Page 51

“Isn’t vanity, like, a sin?”

Her sharp green stare cut to Juniper. “I’m not acting vain.”

“Sure you are. I’m not judging. That’s what girls do.”

“Well, I do not.”

How did she bounce from a fresh-faced innocence to a lethal predator so seamlessly? Perhaps it was a gift, a survival tactic from living within a stringent patriarchy. Was the innocence an act or genuinely part of her character? Such questions made her wonder how self-serving Adriel might be if this ex of hers found them.

“Why didn’t you help me?”

“I beg your pardon?” A cold chill rushed through the air.

She hadn’t meant the outburst to sound so accusatory, but she needed to understand her part in all of this. “You were there, outside of that room, whenever they held those meetings. You could have helped me.”

“I couldn’t?—”

“Bullshit. You’re small, but you’re far from helpless. I watched you attack that man an hour ago.”

“I did not attack him. He was sedated. And that’s different. He was mortal?—”

“So am I.”

Adriel’s frown deepened. “You’re not. You’re something…other.I can scent it in your blood, and your body heals without the aid of intentional magick.”

Apparently, they had both been studying eachother. “Well, I’m at leasthalfmortal.” That was the half she liked.

“And the other half? There’s more than sorcery in your blood.” When she remained silent, Adriel sighed. “Had I helped you, there would have been severe consequences. The elders forbid us from interceding in council business.”

So, despite injustice, she put her own safety first—just like the others. Good to know.

“Juniper, if I could have done something, I would have?—”

“Do you know what they did to me?”

Her lips pressed tight, but she did not look away. “From the hall, where I sat, I could hear most of the inquisitions.”

Juniper’s jaw locked as memories of torture flooded her mind. She wanted Adriel to admit she’d been complicit. How could anyone have simply sat through such awful treatment?

What if, on some level, she believed Juniper deserved their cruelty?

“Hearing isn’t the same as living through it.” She couldn’t hide the anger in her voice. “First, they removed all of my clothes. Could you hear that?”

Adriel lifted her chin but didn’t respond.

“I had to stand there, in front of a hundred immortal men, as they searched my body for markings. Could you hear my tears falling? Probably not because of that filthy blindfold they forced me to wear. Had I not been gagged like abridled horse, you might have even heard me cry.”

“If I’d had a choice, I would have helped.”

“Youdidhave a choice. You chose to sit there and do nothing.”

She didn’t deny it. She just held her stare, not looking remorseful or self-righteous. Just… there.

“Could you hear me when they brought in a basin and held me underwater?”

“Please stop?—”

“Yes, that’s what I screamed against the muzzle. But no one heard me.”