Page 124 of A Court of Thralls and Thorns

Naia was the first to break the silence. “He really played you like that?”

I shrugged, forcing indifference I didn’t feel. “It’s standard practice in the Order,” I said bitterly. “I’m just not used to being a mark.” My voice cracked slightly, and I hated myself for it. “I guess I should be.”

Riven’s grip on my arm tightened.

“I’ll kill him,” Jax snarled. “I swear to the gods, Ashe, I’ll gut him like a?—”

“No.” My voice was sharp enough to cut through his rage. “Don’t. He’s too good. If you try, you’ll die—and that would break my heart… worse than it already is.”

Jax stopped pacing, his hands flexing into fists before he exhaled heavily. “Fine,” he muttered. “But I won’t forget this.”

“I know,” I whispered.

Naia’s face twisted in frustration. “I know how to hurt a man,” she offered with a dangerous smile. “Trust me, I can make him pay without throwing a punch.”

I shook my head. “No,” I said firmly. “Remy can take more than any of you can dish out.” My voice wavered. “He… he had a rough childhood…” I trailed off, my mind spiraling into memories that suddenly didn’t make sense.Did I ever actually know him?

“Actually…” My throat felt tight. “I don’t know shit about Remand Saulter.”

The room stilled again. Even Jax stopped pacing.

“You knew him better than anyone,” Riven said softly.

“Did I?” I shot back, bitterness curling my words. “I knewRemy Cole. The man who kissed me like I was his entire world, who promised me a future I didn’t know I wanted. But Remand Saulter?” I swallowed hard. “He’s a stranger.”

“I still say we gut him,” Jax muttered, but the fire in his voice had dulled.

“No,” I repeated, quieter this time. “I’ll handle it.”

“You don’t have to,” Riven said gently.

I met her gaze, and something twisted inside me. Grief, rage… maybe even hope. “Yeah,” I whispered. “I do.”

Naia shifted on her bed, pulling her legs beneath her as she exhaled heavily. “I know what it feels like,” she said quietly. “Loving someone who betrays you.”

“You do?”

She nodded. “My fiancé cheated on me with another woman.”

I blinked, surprised by the sudden confession. “I’m sorry,” I said softly.

Naia snorted, but there was no humor in it. “Don’t be,” she said with a wink. “Jax and my brother beat the living shit out of him. And his little lady friend left him right after.”

I glanced at Jax, who was still standing by the door like a sentinel. “You’ve known Jax a long time?”

“Since I was a kid,” Naia said, shooting him a grin. “My brother brought him home one day, and he never really left.”

Jax’s face softened, his usual cocky smirk replaced with something warmer. “They took me in,” he said. “My family… they were killed in a house fire when I was nine. I owe them everything.”

Naia smiled back at him, a rare gentleness in her expression. “You made our family whole,” she said. “Especially after Darmon died.”

Jax’s hand briefly clenched at his side before he let out a slow breath. “I was blessed,” he said quietly. “My own family hardly acknowledged me before they were gone. I got a second chance… and a little sister.”

Naia grunted. “I’m not little anymore,” she reminded him with a smirk. “And I can kick your ass.”

Jax chuckled, the sound deep and warm. “Of course you can,” he said. “I trained you.”

We all laughed, the tension in the room breaking just a little.