Chapter 181

Edward was the first to step outside. Behind him, Margaret followed, crying as if her heart were breaking, while Evan shrank back, shoulders hunched, acting like a frightened quail. Sloane was so angry that she laughed. “So this isn’t a deserted house after all,” she said coolly. “Turns out there are quite a few ghosts wandering around.” Before today, she had only assumed that Dominic didn’t get along well with his family, much like herself, never truly valued at home. She never imagined that blood relatives could go this far. Using a nest of venomous snakes to deal with him. If she hadn’t insisted on coming along today. If it hadn’t been for the fact that she’d grown up in the mountains, learned how to repel insects and kill snakes as a matter of survival. She didn’t even want to imagine how catastrophic the outcome might have been. Almost without thinking, she stepped forward and positioned herself squarely in front of Dominic, her body tense, eyes sharp, guarding him against the peo