Page 168

And Ilaugh.

“Good on you,” I say, not even caring about the implications. If Liberty Sinclaire took away Rufus’ ability to create, then she’s a fucking badass, and I’d tell it to anyone who asked.

“You’re right about your father being a controlling prick.” She takes a gulp of wine while handing me a clean pair of pajamas. “He had everyone who crossed his path in a chokehold. One wrong move and he’d make our lives hell. It’s why I hid Verity from him for as long as I could.” Justice grabs one of the bangles on her wrist and holds on. She offers him a smile, even though her eyes look haunted. “You know what he was capable of, Pace, and that’s why I held onto the secrets. It’s why Danner took them to the grave.”

I look up at her, and from her expression, it’s clear she has more to say, but can’t bring herself to do it. I pick up Justice and nestle him carefully in the crook of my arm. “What are you trying to say?”

There’s a long moment where I think she’s just going to blow it off. But then she says, “Your mother—Odette. I knew her.” She takes a deep breath. “We grew up together.”

Tensing, anxiety tightens my throat. I’ve learned not to get my hopes up, but still, I ask, “You did?”

She gazes into her glass, a wistfulness crossing her features. “Non-Royals had a little more freedom to socialize together. We went to the same parties, hung out down by the river, flirted with boys at the Fury.” She smiles at the memory. “We had a lot of fun, but then she applied for the job of handmaiden to the Princess. She was devoted to Miranda, and later, her son.” An airy laugh escapes her. “We were all shocked when she was invited to the masquerade the next year. Even more so when she received the title.” She touches a smudge of lipstick on the edge of her glass. “That, among other things, was the reason Ihated to lose Verity to East End. I knew that a Princess would be so consumed with her ‘duties’ that she completely lost touch with the outside world. It’s hard,” she stresses, meeting my gaze, “being torn between the territory you love and the one you have a duty to.”

I think back to how we managed every moment of Verity’s day—how Father kept us busy with sports, school, and events. There’s a certain kind of power in that type of discipline.

“Someone told me once that my birth father was DKS.” The bitter taste Bruce Oakfield’s intel used to give me has tempered over time.

“You know who your father is?” she asks, face showing surprise.

“Lex confirmed it.” I’m not sure Pauly wants the world to know his business. When he’s ready to claim it, he can.

Luckily, she doesn’t ask for a name. “Odette would’ve kept it a secret for all of your safety. By the time word trickled over to West End that she was expecting, I was dealing with the fallout of the hurricane and my own pregnancy.” She looks down at Justice. “But it makes sense for your father to be from West End. She was always drawn to the men on my side of town.”

There’s a heaviness in the air so I just cut to it. “I’m aware of what Rufus did to my mother—Danner told me that much. I know he…” The words feel brittle in my throat, voice cracking. “He locked her up in the dungeon after she got pregnant as punishment for being unfaithful. I know I was… born there.” The irony hits hard. All my wanting to lock away the people I love, yet I was born in a cell. I hold back the rage—barely. “I also know he agreed to send me away if she agreed to his terms. Danner just…” Frustrated, I huff. “He didn’t tell me what those terms were.”

Verity’s mother takes a careful sip of her wine before looking at me, her eyes glassy and tired. “Do you want to know whathappened? It’s not pretty, but with Rufus gone, I feel…” Visibly struggling to find the words, she pauses, nodding. “I feel like I can finally tell the truth without retribution on any of us.” She gives me a miserable smile. “But Pace, sometimes it’s better to let things rest. You do have a family now. You have two brothers. My daughter loves you, and I know you love her as much as you love that sweet boy you’re holding.”

I look down at Justice, remembering the day Verity set us free. She looked so fierce and beautiful as she sliced that knife over Rufus’ throat, announcing the name she’d given to our son. Only, it wasn’t just a name. It was a promise all of us made to East End that night. And to each other.

“Justice can’t be served without knowing the truth,” I conclude, meeting Liberty’s sad gaze. “Tell me.”

She watches me perch on the edge of the bed with a drawn expression. “After you were born,” she begins, wrapping her hands around the glass, “your father put Odette to work at the Gentlemen’s Chamber.”

“He made her strip?” I ask, clutching Justice close. When she nods, my stomach sinks. “That son of a fucking bitch.”

“She was a novelty,” Mama B explains, her eyes looking far away at the memory. “A former Princess available to the masses. Men could stuff her garter with cash, and she’d have to serve them. But he didn’t just keep her around to humiliate her.” Here, she shifts, her discomfort a palpable thing. “He knew she was fertile and he was still pissed at the betrayal. Bitter. Because she and some random West Ender created life out of thin air, and he couldn’t get anyone pregnant. But god, did he try.”

I think I understand the guilt in her eyes now, watching as she recalls the consequences of making a man like Rufus Ashby—a man who was raised to believe his own house motto—infertile.

I force myself to hear her words, already anticipating what’s coming.

“Over the next few years, he raped her,” she bluntly says, eyes growing flinty. “It wasn’t called that, of course. Rufus was a King and Odette was his to do with as he pleased—especially since he was the only one who knew where her son was.” Suddenly, she barks a dark, vicious laugh. “And she did eventually get pregnant, but here’s the kicker. The baby didn’t belong to him.” Dipping her chin, she pins me with a significant look. “Theydidn’t belong to him.”

My tongue sticks in my mouth. “They?” A pain, like the tip of a dagger, pierces my heart. “She had twins,” I realize.

She haddungeon twins.

Mama B mentioned them in the negotiations between Rufus and DKS. We’d watched the footage later. It was such a flippant comment, infuriatingly brief, but I remember it scaring him.

Now, I understand why.

“You have siblings.” She nods, her smile jagged but bright. “Two of them.”

I jolt to my feet at the way she speaks of them. Ihavesiblings. Present-tense. “They’re still alive? They’re… out there somewhere? I don’t—” Stuttering, I admit, “I don’t understand. We know she wasn’t with the other princesses’ bodies in the solarium. Lex tested them all. If he didn’t bury her there, then where is she?”

Mama B holds up a palm, stilling me. “Odette got pregnant again, but she had something this time she didn’t have before.” I don’t understand the flash of pride in her eyes as she drains the last of her wine. “Help.”

I raise an eyebrow. “Danner?”