I grabbed the bottle of wine still on my desk from our last meeting and threw it at her. She snatched it midair, quick as lightning, then tossed it at the back of Kieran’s head. He gracefullyreached behind to catch it around the neck, uncorked it with a single motion, and began pouring three glasses from the liquor cart by the gray couch.
“Oh, Nox? There was one more thing we forgot to mention,” Tessa said. The hesitancy in her voice made my gaze flick up with a raised eyebrow.
She shot a look at Kieran. “Kieran?”
“Don’t look at me. I’m not the one who brought this up.”
She scowled. “Okay, fine. Coward.” With a sigh, she finally said, “The maids saidithappened again. Last night. Almost tore the door down this time.”
A quiet growl built in the back of my throat.Not again.
A vision of red hair and brilliant blue-green eyes passed through my mind, followed by a wave of distrust. This wasnotwhat I wanted to spend my evening doing before I had to meet Scarven.
The normally vacant tower of my Keep was now occupied by Devora, a spy and traitor to our empire. That girl had been a thorn in my side ever since she betrayed one of my best friends, the empress of the Veridian Empire, at the end of summer.
Empress Clarissa had far too much going on to deal with a prisoner, what with her coronation, wedding, and trying to patch together our broken empire on the heels of her deranged predecessor. So I, being thegood friendI was, volunteered to keep Devora under my watch until Rissa decided what to do with her.
I was a glorified holding cell.
I sucked on my teeth as I stood, keeping my palms planted on the desk. “Wonderful. Guess I need to pay our guest a littlevisit.”
Tessa raised an eyebrow. “How much longer do you plan to keep her here, anyway? It’s been months.”
“Maybe until Clarissa and I are sure she won’t turn around and stab us in the back.Again.”
“Play nice, Nox,” Tessa warned.
I narrowed my eyes in a wicked grin. “I’m always nice, darling.”
2
Devora
Thick tears fell from my cheeks and landed on the fur clutched in my grip. I pulled the dead creature tighter to me, burying my face in its red coat. Everything was stained with its blood. My hands, my clothes, the field beneath my feet.
“Get up, girl,” a cold voice behind me said. “We don’t have much time.”
I could barely see through the tears, but I’d know that voice anywhere. I slowly turned to take in those stern features, the arched eyebrows, the brown-and-gray hair coiled into a tight bun.
Lady Reaux looked at me with disgust, sharp eyes full of dismissal. “Quit your crying. Don’t forget, this wasyouridea, Devora. See it through, or we’ll do things my way.”
The dream shifted. I was standing before the skeleton of an enormous bonfire—easily three times my height. The fox dragged behind me, its weight making my muscles ache and my heart crack.
Every time was the same. I begged to skip this part of the dream, pleaded with my own mind to let me wake up.
It never worked.
I forced back choked cries as I hoisted the innocent animal onto a stake, its limp body giving way and falling back onto me. Once it finallystood tall, the fox stared down at me, golden eyes now lifeless and hollow. They swallowed me. Consumed me.
But the dream wavered once more. Blind panic crawled up my throat.
The image of the fox was replaced with dark onyx eyes. Long, wavy blonde hair cascaded over fair skin, with a crown of emeralds atop her head. The ends of her light hair were soaked in crimson. Blood seeped from her neck, turning her golden dress a fiery red.
Her dead eyes locked onto mine as a disembodied voice echoed around me. “How could you?” she cried, voice scratchy and rough to my ears. “You were supposed to be my friend. They’re going to kill me because of you.”
With a roar, flames burst from the firewood and leapt onto the stake.
“No!” I screamed, clawing at the wood. This wasn’t what happened—she was supposed to live?—
