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Normal. Not a witch.

For two years, he’d been trying to hunt down and unmask the Crimson Moth. But what if he’d been wasting his time? What if, all along, it was Cressida who was the true threat and walking amongst them? At the thought, bile rose, burning in his throat. He swallowed thickly.

“Seems like your raid was unsuccessful,” said Harrow, frowning, as they returned to the entrance of the print shop.

“They must have heard us enter the building.”

Up ahead, the three soldiers he’d sent into the alley were returning empty-handed. Leaving Harrow and Gideon, Lailawent to grill the soldiers on what they’d seen. Gideon should send one of them to arrest the print shop owner and bring him to headquarters for questioning. Before the man fled.

Gideon stared through the windows of the print shop ahead. The lights were on, and he saw soldiers searching the premises. There might not be witches within, but there could be some clue as to what they’d been meeting about.

When Laila was out of earshot, Harrow reached for Gideon’s arm, stopping him from entering the shop. “How did things go with Rune? Did you get what you needed from her?”

Gideon winced. This was not a conversation he wanted to have right now.

“I changed my mind.”

Harrow slit her eyes. “What?”

“About Rune. It makes no sense. If she was secretly saving witches, why would Cressida have tried to kill her the other night? The simplest explanation is that we were wrong. She isn’t a witch.”

And I can’t sleep with the girl my brother is in love with.

“Maybe,” she said. “Or maybe not.”

“Harrow—”

“Hear me out.” She held up a slim hand. “The Crimson Moth doesn’t kill witches; she saves them, right?”

He crossed his arms, waiting for her point.

“The other night, the Good Commander gave her no choice but to kill Seraphine when he called Rune to the platform and handed her a purging knife. If Rune is the Moth, she would never purge another witch, and it was a matter of seconds before everyone watching realized. Cressida’s spell could have just as easily been a diversion. It interrupted the purging, preventing Rune from revealing herself while also making her look like a target. The two are just as likely to be in league with each other.”

Gideon frowned, not liking how much sense this made.

“Or,” he argued, “Rune isn’t a witch, and Cressida interceded to stop her from killing Seraphine.”

“But you can’t know for certain which it is, can you? Not until you sleep with Rune and find her scars.”

The words planted a seed of doubt inside Gideon. He didn’t want it there. He wanted to dig it up and stomp on it.

“Catching the Crimson Moth is no longer the priority,” he told her. “We need to find Cressida and put a stop to whatever she’s planning.”

“Why are you suddenly so reluctant to see this through?” said Harrow, her gaze searching him. “If Rune is the Moth, and the Moth is in league with Cressida, catching the former will help you put a stop to the latter.”

That seed of doubt sprouted into a full-fledged weed, spreading through him, choking out his defenses. Harrow’s logic was sound, and it worried Gideon that he’d considered none of this.

Suddenly, Harrow barked a laugh.

“Oh, Comrade. Tell me you didn’t.” Gideon glanced over and found her eyes crinkling. “Thisis a twist I didn’t expect!”

“What are you on about?” He turned back toward the print shop, heading for the door.

“You went and fell in love with that pretty little socialite.”

Gideon flinched, halting at the shop entrance.

Harrow stepped lightly around him, smirking as she entered the shop. “Why else would you give up so easily?”