Page 13 of Vengeance and Vipers

I push off the wall and glance at the open door behind him. ‘That’s not how it happened.’

‘Then enlighten me, darling. How did it happen?’

‘I … he left me alone and … the arania came. She got me out.’ I try not to let my emotions get the better of me as I talk about Siggy, recount the story the way I wish it had happened.

‘She’s lying,’ the asshole in the cell next to me rasps.

‘Oh, so now you’resound as a pound, Krase?’ I snarl at him, borrowing one of Maddox’s sayings. ‘You don’t know anything!’

Krase jumps at the bars between us violently, making the cells shake, and I flinch.

‘Siggy’s dead,’ he taunts with a smile.

Maddox’s lip curls. ‘How do you know about the arania?’ he asks Krase.

The crazy incubus lets his fae trinket drop down from his closed fist. The tacturn spins slowly on the chain.

‘You tricked her into a fae illusion to get information out of her?’ Maddox gives him a long look. ‘Shrewd as ever, Krase, even in this state,’ he mutters.

I frown, certain he’s giving Krase too much credit. I’m pretty sure he just wanted to fuck with me to ease his own boredom.

‘I knew you were lying,’ Maddox tells me, and I roll my eyes because, no, he didn’t. ‘Just tell me the truth, Jules.’

I don’t say anything. I don’t want to tell anyone how I think I changed when I fought Dante and that I killed him because I don’t really believe it happened that way … but I also don’t have an alternative story to give.

‘Or do I get Iron down here to put you through the wringer again?’

NO!

My eyes flick up to his before I can hide the fear, and I see surprise. He didn’t expect to see anything real in my expression. I must be tired, showing something like that to him. He’ll use it against me.

Keep it together.

‘Siggyisdead,’ I relent, clenching my jaw as unbidden tears come to my eyes. ‘She came to rescue me, but I … I was tied up. She came down to the floor and freed me, but Dante appeared, and they fought. He …’ I clench my eyes shut to stop the tears. ‘He killed her.’

Maddox is quiet, and, in the end, I’m forced to blink back my tears to look at him so I can gauge whether or not he believes my mostly true story.

He has a look on his face I’ve never seen on him before. Commiserating. Like he gives a shit about some arania. I look away quickly because it’s bull, and he’s just trying to create common ground between us for his own gain.

He’s not going to succeed. He gave me to Dante, and he left me in the Mountain to die. Yeah, the others were involved, but it was down to Maddox, the clan leader. He’s the one I blame the most, and my punishment didn’t fit my crime. They’ve been blaming me for a death that hasn’t even happened. Krase is standing right next to me. Yeah, he’s nuts, butthat’snot my fault!

‘I’m sorry,’ Maddox shocks me by saying, and I look up into his eyes again, a part of me reaching out to him, wanting kindness from him.

‘I know she was the only real friend you’ll likely ever have,’ he cuts me by saying.

A hiccupping sob almost forces its way out, but I drive it back down relentlessly.

‘Thankfully,’ I say, shoving away everything that’s real and scolding myself for showing weakness to them. ‘Anyway, after Siggy was dead, I sat back where I’d been and pretended I was still tied up. When Dante left the room, I used Siggy’s silk to climb up into the shafts. I ran for the portal, and I got through just in time. I ended up here. Guess I went through around the same time as the last one of you did, so it brought me to the same place.’

Maddox doesn’t say anything; just watches me. Inside, I smirk. He talks a good game, but the truth is he’d never know if I was lying or not. I don’t have any tells at all. And I know that for certain because, if I did, I’d have been dead long before he met me the first time.

He backs out of my cell. ‘Put on the clothes,’ he says again, his eyes flicking down my open shirt to look at the goods before they leave me completely like he’s trying to make sure I know he’s not interested.

Works for me, asshole.

I don’t move. I don’t cover myself.

‘Before you freeze, human,’ Krase murmurs, and I turn to look at him.