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Throwing that pitcher at his head was becoming more appealing with each passing second.

“What do you think you’re going to do with that dagger?” I asked.

“The same you would do with it.” Callum shot me a sideways look. “Just because you can’t kill with it doesn’t mean you can’t make it hurt.”

He had a point.

A muffled voice came through the doors, possibly belonging to Elias or another guard.

I looked again at the shadowstone dagger Callum held. “Should I be worried?”

“Every Primal knows better than to come near this part of the sanctuary.” The Revenant strode toward the doors. “Unless you misread what you felt, this Primal appears not to know better.”

“I didn’t misread anything,” I said as I glanced around the cage for a weapon even more useless than the dagger he held.

The truth was, if a Primal meant to do me harm while I was stuck in a cage, I was already dead.

The embers pulsed in my chest, almost as a reminder that I had them.

And I did.

Except, I didn’t think using them was all that wise given the headaches I’d been having.

Callum reached the doors just as they swung open, smacking right into him. He staggered back, cursing as a trickle of blood leaked from his nose. A startled laugh left me, but it faded quickly when I saw a stunning vision in off-white cross the threshold.

Veses.

Anger pounded through me, causing my muscles to tense. Faint twinges of pain radiated through my limbs. The crown was absent, and her blond ringlets were swept up and pinned with rubies, but she looked even better than when I’d seen her in the Council Hall, her color completely returned to her cheeks.

The Primal goddess glanced in Callum’s direction. “Oh.” Taking in the bloodied Revenant, a light brown eyebrow arched as I caught sight of a thin-lipped Elias outside the chamber. “You were standing behind the doors.” Her attention shifted from him to the cage—to me. Her full lips rose in a smile. “My apologies.”

“Apology unnecessary.” Callum dragged the back of his hand under his nose. “If you’re looking for Kolis, he is not here.”

“I’m not looking for him.” Smoothing a hand over an ivory-clad hip, she took a step forward. For once, her gown was more modest than the one I wore. I couldn’t see even a hint of her breasts. “Hello.”

“Fuck you,” I replied.

Her throaty laugh grated on my skin as she took another step.

Callum shadowed her. “Why are you here?”

Slowly, she turned her head to Callum. The air charged, sparking over my skin. Callum felt it, too. His spine stiffened, but he didn’t back off. Reluctant respect flashed through me, but it was brief as he sheathed his dagger. “Again, why are you here, Your Highness?”

Her smile deepened. “As I already told Elias, I came to speak with Seraphena.”

“That’s not—”

“And as I also informed Elias, denying me would be seriously unwise.”

Callum held his ground. “It would be seriously unwise for you to defy His Majesty’s orders.”

Veses’ features tightened as she raised one hand. The doors swung shut in Elias’s face. She focused on Callum, and for a moment, I wasn’t exactly sure who I’d root for in a fight between them.

“I do not intend for Kolis to know I’m here.” Veses placed a finger on Callum’s lips, one with a black-painted nail instead of red. “Which means I do not intend for you or any of his guards to run and tell him. But I don’t think you will. I also believe you will ensure his guards don’t.”

“And why would you think that?” I asked, walking toward the chests. “Callum is an…ever-faithful servant.”

Veses smirked as her gaze flicked to me. “Because, unbeknownst to Callum, he and I share something in common.”