Chapter 53

Delaney

We returned to the estate just as the sun was dipping behind the woods on the horizon, casting orange rays in the sky. I would have enjoyed the beauty, but not after my father's call earlier and the ache that I felt between my eyes, a stubborn throb that wouldn't go away.

Six more lives, I thought, shaking my head, ignoring the lingering look from Kai in the front seat. Six people, maybe fathers, daughters, mothers, or brothers, all innocent, would lose their lives, and all for what? A cold feeling wrapped around me as I stepped out of the SUV. Ronan brushed his hand against my lower back to steady me, but I stepped away, as if I didn't feel a spark flowing down my legs.

"I need to speak to you, urgently," I tried mind-linking Elias, but the message did not go through.

"Delaney, wait," Ronan called softly a