Silas sits taller. “Yes, to our understanding, he is gone.”
“I see,” she whispers.
I watch her intently, trying to see if I can spot any sense of relief or grief, but her face is as hard as Silas’s. No emotion shows behind her eyes, and that scares me, because the one thing I was hoping for was shock, which did not emerge from behind her eyes.
“Tell me what happened,” Aerona speaks again, her tone much harsher this time.
Silas stands and walks to the fireplace, momentarily lost in thought. I can’t blame him for taking a second. How could anyone comfortably explain this?
“He disappeared shortly after murdering Yara,” Silas blurts out.
Gods, so much for taking it easy.
Silas cuts his eyes to mine as Aerona pales.
“As you know, Mother, Malachi is a monster. How you’ve managed to deal with him for so long is something I will never understand. I am not here to sugarcoat things for you. I know you are also aware of Yara and her relationship with him.”
Aerona fidgets, making me think it’s due to embarrassment. “Your father had many suitors during our marriage. Their names blur together after a while.”
“It’s nothing to be ashamed of, Mother,” Silas says, turning to face her directly. “I don’t blame you for making sure he was well entertained to give you a break.”
She lowers her head, as if the weight of the memories forces her gaze down.
“I want you to know what he did. You need to know. I need you to understand who we are dealing with.”
Aerona lifts her gaze, and a pain moves through my chest. This is her life, and these are her children. She may not be perfect, but she is still their mother.
“Malachi made Yara slit her own throat, and we were there.”
Aerona pales, but her gaze doesn’t drop. “Stop, Silas.”
Silas pushes to continue, “We witnessed the entire thing.”
“Stop,” she repeats.
“He believed Yara betrayed him, and being who he is, he reacted the only way he knew how, which was by murdering someone he claimed to care about.”
Aerona abruptly stands. “He didn’t care for her, and I know who we’re dealing with, Silas.”
“Mom,” he rasps. “I just…”
“I am your mother. Don’t speak to me as if I’ve been blind my entire life.”
This is going great.
“I don’t think you are blind. I know you’ve witnessed his horrors. But so has Fen, and so have I. Malachi is gone, and I pray to every God listening that he never fucking returns.”
She huffs and turns her back for a moment, placing her trembling hands out of sight. Even though I hate this man, I can’t help but feel sorry for Aerona. Malachi, believe it or not, was her husband, someone she spent many years with, and I would guess at one point, she thought he loved her. It’s heartbreak and betrayal all in one.
“Did Malachi say anything to you before he left?” Aerona asks, with a shaky breath.
Silas glances at Larkin, Fen, and me, as if silently telling us to keep quiet. It isn’t my news to tell so, I sit back further in my chair. She notices my expression and gives me a cautious side-eye.
“No, nothing of importance. He was frantic,” Silas sharply responds.
“Did he speak of me?”
Silas hesitates and whispers, “No.”
