Ralph squeezed his eyes shut for a moment. When he opened them, he swallowed hard. “Glissane. Your enemy here is Wizard Glissane.”
Both Fergus and Warren released a few choice words.
Fergus said, “Well, at least we know what we’re up against.”
“Why didn’t you say something before?” Warren asked. “Don’t you trust me?”
Kiara drew in an uneasy breath, her gaze fixed to Ralph. She hoped like anything he had a good explanation, or this would not go well.
“I couldn’t. Julio and his men came into the club every night always with threats. They said they knew I was friendly with you and if I knew what was good for myself, my club and my wolves, I’d stay out of his business on every front and that included avoiding the leader of the Caldion Pack.
“I knew Julio would be targeting your pack soon. I’m sorry, Alpha Warren, but I didn’t know what to do.”
Warren leaned back in his chair. “Then why did he come after your club if you’d kept silent?”
Ralph shrugged but glanced at Kiara. “I don’t know, but I think it has something to do with Kiara. It’s possible Glissane has an interest in her.” He shifted his gaze back to Warren. “Maybe Julio learned I was helping her rescue wolves out of some of the clubs he owns. That’s my best guess.”
Warren turned his head to look at Kiara. “Do you think either Julio or Glissane knows you have a refuge here?”
She shook her head. “I have no idea. I’ve tried to be discreet. Both Ralph and I have taken pains to avoid discovery. He would keep rescue wolves hidden in the safe room, sometimes for days, until we could sneak them out.”
“Do you think Julio knew you were involved, though? Is it possibl
e this attack was about you?”
She shook her head. “I doubt it. Even if Julio suspected I was saving wolves, why would he care?”
“Well, for one thing, if some of those women came out of his clubs, he wouldn’t like it.”
She shrugged. “It seems like a long shot. I don’t see why Julio would care one way or another about me.”
He placed his hand back on her knee. The warmth of his touch, even through her jeans, made her heart quiver. “What if this is more about Glissane like Ralph said? Maybe Glissane is after you. You’re more powerful than you know.”
At that, a cold chill went through her. She leaned back, her lips parting. Her gaze flickered back and forth as though searching for a place to land. She thought back and tried to recall a place where her path might have crossed Glissane’s, but she’d never met the wizard before. “Honestly, I’d be surprised if he even knew I existed.”
Warren shifted farther in her direction. “That’s where I think you’re wrong. He’s a wizard of enormous power who has come to Savage for no doubt a host of bad reasons. With that power, why wouldn’t he know about you? That’s the real question. If he’s able to use Julio as a host to subdue dozens of wolves all at the same time, maybe you’re not as invisible as you think.”
She pressed two fingers to her lips and wrapped her other arm around her stomach. She hadn’t given the wizard much thought at all. But Warren was right. Glissane was one of those men who didn’t seek the limelight, though by the power of his personality and his wizard abilities he could have easily owned the stage.
His reputation was simple: He was a true villain of darkness. The crimes rumored to belong to him were more often done in secret than in the open. He would prefer to remain invisible rather than risk exposure and possible retribution or imprisonment.
She knew Veyda had worked with a wizard, but she’d never known which one. She found she could hardly breathe as she travelled back to being tortured by the dark witch.
The smell of the poisoned paste returned to her with its acrid stench. She forced herself to move past the immediate, difficult memories in order to better examine the environs.
Part of the way she’d survived was by staring up at the ceiling, marveling at its beauty while the poison ate away at her skin and muscles and lit each nerve ending on fire. She’d pretend she was floating up there. Even as she screamed in pain, part of her was suspended in the air looking down at the brutal, medieval scene.
She went there now and searched her memories from a position near the ceiling. She mentally traveled the perimeter of the room.
She saw something she hadn’t noticed before. The air wavered in the south corner and she could now see how often Veyda turned in that direction and smiled. She even nodded more than once.
Then she understood. “Glissane was there. He was testing me. All that time.”
Warren’s voice brought her out of her reverie. “When was this?”
“During my incarceration in Veyda’s compound. When she used the poisoned paste on me, he was there. Glissane.”
“Are you remembering more?”