Chapter 136

Adelaide

My cheeks flushed as I ignored his gaze. I knew he was right, but he didn’t have to say it like that.

“I want you and Alaric to spend all the time you can with Violet.”

Those words…they didn’t sit right with me. It could only mean one thing.

“Grandpa, what did you see?” I asked cautiously.

Aelius shook his head. “You know better than to ask, child.”

Yes, I knew better—but right now, I didn’t care. All I wanted was a sign so I could at least know what to expect or when to expect it.

“Please,” I whispered, begging.

Aelius sniffed for a second, a habit of his when he knew he was about to share something he shouldn’t.

“Old friends will return,” he spoke, still remaining cryptic as ever. “And they will betray you.”

My stomach dropped.

No…

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Like every morning, I knelt by the creek in the woods, scrubbing the wooden bowls from the temple. It wasn’t because we had to, but because w