Page 21 of The Shadow Sanctum

I turn back to the mirror and gently pull the curtain to the side. My chest tightens with a held breath—how dramatic—but even that hardly prepares me for the sight of purple and red sloppily bloating a harsh, pale canvas. A purple ring forms around bloodshot eyes, a red slash cracking dull lips. No visible eyelashes to draw attention from swollen eyelids, no blush to even hint at femininity.

If it weren’t for the delicate cut of a jaw and the subtle curvature of breasts, there would be little to signal gender. Even the hair that occasionally favors a feminine flow is pulled into a tight knot at the base of the neck, invisible to those looking dead on.

I let the curtain fall back into place.

“There’s something I need to tell you,” Thorne says, his voice softening. “I tried to find you last night, but you weren’t in your room. Your father said you might have gone to the mines to get Sawyer Hansley.”

“Whatever jealousy you feel⁠—”

“Aiden was caught trying to sneak out the whore… Not Liberty, but the other one.”

My cheeks fall. I stay facing the covered mirror, my arms feeling so heavy, I release my wrist and let my hands hang like anchors at my sides.

“Does Father know?”

“No,” Thorne is quick to say. “Not yet.”

I close my eyes and take a deep breath.

Thorne’s heavy steps lead to my back, his large body hovering behind me. He rests his palm on my shoulder and squeezes. “Did you order him to do it, my love?”

My mouth stays shut for several moments. Not out of fear for what Thorne will think. I know what Thorne will think.

I’m simply exhausted.

“Yes.”

Thorne lets out a heavy breath, like he was afraid of the answer, though he must’ve known it was coming. “You know you can’t tell anyone.”

I know.

“Everyone knows Aiden would never act against my wishes.”

“And everyone also knows you wouldn’t act against the best interest of your people. If that woman had gotten out… There’s no telling the damage she could have done to us, Luna. She could have claimed anything, and the authorities would⁠—”

“If you hadn’t had her raped, it wouldn’t have been a problem.” Thorne’s hand slides from my shoulder as I face him. “The reason she isn’t listed as a victim of Sawyer’s island is because she never came forward. She was loyal to Sawyer, and she would’ve associated this place with him and remained loyal if you hadn’t done what you did.”

He frowns. Guilty. Pitiful.

But unconvinced.

And he’s right. It was risky to set Aubry and Liberty free. Too much depended on Sawyer, on the bond he formed with the women. And Sawyer is not to be depended on—regardless of what my primitive mind seems to believe.

I put my people in jeopardy. My own sister had to die for the same crime.

“You’re right, my love,” Thorne lies. “This is my fault… What do you want me to do now?”

I turn my head to stare at the curtain-covered mirror. Seconds tick by while I delay the inevitable, waiting for … What?

There is only one appropriate course of action.

“Kill her.”

The words come out so sharp; my chest grows painfully tight, as if my heart is literally freezing over.

Thorne nods, his chest deflated like he’s relieved by my decision.

“Incinerate the body and spread the word that there were two. I don’t want anyone wondering where Liberty is.”