Page 232 of Blade of the Nightking

“You’re a monster.”

He set one blade aside and calmly reached for the next. "So I've heard."

I couldn't bear it. Couldn't bear the thought of him pretending to be Aedric. Worse still, I couldn't bear the thought of me pretending he was Aedric—smiling at him, touching him, standing at his side while everyone in this Court believed he was my true mate. I couldn't do it.

"I let you siphon off me and this is what you do with it?" I hated the sting of tears that burned behind my eyes.

His fingers tightened almost imperceptibly around the hilt of his dagger.

"Trust me, Eidra," he said quietly, "if there's one person on this continent I'd rather not be... it's him."

"Why?” I threw my hands into the air. “Why him? Why are we even here?"

Rìan ran his thumb against the edge of the blade. "Because Thalassis and Aedric are friends. It wouldn't raise suspicion for Aedric to bring his mate to Pelaga after Solmire. His Court is grieving. The world is changing. A visit between allies is expected."

"We’re supposed to be searching for the Gate."

"We are. But since we happen to stand out rather conspicuously…” He glanced pointedly at my skin. “... it’s considerably safer to hide in plain sight, as a guest to the High Lord of this Court. Thalassis believes he invited us here. No one will question it.”

“Only because you’re in their minds!”

He shrugged. “Take comfort in the fact that you restored my magic⁠—”

“There’s very little comfort in that.”

“—and thanks to you, we're still alive. We can continue our search for the second well.”

“Some thanks.”

He leveled me with a flat look before continuing. "You're going to have to trust me. Trust that I’m handling this the right way."

I scoffed. "The way you handled Elyndra the right way, you mean?"

He slammed the dagger down on the table with enough force that the other blades jumped.

"Elyndra made a mistake," he ground out. "But in the end, she did the honorable thing. And so did I."

I barked out a laugh. "You?" I shook my head. "You don't even know what honor is."

The strain in his expression only stoked the fire raging inside me.

"You slither into people's minds. You steal people's choices. You lie as easily as you breathe. You walked into that room wearing Aedric's face and let one of his oldest allies welcome you like a brother."

The cords in his neck stood out as he fought to rein in his temper. "Aedric⁠—"

"Aedric is honorable." I cut him off, the words sharp enough to draw blood. "He sacrificed everything to keep Elantis safe—so people can close their eyes at night without fearing that a monster like you will slip into their minds and make puppets of them." I shook my head, revulsion curdling in my stomach. "And now you dare to masquerade as him. It makes me sick."

Fury transformed his face with such startling ferocity that, for the first time since entering the chambers, my outrage wavered. "You think he is honorable?" He took a threatening step toward me.

I lifted my chin. “I know he is.”

"Then tell me, Eidra." A razor-edged smile curved Rìan's mouth. "Was it honor that made him hunt down every last member of your race?"

I opened my mouth. "It wasn't⁠—"

"Was it honor when he watched them all die?"

"Thalassis said⁠—"