Page 193 of A Court of Thralls and Thorns

I grimaced. “Yeah. Remy... I never saw that coming either.”

Her eyes sharpened. “Buthewill pay,” she said darkly. “For what he did to you. For deceiving us.”

The steel in her voice caught me off guard, and for a moment, I remembered the girl she used to be—the protective sister who never let anyone touch me without consequence. The same girl who once broke a boy’s arm for pulling my hair.

“He’s not worth your anger,” I said softly.

“That’s where you’re wrong,” she muttered, her gaze still fixed on the castle. “People like Remy always pay... one way or another.”

Solei stood there for a moment, unusually quiet. Her eyes traced the cobblestone path beneath her boots like she was weighing her options.

“As do people like you,” she whispered, her voice so soft I almost didn’t catch it.

I blinked. “What?”

“Don’t tell me you believe Cyran,” I asked.

Her gaze snapped to mine, sharp and sarcastic. “What if I do?”

I clenched my fists, biting back the sting of her words. “I’m not a traitor, Solei. He is.”

Her expression twisted, something unreadable flickering behind her eyes. “And what if he’s not?”

I took a step closer, feeling the heat of my frustration rise. “The Blood Fae ambushed us after stealing Amdar’s stolen supplies. There was a letter with the Order’s crest, Solei. His crest.” My voice shook despite my efforts to control it. “Don’t stand here and pretend like that doesn’t mean something.”

Solei’s mouth pressed into a hard line. “I don’t doubt what you saw,” she said at last. “But there’s something you’re forgetting.” She turned away slightly, her fingers twitching like she wanted to reach for the dagger she always kept hidden at her hip. “Cyran has spent years manipulating every piece of this game. You really think he’d leave a trail that obvious? That letter—” she shook her head, her braid swaying down her back— “could mean a dozen different things. Maybe he’s working with the Blood Fae. Or maybe someone wants us tothinkhe is.”

The doubt in her voice rang louder than her words. I knew Solei. Knew how fiercely loyal she was to the Order. Even after everything Cyran had done, part of her still clung to the idea that he couldn’t possibly betray his own people.

“You’re smarter than this,” I snapped. “You know how far he’ll go to protect his power.”

“I also know one unalterable fact.” Her voice turned cold, and when she turned back to me, her eyes locked hard on mine.

“And what’s that?” I asked warily.

“He’s the Order leader,” she said, her tone bitter. “And you’re a disowned daughter.” Her lip curled in something dangerously close to pity. “Your word means nothing, Ashlyn. As does that fake piece of parchment.”

The words hit like a slap, knocking the breath from my lungs. I staggered back a step, swallowing the anger that tried to claw its way out of my throat.

“Is that what you believe?” I demanded. “That my life is worthless now?”

“Not at all. Father has offered a thousand gold coins to the assassin that brings him your head.” Solei’s voice was quiet, but her words hit like a hammer.

My heart stuttered painfully in my chest. “What?” The word escaped my lips, thin and breathless like I’d just been punched in the ribs. It was the same amount he had sold me for.

Solei’s face was unreadable, her usual sharp gaze dulled somehow.

“He really did it,” I whispered, more to myself than to her. “He actually…”

Pain.It sliced through my chest like a jagged blade, twisting deeper with each breath. My lungs tightened, my ribs constricting until I struggled to stand upright. The ache wasn’t just physical—it was deeper, a hollow ache that stretched to the marrow of my bones. This wasn’t just betrayal. This was my father choosing to erase me.

“If it’s not me…” Solei’s voice broke the silence, quiet and jagged. “It will be another.”

I swallowed the lump rising in my throat, my voice cracking when I spoke. “I’m sorry it had to be you.”

A tear slipped down her face, glistening in the moonlight before she reached up and flicked her wrists. Two slender daggers shot from her sleeves and into her palms, flashing like silver lightning.

I staggered back, my pulse pounding in my ears. My stomach twisted in disbelief as the one person I had trusted—loved—advanced on me with blades in her hands.

“Please,” I whispered, my voice barely above a breath.

Solei’s eyes shimmered with tears as she lifted her blades. “I love you.”