Page 96 of Silk and Sirens

There was a stubborn clench of her jaw, but I saw the raw pain flickering beneath it. “I didn’t know.”

I dragged the flat of the knife slowly down the side of her throat, right over where I’d already cut her. “You expect me to believe that?”

“I’d never …” Her voice faltered, breath catching hard enough that she had to steady herself before continuing. “I’d never have agreed if I thought she’d do something like that. The supplements were supposed to make you aroused, that’s all.”

She swallowed hard.

“It was always supposed to be your choice whether you touched her.”

It hit me like a blade between the ribs. I remembered the conversation I’d overheard between her and her father. The way her voice had gone flat as she spoke about the rape.

A primeval, murderous rage coiled tight around my lungs, squeezing until I could barely breathe. It made me want to hunt down every person who had ever laid a hand on her, make them suffer until they begged for the mercy she’d never been given.

She must’ve seen the fury on my face, thinking it was aimed at her.

“I never wanted to hurt you,” she whispered.

I tilted my head slightly, studying her like I could tear the truth out of her by force alone. “Which side are you really on, Aeris?”

“Mine,” she replied instantly, fire flashing in her eyes despite the ropes biting into her wrists and my steel pressed to her throat. “I’m on my side.”

Her chest rose sharply with the force of her breath.

“I’ve put myself in danger by giving you everything I have. I told you about Selene’s plans, her weaknesses, the offshore accounts … everything. I’m helping you set the trap so you can destroy her from the inside out. I’ve given you what you need to protect yourself, to protect Sebastian and Langdon.” Her voice cracked slightly, the words seeming to tear out of her. “But that doesn’t mean I’m not still her puppet. She holds the leash on my family.”

Her eyes locked onto mine, fierce despite the trepidation flickering beneath it.

“One wrong move … and they pay for it.”

Silence stretched between us as I searched her face, looking for the lie I was certain I’d find, but all I found was raw fear, determination, and exhaustion.

Slowly, I lowered the knife. “How far did she get?” I asked.

Aeris stiffened. “Caden …”

“Answer the fucking question.”

“She didn’t.” Her lips pressed together briefly, but the relief flickering across her face was genuine. “She gave you too much. You passed out before she could do anything, then she panicked and called me.”

“Why did you call for help?”

Aeris let out a shaky, bitter laugh. “What do you want me to say?”

Her gaze lifted to mine again, glassy with emotion she was trying hard not to show.

“I was terrified. You were lying there unconscious … completely defenceless, and I—” She broke off, swallowing hard. “I called the only person I knew wouldn’t hurt you.”

The words hit harder than they should have.

“Even though they might have killed you for it?”

She held my gaze without flinching, silence my only answer.

The confession hung heavy between us, and after a long moment I reached behind her. With two quick, careful slices, I cut through the ropes.

Aeris rubbed her reddened wrists, watching me warily, as if she still expected me to change my mind and slit her throat.

“I’m sorry,” she whispered. “I didn’t know it’d go that far.”