Blood of the Wolf: The Crown (Mackenzie Grey Book 11), Karina Espinosa [top 10 ebook reader txt] 📗

the ginger ale. It quickly eased my stomach and I felt as if I could relax.

“Fenrir and Raven will be here soon for yer meeting, and then ye have training with Ophelia,” William reminded me, and I nodded.

Fenrir and Raven had requested a meeting for today, and I wondered what it was about since we’d just spoken the other day. I couldn’t imagine Raven would have spilled the beans to Fenrir. Though if she did, we were in serious trouble.

I’d prolonged starting my training with Ophelia for far too long. She finally called me out on it and made sure to schedule time with me. I didn’t know what good it would do since I was actively trying to get rid of the fae magic in my blood, but I wasn’t going to tell her that.

The doors to the dining hall opened and Fenrir and Raven strolled in, escorted by guards. They approached and took seats at the table to my left.

“Little wolf,” Fenrir greeted. “I see you’re not doing too well.” He motioned to the plate of toast and ginger ale.

“Mind your business,” I snarled. “You wanted a meeting? Well, you got it. Now what do you want?”

Raven held up a hand and smirked. “That would be because of me.” She leaned on the table and rested her head on her hand. “I had an idea.”

“Not a very bright one,” Fenrir grumbled.

She kicked his chair leg and he grunted as his knee banged the underside of the table.

“As I was saying,” she continued, shooting him a pointed look, “I thought of a way we could find some more information on Abaddon.”

I perked up. “Oh, really? Do carry on.” If the Summits couldn’t find information on him, this could be my back-up plan.

“There are other princes of Hell. Why don’t we go to the Underworld and find one? Maybe we could figure out what Abaddon is doing here,” Raven said.

“How the hell do we get to the Underworld?” I asked. The idea was insane.

Raven grinned. “I’m a Valkyrie. I can travel between realms. It’s one of the perks.” She winked.

“Little wolf looks as if she’s about to puke.” Fenrir leaned away since he was the closest to me.

I shook my head and waved him off. “No, I’m fine. I just—this is a lot to take in. Why are you telling me? You could just go yourself.”

Raven bit her lip and winced. “Well … here’s the thing. If you come with us, Abaddon might follow us into the Underworld and then we’d have a chance of trapping him there.”

Fenrir sighed. “See? Not a very bright idea.”

“How so?” I asked.

“Because,” Fenrir started, “for starters, you’re the Queen. No one’s letting you go to literal Hell!” he laughed. “Next, Abaddon’s not stupid enough to follow us into the Underworld and get caught. Also, what’s so special about little wolf anyway? What could he possibly want?”

I looked away, unwilling to answer.

“Who knows, Fen?” Raven said. “But whatever it is, he wants it bad, and I’m willing to bet he’d follow that ass all the way to hell to get it.”

I exhaled loudly. “Fenrir’s right; there’s no way they’ll let me go. Especially … now.” I insinuated my current situation without stating it since there were guards lingering around. I felt like a kid who had to ask her parents for permission to go to the movies. In my case, I was freakin’ pregnant and on severe lockdown.

“If Abaddon follows us into the Underworld, he can’t get back to our realm unless we bring him with us. He’ll be stuck,” Raven said.

My eyes alighted with intrigue. This was an opportunity we couldn’t miss. It could end everything in one swift move—if he was dumb enough to follow. The question was, was he?

I had to figure out a way to frame this up to Alexander, Bash, and Ranulf so they wouldn’t freak out. Maybe if Bash came with me, it wouldn’t be so bad.

“Okay,” I said. “I’ll propose the idea to the others. When do you want to leave?”

“This weekend,” she answered without skipping a beat.

I shook my head. “I have the funeral for the fallen lycan this weekend. How about afterward?” If I’m not kidnapped by Charles, that is, I thought to myself.

“That works,” Raven agreed and turned to Fenrir. “You in?”

He sighed dramatically. “Do I have a choice?”

She smirked. “Nope.”

He threw his hands in the air. “Then that’s your answer.”

The castle parlor was a small room on the first floor of the castle where expansive windows lined the wall, allowing the sun’s rays to brighten the space. I’d heard Alexander refer to it as the solar, and he sometimes greeted guests there since it was sort of like a sitting room. The fireplace was lit, infusing the room with warmth against the cold that threatened outside. Rich, cherry wood paneled walls matched well with the pair of dark leather sofas and the heavy wooden coffee table perched in between them. The walls were lined with expensive artwork, giving the room a dramatic, moody feel. I rarely ever came in here, but Ophelia and I needed a quiet space to practice.

When I entered the parlor, she was already sitting on the leather sofa, sipping on tea with a few guards scattered around the room to keep watch.

“Ah, Mackenzie, ye have arrived!” Ophelia set her teacup and saucer on the coffee table before her with unerring precision, despite her inability to see.

“Apologies, my last meeting ran behind schedule.” I took a seat on the sofa in front of her. “Thank you for taking the time to train me. I know you’re busy.”

She smiled. “Nae as busy as ye.” Her milky white eyes glistened against the sun filtering through the windows behind me.

“So … how does this work?” I asked, settling into my seat.

Ophelia placed her delicate hands on her knees and took a deep breath. “Ye must first close yer eyes, Mackenzie. Ye must see with yer ears.”

I snorted but did as she said.