Page 201 of Commanding Blood And Bonds

She smiled devilishly and sheathed her blades.

“Well done, Prince,” she mocked, striding inside like she owned the place.

“One last question.”

“We’ll be lucky if we have the time.”

Carr’s call came again. “Cyrus!”

“The Crucible. You’re trying to complete it again, aren’t you?”

“By now you should know—I don’t try.”

“Not an answer.”

She peered through the curtains, hand on the deadbolt. I could knock her out, gag her, hand her over.

But the idea of Lonan touching her delicate throat...

“Wait.”

“No time, gotta go.”

She opened the door. I rushed to her side to close it.

“You’d be the death of me.”

“Hardly,” she snorted. “Her precious golden prince?”

“You burned Uptown. Killed our men. My men. Allying with you makes me a traitor.”

Her mask slipped for the first time, then worry flickered. “Cyrus. I very intentionally use non-lethal blows. They’re still my people. I didn’t kill anyone.”

“Two souls died Uptown.”

“Not by my hand.” She studied me. “You really didn’t know.”

“Who then?”

“A question for a different time.”

Nix slammed his fist into the door again. “Cyrus!”

“Answer me,” I said, grabbing her arm.

“You first.”

If she could get the crown, maybe I could reclaim something. Prove Charles had died for something real.

“Yes,” I said—before I’d even processed the full weight of it.

Treason. This would be treason.

Her eyes searched mine, scanning between them before giving one nod. Before I could respond, Freya was already moving. She eyed the bathroom, and its desperate lack of exits, her teeth digging into that full bottom lip. She glanced toward the neatly made king-size bed.

“Nice,” she breathed, yanking her sweater over her head and discarding it onto the ugly patterned carpet.

“What the fuck?”