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⊹ Book 1 of the Aldergrove Duology ⊹
After being told he has only six months left to live, Clementine decides to track down his sister's murderers, leading him to Aldergrove A...
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Clementine's heart pounded in his chest as he edged closer to the sunroom. His legs were shaking, his hands were aching to take the life of those final Ravenblood, and his body cried for rest. But he didn't want to give in—he couldn't. He was just moments away from finishing this and nothing was going to stop him.
He followed Sebastien through the halls lit by crystal chandeliers. Mathew hadn't long left to get to the yard door, and Mavis shrunk to a size no bigger than one's finger. When Sebastien nodded at an archway up ahead, Mavis flew towards it and perched herself behind the unlit lantern hanging above the doorframe.
This was it. In just a few moments, he'd come face to face with Lucinda and the final three Ravenblood. All he had to do was kill them...and his mission would be complete. The Ravenblood would be extinct. Anette's death would have been avenged and would forever mean something no one would forget. It was because of her that Clementine had chosen to hunt the Ravenblood down, and it would be because of her that years and years of unnecessary, unjustified suffering came to an end.
Clementine scowled determinedly as he breathed deeply and calmly, doing his best to calm down and prepare for what lay ahead. Sebastien glanced over at him and squeezed his hand—Clementine understood that as his way of telling him it was going to be fine, and he trusted Sebastien. He nodded and glared at the archway, ready to fight his final battle.
Voices came from within the room. Clementine wasn't able to make out what they were saying, but there were three female voices and only one male. That was right. If Clementine was remembering correctly, the last three Ravenblood were Lucinda, two girls, and one guy. But they were probably going to be some of Lucinda's strongest cronies, so they were going to have to be very careful. Clementine trusted his allies, though. They had this.
Despite his efforts to compose himself, his heart beat a little harder with each step he took, and when he followed Sebastien into the sunroom, he had to put all his strength into keeping his nerves at bay.
There they were. Lucinda and her three goons. Their conversation died down as they turned their heads to look at him and Sebastien. Lucinda's blown pupil was a whole lot more chilling than Clementine had imagined—it made her look like a rabid creature eager to attack whatever came her way. She didn't stand up when her goons did; she remained in her seat with one leg over the other, something of a smug grin on her pale, scarred face.
"I was wondering how long it would take you to show up," Lucinda said, her voice calm and sleek. Her goons stood ready to attack, baring their bird-like talons as they glared at Clementine and Sebastien. "You're the one that's been killing all my subordinates, aren't you?"
Clementine scowled, clenching his fists as Sebastien let go of his hand. "And now I'm gonna kill you," he said firmly.
Her crimson-painted lips stretched to form a smile as she dug her talons into the arms of her chair.
