Beautiful Salvation by Jennifer Blackstream Read Free Book Online Page B

companions. “There are jaguars that live in the briars. They are guardians, loyal to me even in my reduced state. They will not harm you and I must ask you not to harm them.”
     
    Etienne’s skin shivered and he narrowed his eyes to amber slits. He took a step back, but his gaze didn’t waver and his stance remained alert, aggressive.
     
    “Why don’t we move inside?” Adonis armed himself with his usual easy smile and headed in the direction of the front door, his stride approaching his signature swagger. He waved a hand in the air and a cigarette appeared between his fingertips. The faint scent of cloves trickled into the air as he rolled the vice between his fingertips a few times, then blew on the end. The tip burst into bright tangerine flame. A cloud of smoke enveloped him as he sucked in a chestful of smoke and exhaled through his nostrils, eyes glowing a bright cherry red and giving him a draconic appearance amidst the smoke. “Shall we?”
     
    Saamal obligingly led them into the mess of briars. Wood groaned around him, sharp thorns cracking as the enchanted woods pulled aside to allow him through. “The balam coaxed the briars to grow as a sort of protection spell to guard the sleeping palace. I don’t fully understand the enchantment, but I have yet to have a problem with them.”
     
    “An enchanting welcome.”
     
    Etienne groaned at Adonis’ quip and Saamal shook his head. His companions stayed close, following in his wake, and for a moment, Saamal reflected on how strange it was to not be alone as he travelled this path. It wasn’t an entirely unpleasant sensation.
     
    “What is your castle built from?” Etienne ran a hand over the baluster leading up to the front door, brow furrowed as he stared at the smooth carved surface.
     
    “Looks like brimstone.” Adonis leaned back, peering up at the towers rising like spearheads into the sky. “The skyline of the whole place looks like it’d be more at home in some monster’s mouth. I’ve never seen towers come to quite that fine a point.”
     
    “The stone looks like it’s actually drinking the light.” Etienne glanced over his shoulder at Saamal. “Is it brimstone?”
     
    Saamal lifted a shoulder in a tired shrug. “I don’t believe the castle was originally constructed from brimstone. It is more likely that the drain on my land has drawn the life from the stone, reduced it to a darker state.”
     
    Etienne narrowed his eyes. “Stone isn’t alive.”
     
    “Everything is alive, my friend,” Saamal corrected him. He kept his eyes on the front door, resisting the urge to look at the land behind him. “Everything can be robbed of its energy, left to wither and die. Why do you think stone crumbles?”
     
    The werewolf fell silent, the lines between his brows remaining. Saamal took the lead as they reached the front door. The massive wood creaked as he drew the doors open, a sound befitting the mood of the eerily silent palace. They progressed into the main foyer and a rustle of clothing caught Saamal’s attention. Etienne was stripping out of his clothes—a process that did not take long, since the trousers were all he wore.
     
    It took him a moment to think of what to say. “Are you uncomfortable, Etienne?”
     
    The werewolf rolled his shoulders, standing naked as he took in his surroundings. “I’m going to shift and have a look around, make sure there’s no one here who shouldn’t be. Who’s supposed to be here?”
     
    “Everyone.”
     
    Adonis and Etienne both frowned. Saamal pinched the bridge of his nose.
     
    “I told you, the balam put the entire palace to sleep. They will wake after Aiyana wakes. Until then, the castle’s entire population, from king to servant, is all here, all having fallen asleep in the midst of their duties.”
     
    Adonis paused with his cigarette halfway to his lips. “Will it affect us?”
     
    “No. It was meant to work on all who were present at the time of casting, so there