of our brethren would be up in arms. What would our mother say? I’d have the entirety of the Dark Lady’s army at my throat. But if the Chosen One kills you? Well, no harm, no foul, as they say.”

“Get him out of here,” Leanna growled. She didn’t take her eyes off Tomás, but the flick of her wrist toward Justin was indicator enough. “I’ll deal with this traitor.”

“Perhaps you will,” Tomás said. “But, dear sister, there are two things about this boy I have come to expect.”

“And what are those?” Leanna asked. Justin had already begun dragging Tenn away. They were nearly out the door when Tenn caught Tomás’s final word.

“Twins.”

Above them, on cue, thunder roared. Even Justin paused.

Leanna was at the window in a heartbeat, one hand pressed to the pane. Tomás didn’t take his eyes off Tenn. His smile spoke volumes; it made Tenn’s blood run hot and cold.

“How did they—” Leanna began.

“Go undetected?” Tomás asked. He winked at Tenn. “You’ll have to ask our weak little friend over here. Apparently, he has a few tricks up his sleeve.”

“The runes,” Leanna hissed. She opened to Earth. Tenn knew without a doubt that she was trying to find the twins’ hiding place. And he knew she would never succeed.

“Bingo,” Tomás said.

“Why is he still here?” Leanna yelled.

Justin jolted and continued dragging Tenn back down the hall. Tenn tried to struggle, to break free, but Justin was much stronger. The whole world shuddered as the twins began their attack.

And Tenn was right in the center of their target.

He stopped struggling.

At least Jarrett was safe. At least one of them had made it out of here alive.

If Tomás had been telling the truth.





CHAPTER THIRTY-SEVEN

THUNDER.

The chair he was tied to nearly toppled. It probably would have, too, if Justin hadn’t been there to hold it steady.

“Impressive,” Justin said, staring up at the ceiling. It was the first thing he’d said since bringing Tenn down here, what felt like ages ago. The rafters rained down wafts of dust with every tremor, and the fluorescent lights swayed back and forth. Even from down here, he could feel the great amounts of energy being thrown around outside. Every Sphere—Air and Fire, Water and Earth—which meant Leanna was fighting back. Not that it would do much good. “Your friends are powerful.”

Another explosion shook the house, this one echoed by a rumble that seemed to come from the pits of hell. A light in the corner exploded in a shower of sparks. Still, Justin didn’t flinch, and his hand on the back of Tenn’s chair kept him from moving. Justin was unnaturally strong; the guy was a Howl, that much was certain, but he definitely wasn’t one of the Kin—not with how dismissive Tomás and Leanna had been of him. The question was, what type of Howl was he dealing with?

Tenn gritted his teeth and twisted his wrists behind him, hoping he could maybe loosen the bonds. Justin sniffed, and the air left Tenn’s lungs in a gasp.

That answered that question.

“What did I say about cooperation?” He glanced down at Tenn before reverting to his skyward glance. He tapped his throat with his free hand. “I can sense every movement you make. Struggling will just make it worse.”