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“What game are you playing?” he demands again, biting out each word.

I lift my jaw obstinately and glare at him. “You need to back up.Now.” Belatedly, I realize that I once again switched languages. Only, this time, I spoke in Latin.

He smiles at me, and it’s so godsdamned wicked. “You think threats will work on me?” he respondsin Latin. A moment later, his hand comes to my neck, and it grips me softly. “Imake the threats now, wife,” he says, squeezing my throat just a little so his meaning is clear. “Answer my question.”

“This isn’t some game to me,” I say, reverting back to that other, unnamable language, the words rolling off my tongue. “This is my life.”

“Your life,” he echoes bitterly. “And have you been enjoying our time apart? All twenty centuries of it?” The more he speaks, the more his grip tightens on my throat.

“Have you eaten bad bread?” I say, which is apparently the old-school way of saying,What are you smoking?“Listen, my name is Selene, I’m twenty years old, and the first time I ever laid eyes on you was when I opened your tomb. I’m not your wife, and I didn’t betray you.”

As I speak, Memnon’s fury morphs into something colder and more resolute.

He stares at me for several seconds.

“So you’re determined to lie to me,” he finally says.

I want to scream. Did he hear nothing of what I just said?

He continues. “It’s been some time since you were around me, my queen, so perhaps you have forgotten just how I inspired fear into enemies’ hearts.”

All over again, I remember Kate, the murdered witch. The hand around my throat suddenly feels a whole lot more menacing than I’ve been treating it.

My eyes dart to my familiar. Nero is curled up on the kitchen rug, his eyes closed.

Why is he sleeping right now?

“Nero,” I gasp out, trying to get his attention. His ears flick and his tail twitches, but his eyes remain closed.

“Nero?” Memnon repeats. The venom in his voice has my attention snapping back to him. “What does that swine have to do with anything? Did you betray me for him? Even after what he tried to do to you?”

Whatthe fuckis he talking about?

“My familiar.” I wheeze. “His name…is Nero.”

Memnon’s frown deepens. “No, it’s not.”

Wow. The goddess-damned audacity of this man.

“Nero,” I snap, ready to slip into the panther’s mind to wake him.

Before I can, my big cat gets up, stretching his limbs a little, then saunters over.

Fuckingfinally. There’s the show of solidarity I’ve been waiting for—

Nero walks right up to Memnon and rubs his face against the sorcerer’s leg.

What the…?

“Really?” I wheeze out. I’m being held by the throat, and Nero thinks he should make friends with Memnon?Memnon?

My familiar is defective.

“You expect me to believe any of your lies?” The sorcerer’s eyes sweep over the room. “Or this farce of a life you’ve made for yourself?

“You cannot expect me to believe that you went from ruling the most powerful nation on Api’s good earth tothis.” He curls his upper lip as he takes in the kitchen before refocusing his attention on me. “And that mockery of your magic you demonstrated earlier this evening? That was a joke, right?”

The way he says that last part…shit, he must’ve seen the entire amulet recipe. Not my proudest moment.