"Chloe." The name tore out of me before I could stop myself, and every head in the clearing turned toward the sound.
Victoria's eyes widened in horror. "Elena, no. Stay back."
The elderly man's gaze settled on me, cold assessment sweeping across my face, and something flickered behind his eyes that I recognized instantly, the same calculating recognition Damien had shown at the celebration.
"So," he said quietly. "The ghost finally shows herself."
"Let Chloe go," I said, stepping into the clearing despite Lucien's hand gripping my arm in warning.
"Elena," Lucien murmured urgently, but I shook him off, my attention fixed entirely on the frightened woman bound between the two armed men.
"You must be Elena Kingsley," the old man said, ignoring my demand entirely. "I've heard a great dea
