Luna’s milky skin.
His—
Stop it.
Thorne rolls his head toward me. His eyes narrow at my mouth.
I clamp my teeth.
“I’m not in the mood to humor you,” he says. “I doubt I’ll ever be in the mood again. So why don’t you just say what you really want so I can tell you no and you can piss off?”
“The girl…I just need a minute with her. Is Aurelius… Is Luna preoccupied?”
Thorne rolls his eyes and goes back to admiring the stars. Or—judging by his expression—hating them. “She’s asleep.”
“Oh,” I say, without anything to follow. I rub the back of my neck, gaze wandering to the door. At least twenty rooms and a basement await on the other side, with Keepers, the help, and Aurelius to guard it.
“In Aurelius’s bed?” I ask when I can’t help it.Foolish, impulsive. “Is he asleep as well? If not, I’d like to speak to him.”
“So speak to him.”
“Thanks for the permission.” I force out a scoff. “But it’ll be most helpful if you tell me where heis?”
No response.
“Is he with the girl?” My voice is more annoyed than anxious.Good. “Because it isveryimportant to her initiation that I?—”
Thorne groans, deep and rumbly. He says nothing as he rubs at his forehead, eyelids half-hooded, mouth sunken. Not exhausted.Troubled.
A pin pricks my chest, then another, and another until I hold my breath and clench my hands inside my hoodie pocket.
“Did something happen?” I ask, my pitch a little too high.
“Yes,” Thorne spits. “Youhappened. I swear to God, this is not the time to pretend to care about Luna. You wanna talk to Aurelius, find him yourself. Tonight…” He huffs. “I amoff duty.”
I look toward the front door; almost take a step. But the plan in my mind slowly unravels while I let it play. If I’m honest, it was never any good to begin with.
I turn back to look at Thorne but instead of seeing him in the present, I see his arm wrapped around Luna, his face soft for her,kindfor her. His glare the one and only time I asked for his help, theangerrolling off him while he watched me force Luna to bed. The food he brought her; his hatred for me.
He isdangerous, but right now … he could help.
“Okay,” I say with a nod. I walk up a few steps toward him to try and draw his eyes, but his head doesn’t budge. “I’ll stop pretending to care about her if you admit that you do.”
When he looks at me, his eyes narrow.
“I can see it all over your face.” I take another step his way. “You don’t like this. You know how depraved Aurelius’s goals are, how depravedIam. You know this is wrong.”
“I will do what’s best for my people at all costs,” he says like a robot repeating an automated response. Or like a guy who grew up in a cult.
“Isn’t Luna included in that now? You help her, you’re helping your people.”
“Oh, Sawyer…” Thorne laughs bitterly and rubs his hand over his forehead.
“Tonight will not be the only night Aurelius rapes her, Thorne. He’s going to do it again and again before passing her off, and then he’ll do it to dozens of other girls. Is that really something you think you can stomach? Is that the type of man that you are?”
Tension floods the air as Thorne’s enormous muscles wind. He sits up and turns his body toward me, nostrils flaring. If I saw him in the sunlight, I’d say he looked angry. In the light of the lanterns that line the staircase, he looks enraged.
“Is that the type of man thatIam?” He stands and stalks the few feet toward me. He stands over me like the giant that he is, his chin level with the top of my head—David and Great-Value Goliath. I almost smile at the ridiculousness of the thought but don’t. I keep my eyes pinned to his, my jaw tight.
