?


    I shook my head, but Enzo''s gaze never wavered, and I knew that I couldn''t hide it anymore.


    "I''m afraid," I whispered. "I''m afraid that I''ll need to kill Selena tonight. And when I was in the portal when we came to rescue you, I..." My voice faltered. I couldn''t continue any longer, and another sob escaped my lips.


    "I know," Enzo replied. "I''ve heard the legend. But it''s just that. a legend."


    "But what if it''s not?" I cried. "What if I don''t have a choice?"


    Enzo shook his head. "Do you trust me?" he said.


    I wiped my tears with the back of my hand. "W-What?"


    "Do you trust me?" He spoke slowly, deliberately. Even in the darkness, I could see his soft brown eyes fixed unwaveringly on me. I nodded, biting my lower lip to stop it from quivering. "Yes," I replied. "I trust you."


    "Good." Enzo stood and took the shlight out of my hand, then began to lead me further into the tunnels. "All you have to do tonight is trust me. Nothing else."


    As we continued to walk through the tunnels, Enzo''s words echoed in my mind. They mixed with the words that Frank said earlier, was that all I needed to do? Have faith that things would work out? But there were so many things that could go wrong. How could I have faith when my entire soul was filled with nothing but dread?


    At some point, we reached the end of one of the tunnels. There was a wooden door at the end. Enzo put his finger over his lips to indicate for me to be quiet before he slowly pushed on the door, then peered out for a few moments. Once it seemed that the coast was clear, he pushed it open the rest of the way and ushered me out.


    There was a set of stone steps in front of the door with a heavy tapestry blocking the way. I slowly pulled the tapestry aside, keeping an eye out for any guards, but no one was there. In fact, I quickly realized that we seemed to be in some sort of enormous dining room. The room was dark and empty, and when Enzo stopped beside me and spoke, even his whispers echoed throughout the massive arched ceilings.


    "The banquet hall," he whispered. "It makes sense that there would be a tunnel entrance here. Assassins love the chaos of parties."


    I swallowed nervously and nodded as I looked around. I could only imagine the terror that woulde along with discovering that someone at your own party was poisoned or killed in some other way, the screaming, the people running around, the crying children... I tried not to think about it.


    As I looked around, I noticed that the walls were painted with ornate depictions of what looked like werewolves and humans. I took a step closer to get a better look.All content ? N/.?vel/Dr/ama.Org.


    The first panel depicted humans and wolves running together with the light of the full moon over them. The wolves were enormous; three times the size of any of the humans. But some of the humans rode on the backs of the werewolves, weapons in hand, as though they were allies.


    I took in a sharp breath when I saw the second panel.


    The humans became violent. A man stood over one of the wolves with his spear plunged into its chest and his foot on its head, looking victorious. The other wolves scattered and fled. If I closed my eyes for a second, I felt as though I could picture it.


    The third panel depicted the wolves, walking solemnly through the forest. They seemed to be following some sort of faint light. But I couldn''t make out what it was, because the next panel was tom to shreds.


    "The fourth panel was ruined when the Crescents attacked twenty years ago," a female voice suddenly said from behind me.


    Enzo and I both gasped. I dropped my phone onto the marble floor and spun around, feeling my heart drop when I saw who was standing behind me.


    "Selena."