He leaned menacingly forward.
“And then I mistook Holly for Adalwolf’s murderer, but once again it was you.” Cobon burst out of his chair, knocking it over with a BANG that made Hailey jump. He leaned over the table and continued in a biting voice. “I couldn’t put my hands on her to hasten her death—I thought she’d destroy me—I had to wait, and they ravaged her. Had I known, she never would have suffered at the hands of those buffoons—so you see,” he told her with a frosty voice, “it’s your fault…what she endured. It should have been you.”
Hailey felt the blood leave her head, and Asher took her hand in his, brushing his thumb over her knuckles.
“And then there was Mary Lash,” Cobon continued, sounding far less affected as he paced around the room. “That was pure rage,” he said kindly, but then his tone darkened. “She was supposed to lure your sister into the van, you see—I never told her to take the girl’s foot… She did that on her own,” Cobon said, frowning. “Well, you can’t trust a wretch, can you?”
Something sincere stirred in his eyes—a sadness. He blinked a few times and turned his now penetrating gaze to Hailey.
“But you haven’t come to talk about Mrs. Lash, have you? No doubt you’re curious about what Asher intends to do to you. I can only imagine your hesitation to oblige him, but there’s really no reason to fear this, and I’m on the edge of my seat with anticipation. Do you have any questions?”
When Hailey pressed her mouth into a stern line, Cobon frowned.
“Perhaps you’d like some untainted wine my dear? To loosen yourtongue…?”
Hailey shook her head slowly, unable to find her voice, because her brain was still too busy reliving the moment she found Holly’s shoe. She shivered in her seat, and Asher leaned to stroke her cheek. Hailey sighed, pushing the memory of her sister’s foot from her head as she focused on Asher’s touch.
“Something unpleasant was it?” Cobon looked from Hailey to Asher and back to Hailey. “In your mind, I mean—not the image of a foot again, I hope.” He pulled his lips back in a wicked smile. Then he whipped his head forward and stared in disapproval at Asher, whose hand still glided across Hailey’s cheek.
“Do try to contain your repugnant displays in my house.”
Hailey put her hand over Asher’s and brought it to her lap. She didn’t want to relax too much, and with Asher caressing her face, she was dropping her guard.
“Your love for her is but a shadow on the wall of a cave, you know,” Cobon said.
Asher said nothing, and Cobon’s eyes ignited.
“You compete for her affection with a rogue slave. You’ve left your challenger unchecked, and when you weren’t looking, he touched the one you love in a way she quite enjoyed.”
Hailey gasped—unintentionally, which provoked Cobon to smirk.
When Asher continued ignoring him, he slammed his fist on the stone table, sending a fissure down its length. Then he pulled his face into a wretched grimace and let out a cold laugh.
“You like that?” he said turning to Hailey and motioning to the crack in the table. “I learned that from a wretch. He made a similar slice through your sister.”
Hailey sat silent and still, though she could feel her brow knit, and her throat tightened. If she wasn’t careful, she’d blink and a tear could escape. That would give Cobon the satisfaction of knowing he’d made her cry, andthatwasn’t about to happen. She focused on building a wall in her mind and mentally punching Cobon in his rotting mouth.
“Speaking of dear Holly…” he pressed on, still looking directly at Hailey.
She stared straight ahead, squeezing her hand into so tight a fist, her fingernails drew blood.
“She didn’t put up much of a fight. Even when I finally pulled her soul, there was only a slight flare.”
He shrugged and turned to Asher.
“And how many of our brothers stood by while I destroyed her? All of them, I think. But you were there. You remember…the bystander effect.”
Hailey flicked her eyes at Asher, silently pleading for him to deny it.
But he sat straight, saying nothing and giving nothing away.
Heart hammering, Hailey swallowed hard. She couldn’t be goaded into mistrust. Not by Cobon-the-raving-psycho-ape-shit-crazy-Envoy.
“Did the mortician piece her together like a puzzle and stitch her up like Frankenstein, I wonder?” Cobon’s eyes studied Hailey. “Fodder for your dreams, Hailey-Khu…”
Hailey furrowed her brow. That was a Tomas word—one he’d usedbeforeDOPPLER got him. And it wasn’t German. It was obscure. He must’ve picked it up from somewhere, and now Hailey knew where.But why would Tomas be hanging around—
“—Still, I never wanted to hurt her,” Cobon continued, and a perfect tear rolled out of his eye. He let his tear drop to the table, where it glowed beautifully under the chandelier.
