Sawyer stood behind Venay’s chair, leaning casually against the wall like this wasn’t the first time he and Sebastian had done something like this. In all honesty, it probably wasn’t.
“She took the suppressant?” I asked.
“Like a champ,” Sawyer replied with a wink.
Venay thrashed, her silver hair flying as she tried to release herself from her shackles. “Archer will rip you to shreds when he hears about this,” she hissed, more so towards Sebastian and Sawyer than me.
“I am confident that he will never hear about this,” Sebastian answered coldly, then he gave me a slight nod to begin.
I shook my hands out, blowing out a deep breath as I closed my eyes and calmed my mind. Normally, I’d keep them open, but with the two men who I had kissed standing before me, I needed all the help I could get.
I felt Venay’s empty mental barriers as my magic began to spark. I ignored her cursing and manipulative requests, tuning her voice out. My cheekbone pricked at my skin as my power pulled from my constellastones.
Fuck, I hope this worked.
I let my eyes drift open in tune with my command. “Tell me if you are working with Cyprian Beaumont.”
Venay couldn’t fight my power. Her silver eyes widened with realization as she spat out the truth. “I am.”
I heard Sebastian’s sharp exhale from over my shoulder.
“Tell me what you did to Cicily's journal,” I ordered, pulling the truth free by the invisible rope of my power.
The admission came pouring out of her filthy mouth. “I didn’t want you to see what was inside. When I reversed the enchantment, I also wiped the pages.”
Just like we had suspected.
I chose my words very carefully, turning my questions into commands while not giving her any time to get a word out between. “Tell me if there is a way to get the writing back?”
“There is not. It is gone forever.”
Fuck.
“Tell me if you read the journal before you wiped it.”
Venay pulled at her wrists, trying to break free from her bounds. “I did.”
“Did you—I mean,tell meif you told Beaumont what was written.”
Her silver hair swept across her lips, forcing her to blow out a puff of air. “I didn’t have to. He has read it for himself.”
“Tell me how.”
“I showed him it. I undid the enchantments for him to read the book. It has information in it that he needs to build the empire he is creating for us,” she growled, realizing that she was divulging sacred information, but not having any control over her words.
Us?
“Tell me who you mean byus.”
“Cyprian and myself.”
My eyebrows drew back. Was shewithBeaumont? I thought she was with Archer, but maybe their whole relationship was just a part of her plan.
“Come on, Maeve,” Sebastian urged, noting how her words had left me flustered.
Focusing back on the questions I prepared, I interrupted Venay’s disgruntled argument. “Is Archer in on all of this?”
She didn’t respond, and my heart stopped beating.
