phin

ammed open and then shut behind me. The sharp click of t

n't move. He just stood by the door, his chest rising and falling in deep, ragged breaths, hi

pered wall until my shoulder blades were pressed flat. He slamm

refused to acknowledge. "Why are you doing t

he confusion in his eyes, the genuine, pathe

calm. "This sham of a relationship? This family that

te against the wall. "Down there, in the conser

amily started. You don't get a medal for that. Where were you this morning, when y

, almost imperceptible shi

"I knew about the tea," he mumb

an cold. "

s words coming faster now, a desperate attempt to expl

ng suspicion dawning in my m

him in a torrent of misplaced self-righteousness.

d. "What are yo

me features into something ugly. "Her health is so fragile! The healers said

g in the air, obsc

as if this were a perfectly reasonable solution. "A variant of wolfsbane. It's harmle

fsb

een pois

tematically

doctor. The shame. The feeling of being broken, of my own body

otect

ted to

nded part of my soul. It was the sound of the last, final piece of my heart shattering into dust. I laughe

in his eyes now. This reaction was not in his playbook. He

ords, slapping his hand away wit

e chest. He stumbled back

spered, the soun

taring at me, his mout

, pointing a tremblin

ama, a frantic pounding

voice was tight with panic. "It's Lilith! She's coughing

Damien was i

away by a wave of pure, unadulterated terror for her. His mate bond t

n't he

n't lo

say anot

locked the door, and

. A cold draft snaked into the room, carryi

d the laughter finally died in my throat.

A pale, tear-streaked face stared back at me, but

dead end. The law o

ower in this world h

ur-poster bed to a loose floorboard I'd discovered months ago. Beneath it was a sm

al bills. Two fake passports with two differen

ck. I pulled on a dark, hooded windbreaker and a

other with

e back gardens, the ones that were never guarded. I slid th

ting into the darkness of the man

he capital. I was h