The questions continued for another excruciating twenty minutes. Lana probed every aspect of Monica’s fabricated history, watching Nadi’s reactions with scientific interest. Through it all, Nadi clutched the glass of blood, taking sips when directly observed while fighting to keep her expression neutral.
By the time Lana finally dismissed her, claiming she needed to attend to other wedding preparations, Nadi felt like she might collapse. She made her excuses and left the estate as quickly as politeness allowed, her stomach cramping with each step.
The moment she was safely in the car, she let out a pained groan and felt a cold sweat beading on her forehead.
Ivan looked at her with a furrowed brow. “Miss?”
“Just drive, Ivan. Justdrive.”She didn’t trust they weren’t being followed or observed. She needed to get somewhere she could retch in private. And that wasn’t until she was back in Raziel’s estate.
“What did she do?” Ivan muttered.
“Made me drink blood. A lot.”
Ivan grunted. “You going to be okay?”
“I’ll be fine. Justfucking drive,”Nadi ground out between her teeth.
But she wasn’t fine. Lana’s test had been obvious, meant to expose her true nature. The question was whether she’d passed or failed—and what Lana planned to do with the information either way.
As Ivan drove her back to Raziel’s estate, Nadi couldn’t shake the feeling that she’d just painted a target on her back. Tomorrow’s wedding was already dangerous enough without adding Lana’s suspicions to the mix.
But there was no turning back now. For better or worse, they were committed to their course.
She only hoped they’d all survive to see the consequences.
NINETEEN
Raziel was getting ready to leave and meet with Mael as the door to his office swung open at an alarming speed.
Nadi, wearing Monica’s face, stormed into his office, slammed the door behind her, and marched into his attached private bathroom.
Grinning, he couldn’t help it. “How was my sis?—”
“Shut thefuck u—”Nadi’s glamor shimmered and faded as she collapsed to her knees in front of his toilet, retching violently.
Raziel was on his feet in a split second, moving before he even processed he had done so. Running to her side, he saw what was happening.
Blood. She was retching up blood into the toilet. He let out a long, ragged sigh. “This was bound to happen. Lana made you drink?”
The poor, haggard-looking fae nodded weakly, her head resting on the edge of the toilet as she reached up to flush the contents of the bowl.
Taking the tie from his hair, he gently pulled her long black strands into a ponytail at the base of her neck. Then, he ran thefaucet and filled a cup of cold water as well as taking a washcloth and dampening it.
He had taken care of sick humans in his day. Yes, he had learned how to care for them because he had wanted to prolong their suffering—but that didn’t mean he didn’t knowhow.
“She was testing me.” Nadi’s voice was ragged. She was covered in a thin sheen of sweat. The poor thing had suffered for a long time, holding down that much blood for who knew how long. “To see if I was actually a v?—”
Wincing, he rubbed her back as she retched a second time into the toilet. That time, he flushed it for her once she finished and sat down on the marble floor of the half-bath.
Pressing the damp, cool compress to the back of her neck, he handed her another one to wipe her lips with. “And?”
“I don’t know if I passed. Lana’s not an idiot.” She let out a shaky breath. “Why couldn’tsomeonein your family be stupid?”
“Trust me.” Raziel chuckled. “I ask myself that question regularly.” He handed her the cup of water, noting how her hands still trembled. “Small sips. Let your stomach settle first.”
She accepted the cup, muttering thanks, and he found himself cataloging every detail of her condition—the pallor of her skin, the fine tremor in her fingers, the way she held herself as if her stomach still cramped. His sister had put her through hell, and for what? A test? A game?
“She had fresh blood, Raziel.” Nadi’s voice cracked with remembered revulsion. “She talked about how the donor was ‘spirited,’ how fear adds flavor. How he had screamed as he died. I had to sit there and pretend to enjoy it while she watched my reactions.”
