Page 123 of A Court of Thralls and Thorns

“You were never part of the assignment,” he said quickly. “I didn’t know who you were when we—” He stopped, mouth tightening. “When we met.”

“Met?” I scoffed. “You mean when you seduced me? Lied to me? Took my virginity like it was some kind ofbonusto your mission? How nice for you.”

“It wasn’t like that,” he said firmly, stepping closer. “I?—”

I moved back, shaking my head. “Don’t. Don’t you dare stand there and pretend any of this meant something to you. That I meant something to you.” My voice wavered, betraying me.

“You did,” he said fiercely, voice low and raw. “You still do.”

“Don’t!” I snapped, the fury bubbling over. “I loved you. I trusted you. And you used me to get close to my father!” The words tore from me, each one a wound that refused to close. “You think you get to stand here and say Istillmean something to you?”

His mouth opened—maybe to defend himself, maybe to lie again—but I didn’t give him the chance.

I slapped him. Hard.

The crack of my palm against his face echoed through the courtyard, and for a breathless moment, we just stood there, both of us frozen.

His head turned slightly, but he didn’t flinch. He didn’t even raise a hand to his stinging cheek. Instead, he just stared at me like I’d gutted him. Like he knew he deserved worse.

“Ashe...” Zander’s voice cut through the silence, sharp and low.

I turned to find him striding toward us, his gaze locked on Remy. His eyes were as black as night, and power crackled around him like lightning in a storm.

“Is there a problem here?” Zander asked, voice dangerously calm.

“No,” I said before Remy could answer. “We’re finished.”

“We will never be finished,” Remy said, his voice low and unwavering.

I couldn’t look at him. My eyes burned, my chest tight and hollow. Everything inside me was tangled—fury, heartbreak, and something else I refused to name.

Zander stepped closer to him, his anger radiating off him in waves. “I read your report,” he said coolly, voice like ice. “Engaging stuff. Your infiltration of the Order is impressive. Right up until you met Cyran’s virgin daughter.”

Remy’s head snapped toward him, and the look he gave Zander could have melted steel. “I never reported that she was a virgin.”

Zander’s eyes darkened, flickering like lakes of onyx.“And yet it’s in there.”

My face flushed with heat. Embarrassment crawled up my spine, twisting my anger into something more volatile.

“I know why Solei didn’t like you,” I said, my voice like a knife sliding from its sheath. “She called you the Ass-Saulter. I thought it was because you were a better killer. Guess I know the truth now.”

Remy’s gaze flicked back to me, and for a heartbeat, I thought I saw something real—something vulnerable—flicker in his eyes. But it was gone too fast.

Zander moved beside me, stepping close enough that his arm brushed mine—a silent wall between me and whatever Remy was still trying to say.

“You should rejoin your squad,” Zander said, his voice low but edged with warning. Then he turned slightly, just enough to glance over his shoulder. “I believe your business with Prospect Rebec is over.”

“Hardly,” Remy hissed, his voice dark and coiled.

My fingers clenched tightly into fists as Zander took my arm and guided me away. I barely kept myself together—my breath shaky, my thoughts spiraling. Each step felt like walking a blade’s edge, my heart twisting with every word Remy had said.

We will never be finished...

I walked back to my squad and when I stumbled Riven grabbed my arm.

She didn’t let go of me until I was seated on my bunk. Even then, her hand lingered on my shoulder like she was afraid I’d shatter.

“For fuck’s sake!” Jax growled as Naia slammed the door behind us. He paced the room like a restless predator, muttering curses under his breath. Cordelle sat quietly on his bed, flipping through his ever-present journal, though for once, he didn’t seem to be writing. Ferrula leaned against the wall, arms crossed and eyes cold. The tension in the room was suffocating.