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"If you're going to throw me in the dungeons," I said in a dead voice, "just do it. I don't care."

"What the fuck happened?" a coarse voice snapped.

Renna stalked into the room behind Lili, with—with Tali right beside her. There was also a woman with a long, silver braid and tanned skin who I didn't know, but she followed, too.

I swallowed. Licked my dry lips. Renna fixed her sharp gaze on me, making it clear she expected an answer.

"Wynvail's dead," I said in that same empty tone, staring at the knife in my hand.

"And?" Renna demanded, crossing the room with long strides. "Don't we hate that bastard?"

"He's my mate. And he's dead."

"Oh, honey," Lili breathed, sympathy softening her whole expression, widening her brown eyes.

Honey.Honey.

That word echoed louder than a death knell, and an axe of brutal pain hacked my chest open.

My knees finally gave out; I crashed into the carpet, tears landing on the dark swirling fabric.

Awful, hiccupping sobs possessed my body, and I didn't know how to make them stop.

CHAPTER6

Iended up bundled onto one of the huge, squishy sofas, Tali's massive red head resting on my knees as she made low, soothing sounds to comfort me. I couldn't stop the tears flowing, couldn't seize control of my breathing long enough to make the sobs stop.

Someone stroked my hair, and it made me cry harder. Even Renna was quiet, not snapping for once. No one pressed me for details until I stopped choking on my own breath, until my cries died out.

I jumped when a warm hand uncurled my fingers from the first where my fingernails bit into my palm, and a teacup was pressed into my palm by the woman with the silver braid.

"Who are you?" I asked, surprised by the scratchy quality of my voice and how quiet it came out.

"Asta," she replied, patting my hand before she backed away, sitting on the arm of the chair where Renna loomed, turning over a small knife in her purple fingers. "Renna's wife."

"Oh." I was so wrecked that I didn't respond to that news appropriately. It was a different sort of numb in my chest now; before, ice had blocked off my emotions. Now I was hollowed out, all feelings cried out until I struggled to feel anything but gnawing loss.

"Drink your tea," Asta ordered, her voice soft but steely.

I didn't bother to argue; I brought the cup to my mouth for a sip—and choked on the taste of moss and mould. "Ugh, that's awful."

Renna pointed her knife at me, but she obviously felt bad for me because she didn't verbalise her warning.

"Nothing healing ever tastes good," Asta replied good-naturedly, nodding at my cup again. "It'll soothe your emotions for an hour or so."

Well, in that case… I lifted the cup and chugged it like a pint of ale, not stopping until there were only a few leaves in the bottom.

I felt the effect almost instantly, and the clarity was brutal. My bottom lip wobbled. I couldn't hide under numbness or grief anymore.

I might as well get the interrogation underway.

"Go on," I choked out, setting the cup on the floor at my feet and—accepting the salted cracker Asta passed to me. Where did she even get it from?1"Ask the questions I can see you're dying to."

"What happened?" Renna exploded, like she'd been barely keeping the question in. "The last time you were here, you wanted Wynvail dead and now you're broken over his death? Did he have a personality transplant?"

"Renna," Asta chided, giving her wife a disapproving look that, to my immense surprise, made Renna sigh and shoot me an apologetic look.

"No, it's a fair question," I murmured, clearing my throat and staring at the cracker uneaten in my hand. Lili leaned closer, nothing but sympathy on her tanned face. "I did want him dead. I hated him. I called him a monster and—" My throat tightened, my voice a squeak. "I called him so many awful things. I stabbed him, for gods’ sakes."