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“Then who is, exactly?” I gestured sharply with a hand, indicating the small guardhouse. “Is there someoneelsein here who asked for a private moment withSyrimne d’ Gaos,just so they could put their goddamned hands on him?”

There was a silence.

The seer didn’t drop his gaze.

“I meant you should probably talk to your husband,” he said, his voice gentle.

I fought with how to answer that and found I couldn’t.

Rage blinded me. I was back to wanting to hit the seer, to punch him in the face, to ask him howIknew him, how he knew me. Remembering what Revik said to him, what I’d practically walked in on over those few seconds when I’d been eavesdropping, I clenched my jaw, forcing myself silent until the worst of it passed.

Revik tried to get me to leave with him.

He’d beenprotectingthis piece of shit.

He’d been protecting him from me.

Tears fought to sting my eyes.

Swallowing, Dalejem averted his gaze.

I was about to try again, when he looked back at me, his green and violet eyes grave. His light opened for real that time, enough that I found myself holding his stare.

“I humbly apologize, Esteemed Sister,” he said. “Truly. I implore you to forgive me. Not only for what you inadvertently witnessed, but for my lack of self-control. I just… when I knew your husband…” He hesitated. He flushed as he shook his head. “I forgot myself, sister. I forgot his situation… I forgot myself. There is no excuse. I would never intentionally harm you, or your mate. When I said I serve you above all others, I meant it with all my heart. I serveyou,sister. Above him… aboveallothers. I vow it upon my soul, Esteemed Sister.”

“You have a pretty fucked-up way of showing it?”

He headed me off again, his light gentle.

“I know.” He held up his hands, his eyes pleading. “I am sorry. Truly. Please accept my apology. Know that I will accept any retribution you see fit. Gladly, Esteemed Sister. And it will never happen again. Never.”

Staring at him, I fought with the emotions coming off his light.

Even so, I couldn’t shake it off.

I couldn’t.

I still couldn’t make sense of what was wrong with me, not in a way I could put into words. I fought to control my light, to think through what he was saying, what I felt off him, what I’d felt off Revik?what I thought I was even accomplishing at this point by continuing to yell at this complete stranger.

And he was a stranger. I didn’t know him.

He clearly didn’t know me.

It hit me that I was shaking.

I was actually shaking.

I could tell by the strange flares in the darkness as I stared at him, the imprecision of his outline, that my eyes were glowing again, too.

I didn’t know if that was all anger, but anger was definitely the part I felt most clearly. Rage, really. So much rage, I was having trouble holding eye contact with him, especially standing this close. I still wanted to shake him, to force him to tell me who the hell he was, what he wanted from me, from Revik, how they knew each other, why he was really here.

Why the hell he’d beentouchinghim.

I needed to walk away from this.

I needed to walk away.

Now.