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Saber was shaking her head furiously, and tears dripped down her cheeks.
“Saber,” he said. “I’m sorry, but it’s better this way. Better for you to know what I am.”
Ysidra’s smooth laugh turned into a cackle. She was delighted.
“You always judged us,” Ysidra snarled at Ansel. “Even when you were a part of it, you judged us. The truth is that you’re no better than we are.”
“Us?” Ansel asked in his hollow, quiet voice. “All your friends are dead, Ysidra.”
“You’re right,” she said, and for a moment her face softened. “You could have stopped it, but you didn’t.”
Ansel gazed at her with his still-blank expression.
“Instead, you held a human life higher than your fellow vampire’s. I can’t forgive you for that, Ansel.”
“I haven’t asked for your forgiveness.”
Ysidra grabbed Saber again, pulling her close, but Ansel spoke again.
“If you hurt her, I won’t give you any money, Ysidra. Come on, now, you know it’s the only leverage you have over me. Not evenyouare so erratic.”
“Do you love her?”
Ansel smiled a sad smile. Ysidra’s eyes widened, and it looked like there were black, sticky tears forming in the corners.
“Do you loveherlike you once loved me?”
“I never loved you, Ysidra. I only thought you were interesting.”
“But not anymore.”
“No, not especially. And I was probably wrong then, too. You were just a fun, beautiful girl with an obsession.”
Ysidra and Saber both flinched.
“How much money?” Ysidra asked, and her voice had a certain desperate quality.
“Ten million,” Ansel said flatly, “and this littlestuntwon’t work on me again. If there was any part of me left that was human, you’ve certainly killed it now.”
“Ten million,” Ysidra sighed. “Maybe that will work.”
“And if you agree, you’ll leave the island, and never ever seek revenge on Lozen, Saber, or her friends.”
Ysidra made a purring sound, laughing.
“Sure. I don’t care about them. I’ll make new children.”
“Saber, Lozen,” Ansel said, his voice taut, “you’re free. Go.Now.”
Saber launched away from Ysidra as fast as she could, and grabbed Lozen by the hand, yanking her. She also grabbedSophie, who stood dumbfounded, but let Saber drag her from the atrium stumbling.
“Run to my car,” Saber shouted at Lozen and Sophie who seemed sluggish and dazed.
“Why are we running?” Lozen asked.
“I don’t know,” Saber said. “I don’t trust Ysidra not to change her mind.”
“What’s going on?” Mia shouted from across the lawn. Elijah stood beside her, and presumably Doug was in the car.
