Also, I really doubted Damien was whispering sweet nothings to her. Good grief, girl.
Her cheeks flamed. She stepped forward until we were toe-to-toe. “You’re not even from here. You're a mistake. An imposter. And I’m going to fix it! I’ll go to the emperor myself. Let him know his younger brother is keeping you tucked away like a dirty secret.”
That was the last straw.
Before Maeve could even blink, I shoved Gianna against the nearest stone pillar and wrapped my hand around her throat.
Her breath hitched, eyes widening in panic as I leaned in and placed my face inches from hers. “You think you can scare me, little girl? I've walked through blood and fought men twice your size who didn’t cry half as loud. You think I won’t snap your pretty little neck to protect what’s mine?”
She clawed at my wrist, feet lightly scuffing against the floor as I tightened my grip.
“I amnotArya. I amCat, and I'm not soft, and I'm not nice. Arya might have been a spoiled brat, but I’m worse… I actually bite. So the next time you decide to threaten me, you better make sure you can follow through. Because if you go running to Thorne, you'll be the first head on the chopping block. And if you think Damien will protect you after that, you're even dumber than you look.”
Gianna gasped for air, her eyes comically wide. “P-Please,” she begged.
I laughed sarcastically. “Nowyou have manners? How ironic.”
Maeve gently touched my elbow. “We need to go, my lady. Now.”
I looked at Gianna one last time, her face turning a little redder with each second. Reluctantly, I released her. She collapsed to the floor in a crumpled heap, gasping for air.
“You’re not even worth the dirt under my boots,” I said coldly. “Remember that.”
Maeve and I didn’t wait for her to regain her senses. We marched to the servants' door, the clang of my shoes echoing through the corridor. Outside, the carriage was waiting, the driver staring forward as though nothing had happened.
I climbed in first, Maeve close behind. The moment the door shut, my hands started to shake.
“You okay?” Maeve asked softly.
I looked out the window as the carriage lurched forward. “Yeah,” I whispered. “Just tired of playing nice.”
She didn’t reply, and we rode in silence for a time. But I could feel it—the shift.
Gianna was no longer an inconvenience.
She was a threat.
And I didn’t have the patience to play games anymore.
Not with the fate of this world hanging in the balance.
18
CAT
The carriage wheels groaned beneath us as we jolted down the cobbled road and the mansions and manicured hedges of the Northern District slowly gave way to tangled fences and the untamed horizon that loomed ahead. The moment I leaned forward and tapped on the wall behind the driver, I could feel Maeve's eyes drilling into the side of my head.
“Take us to the edge of Faelight Forest,” I called out, loud enough for the driver to hear over the rattle of the wheels.
“What?!” Maeve's gasp was a sharp contrast to the steady clip-clop of the horses. “Why in the Immortals' names would we gothere? That bargain with Klaus was broken, remember?”
I didn’t look at her right away. Instead, I kept my gaze fixed on the horizon where the trees in the distance looked less like foliage and more like the dark spines of some ancient beast curled along the earth. Faelight Forest. Beautiful. Deadly. And probably our only chance.
“That’s exactly why we should go,” I finally said, shifting back in my seat to meet her wide, incredulous eyes. “If there's anyone who would be just petty and pissed off enough to help us ruin Thorne, it's Klaus.”
Maeve shook her head, her voice sharp and frantic. “He's trapped, Cat. The bargain was null and void the second he failed to come to your aid. And you barely made it out of that forest alive last time!”
I smiled a slow, dangerous smile that made Maeve's eyes narrow even more. “Which is why I’m not goingintothe forest. I’m just going to stand at the edge and see who’s listening.”
