Page 22 of The Shadow Sanctum

The space between Thorne’s eyes wrinkles. “She’s…?”

Dead.

I almost say the word but hold it back. Thorne and I don’t lie to each other. That’s Sawyer’s and my thing.

He knows the answer anyway.

“As far as the Shadow Sanctum is concerned, she’s dead,” I say with finality.

Thorne blinks. He stares off for a moment before nodding. Relieved, I think. He liked Liberty.

A knock on the door draws our attention.

“Who is it?” Thorne calls.

Joshua—fellow Keeper and one of Thorne’s oldest friends—opens the door.

“Hello, Your Grace.” He bows. “Forgive me for interrupting, but⁠—”

Sandy blond hair flashes as Joshua crashes against the doorjamb. Sawyer wedges through with a look of urgency that raises the hairs on my arms.

If it weren’t for his searching eyes, flicking over my body, I’d be worried. The way he looks at me … as though I’m a fragile toy who left his sight…

“Hey.” His gaze settles on mine. He hasn’t so much as thrown Thorne a glance. “Are you okay?”

My itchy eyes narrow. “Am I okay?”

“He said it was an emergency,” Joshua blurts.

“She’s fine.” Thorne’s shoulders widen as he steps in front of me. “Luna isn’t your concern. Your concern is…” He pauses. Shakes his head. “I don’t even know what we need you for anymore. But you are not welcome⁠—”

“Thorne.” He looks over his shoulder to see my raised hand, then obediently steps to the side. No argument. No anger. My loyal love, once again.

My palm slaps my side. “What do you want, Dreg?”

Sawyer’s head rears back. With surprise, I think, but then there’s a cringe that’s almost … pained. The blue of his irises glistens with it. “Are you serious?”

I look an inch past his right ear and ignore the heat that crawls up my neck. The welts on my backside suddenly burn, though I know the sensation must be in my head. But it feels very real.

Thorne watches me closely enough for everyone to hear the unspoken question. He’ll never ask it, and I’d never answer.

“Your initiation test will take place this afternoon. You need to go back to the training house and wait. Someone will come get you when it’s time.”

There’s a moment of reprieve when he looks at Thorne, but the heat of his gaze is back before I take a full breath. “There’s something I need to talk to you about.”

Something he needs to talk to me about…

I can’t even begin to know which thing to dread.

The riding crop. The tears. The sex. The … words.

It will never happen again. I’m sorry for dragging him into such depravity in the first place… I told him so.

Nothing else needs said.

“Just go, Dreg. Whatever you need to say, you can say it when you’re an honored member of our society. As it is, I’ve already given you too much attention.”

I lift a hand to signal for Joshua to take Sawyer away. For the first time since Sawyer entered, I make the mistake of looking into his eyes—and pause at the disdain etched into his expression. It’s the look I feared last night.