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Still, his stupid words were really getting under my skin. The fury in his tone wouldn’t stop echoing in my head. It wasn’t fair. If he’d known Mr. Amelle was under the mask, then why let me attack him?

I scoffed as it clicked. These fuckers played me just like their past guardians. And for what? I was still here, wasn’t I? I wasn’t going to disappoint Lace. I wouldn’t be another failed guardian to add to the CEG’s failing reputation.

“I need to get up.”

My room was growing stuffy with my thoughts, the bed worsening it. Thankfully, there weren’t any memories resurfacing within the bright purple walls, but they were definitely stirring my head. But that might have been the medication.

The light that engulfed my room and the warmth from the window immediately melted the frostiness from my skin. My head rested against the glass as I basked in it.

Trees stretched for miles as mountains hinted along the distance. There was no road extending after the gates as if the house led to a dead end. Or was one.

My eyes stumbled on the massive greenhouse beneath my window. I’d come across it during my rounds, but it was my first time really taking it in. The flowers were coordinated by height, and the garden beds were parallel to each other in between curved pathways.

Someone caught my attention.

Alek’s gaze hung low, his broad shoulders poised as he roamed through the paths in long strides. With each patch, he stopped to inspect, his angular features softening. Even his bowlike lips shadowed a smile that began to slip—

I stopped myself.

Even if the Alek outside seemed different, he was still a dick like his brothers. He played me like the rest of them. He wasn’t worth admiring for his looks, even if he was pretty.

One second, Alek was dusting himself off; the next, his eyes fell on my window. My reflexes were quick to catch on, my body tumbling to the ground away from view.

“Shit.”

Of course, he noticed me staring. Vampires had astute instincts, a quality cherry-picked for guardians.

But my hero knocked on my room before I could think back on it.

My shoulders instantly straightened when Sonia came into view. “Follow me.” I fell behind her without a second thought.

She rarely walked freely around the house. Like Tristan, they’d fade into the darkness and dash away from view. Now she walked elegantly with careful steps. She turned toward a hidden stairway at the beginning of the other wing.

The bright purple walls clashed against the seven brothers sitting in the living room.

Shit.

Sonia paused beside me once we climbed down the stairs and bowed. I followed her, my stature stiff as I took in their cold gazes. I should have been on guard, but with my duties relieved, I couldn’t bother to face them with a mask. They’d shown me their true selves. I’ll do the same.

“Ms. Eli,” said Christopher, his voice deep yet dull. He sat next to a throne-looking chair, both him and Noah shrinking in size compared to it.

A large, mocking smile drilled into Noah’s face while his legs crossed along his chair’s arms. “Oh, look at you! You’ve lost weight, haven’t you?” He clicked his tongue. “You see! I was troubled by the idea of her being kept concealed in her room for so long. She’s not a maiden that should be caged in a tower, Brother."

Kaleb huffed as he lay back on the sofa with crossed arms. “Spewing nonsense without failure.” Christopher turned his face to him, Kaleb quick to bite against his lips and avoided his gaze.

“Mr. Christopher wishes to clear a few things,” Sonia stated.

Christopher nodded and redirected his sight onto mine, his light green eyes cool and reserved like his posture. “There are many things to address, Ms. Eli, beginning with my brother’s actions. He pulled an excuse of a scheme for a reason that is not worth mentioning and periled not simply our safety but the Ambrogio’s as well. He also created a ruckus before the replacement periods of guardians, which jeopardized two of the. . . more long-term guardians.” Christopher’s nostril slightly flared as his shoulders rolled.

My stomach fluttered, the butterflies soaring through my throat. “Long-term guardians?” I blurted a little too loudly.

“We acquitted you of your duties to recover alongside Mr. Amelle. The scheme took a toll on both of you.” Christopher’s eyes landed on Kaleb. “We all sincerely apologize for allowing our brother to go unsupervised.”

Noah intercepted, “And Katerina—I can call you that, correct?— please be assured that the scheme was not a collective decision but rather one-sided. Truthfully, if we had all orchestrated such an act, you wouldn’t have survived.” His laughter deepened.

Kaleb rolled his eyes and bowed swiftly, the motion a blur as he said, “My sincerest apologies.”

His tone was flatter than a sheet of paper. He didn’t give a fuck about what he’d done.