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“Stole?” She pretended offense.

I had to keep my eyes on Voski, had to maintain the façade of being entranced by him. But the hair on my arms prickled when the air around her chilled. She stood to her feet elegantly, smoothing her skirts, eyeing her son.

“We both know you wouldn’t have survived it,” she said quietly, snipping the words off with her teeth. “I saved your life.”

“You set me against my father and stood back to see which of us would fall.”

“Thank God, it was him.”

“God has no place in your mouth, Mother.”

She smirked as if he’d made a joke. “You’re bold, Vane, I’ll allow you that.”

He dropped his chin and fixed her with a look as frigid as hers. For a breath, the resemblance between mother and son was breathtaking.

“However it came to me, I hold the mark,” she said. “You are the only human being on earth whom I might consider passing it to. But you have a long way to go to earn it without killing me. And let us not forget that every Cruor in the Territories heralds me as Dominus.”

The smile that spread on Voski’s face was so predatory, it was terrifying. He leaned down over her until they must have felt each other’s breath. “You have done an admirable job of holding it, Mother. But you and I both know, once I am revealed, every Cruor in possession of a cock will stand behind me. Out of respect for your maternal loins, I am here to claim my bride—finally—and offer you this chance to return what is rightfully mine. But if you do not, I will take it from you as surely as I took it from him.”

Her smile was small, but pointed. She leaned in as if they shared a secret. “I handed you the mark, let you learn the truth about both your father and your lover. Don’t turn my regard for you, my only son, into something ugly.”

He chuckled, then turned from her, tugging me to my feet and quietly urging me toward the passage where I’d hidden. I turned and darted toward it as if I’d been bespelled. But I was glad that he spoke to her before I was out of the room.

“Your ugliness is apparent without my help, Mother. Think on what I said. We’ll speak again tomorrow.”

“Oh, it will be sooner than that,” she sighed.

I slipped into the dark passageway before letting my expression widen with both shock and petty delight at the cutting way he’d bid her farewell. But the moment he stepped into the passageway and locked the hidden door, he slumped.

I hurried back to him, to hold him, but he shook his head. ‘No, we have to get out of here. She knows the passages. I don’t know if she’s told her servants, but just in case… continue the ruse.’

Swallowing the words that I wanted to offer to comfort him, I nodded and started through the passageways. But my heart beat hard against my ribs.

When we made it back to Breckon’s apartment, Voski slipped ahead of me to assess whether the quarters were empty. When he determined that they were, he crept out, through Breckon’s bedchamber, then listened at the door to my sitting room, beckoning me forward moments later.

I hurried to him. “Thank God, I was worried—”

“There’s no time, Grace. I have to get out of here before any of the servants return. Thank you,” he said grimly, dropping a quick kiss to my lips, then drawing away immediately. “She’ll come to you. I’m sure of it. So prepare—exactly as we discussed last night.”

“I will, but—”

“There’s no time,” he repeated. Then put a hand to my back to urge me into my sitting room, squeezed my hand as I passed him, then disappeared, closing the door between the rooms swiftly, and silently. Leaving me standing there, staring at a closed door, frowning.

It took a moment to remember that we didn’t have to be present in the same room to speak. I reached for him in the link. ‘I know that was difficult, but you did so well. You appeared untouched.’

‘Perhaps,’ he sent, his tone distracted. ‘She is very perceptive. But we laid the right foundations. I’ll keep working on her.’

‘Let me help.’

‘Of course. I couldn’t do this without you, Grace.’

‘No, I mean, let me comfort you. Let me—’ I sucked in a breath as a quiet knock sounded on the door.

A moment later, it opened—which meant whoever was at its other side had been passed by the guards.

The oldest of them leaned around the door, found me with his eyes, then stepped inside to bow. “My lady, the Lady Ashford requests a visit.”

My breath rushed out of me. “Please, send her in,” I said as tonelessly as I was able. But I should have known the words weren’t needed. The guard had already disappeared. And when the door closed, it was to reveal the beautiful, mature woman standing just inside it, hands clasped at her waist, staring at me with glittering eyes.