Patricia Briggs

Maybe if he’d been able to give him more warning? If he’d told Bran everything when he’d first come to Aspen Creek years ago?

Too late, too late.

Asil wasn’t troubled by modesty. He knew his own strengths, which were many—and he’d fallen victim to her. He didn’t know why he’d managed to convince himself that Bran would be able to resist her when he hadn’t been able to.

At least she didn’t know who Bran was. Yet.

He wished it had been Samuel in the woods instead of Charles. Charles was a thug, a killer. He didn’t say much, just lurked silently behind his father to inspire the terror that Bran should have been able to cause by himself if he weren’t so concerned with looking like a harmless boy.

Asil’d seen Charles in action a time or two—and he was impressive, Asil had to give that to him.

Charles might be strong and swift, but what they needed here was

“So I told him—” Auriele stopped talking abruptly