Legacy Disowned - Book 2

Chapter 11 - The More You Say, the Less I Know

Ominis held his breath, trying to maintain a calm facade as he sat next to Darling. Her erratic heartbeat seemed to reverberate through his very being and he could feel the anxiety in her every breath. It was like the world had been turned upside down as she sat there in a state of panic while Sebastian casually accepted an envelope from Alphonse Burke.

"This contains everything you need to know," Burke said easily. "You will find the blueprints of the estate and an etching of the necklace in question. It holds a rather nasty curse so make sure not to touch it directly."

Sebastian hummed his understanding, flipping through the pages. "Very well. If there's nothing else—"

"No, that will be all. When you decide how many staff positions you need, give Vinnie the number and nothing more."

Burke snapped his fingers and Ominis heard the sound of his flunky opening the door. "I'll see you three on the Solstice."

Sebastian stood first, making his way for the exit. Ominis quickly followed, staying close to Darling and using the magic pulsing through his feet to keep a read on her. She was still breathing rapidly and her heart continued to race all the way down the stairs. It wasn't until they reached the bottom that she finally spoke.

"I'm going for a flight," she murmured. "Clear my head."

"Hold on now—" Ominis began, but Sebastian placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Let her go," he whispered, and Ominis was hit with the cool breeze as Darling opened the door and left the pub.

"We need to talk."

"Whatever we need to discuss we do it with Darling present—"

"Not here." Sebastian interrupted, stepping around him to stride out into the night.

Ominis clenched his fists in frustration, taking a deep steadying breath before following. Sebastian was already a good ways down the lane, and he had to jog to catch up.

Neither said a word until they were safely across the bridge and out of the village where Ominis sent out a quick pulse of magic to ensure there was nobody in earshot. The moment he confirmed it was safe, he snapped.

"Sebastian, what the bloody hell was that? How could you agree to that deal so easily?"

"I had to," Sebastian replied seriously. "This is our last chance to save Anne. We have to take it. This was what we all agreed on."

Ominis pressed his fingers to his temples in an attempt to compose himself. They had decided to accept the offer beforehand. So why did it feel like this whole thing was spiralling out of control?

"Sebastian, Darling's heart—" he started, his voice cracking. "Something was very wrong in there—"

"I know," Sebastian said, and Ominis heard him running a hand through his hair, always a sign of anxiety. "That's why I couldn't let her be the one to close the deal."

Ominis felt his brows knit together as he struggled to follow Sebastian's logic.

"All of this is for Anne, my sister." Sebastian explained with a shaky sigh. "That's the only reason we are even considering working with that slime at all. This has to be my deal. That part of Darling's life is supposed to be over, and I intend to keep it that way."

A soft breeze rustled around them, causing Ominis to shudder involuntarily. He didn't want Darling getting pulled back into that lifestyle again either, but was this truly the best way?

Sebastian began pacing as he went on. "I don't care if she wants to fly all over the countryside with Vinnie —if that's what she wants— Just so long as she doesn't get it in her head that she still takes orders from Alphonse Burke."