Page 88 of Vipers and Vendettas

‘It’s done now,’ I say. ‘They’ll never get to you again. No one will.’

My words don’t make her feel any better, and I glare over my shoulder at Maddox, giving him a meaningful look.

He clears his throat. ‘It was my fault they got in. I knew there was an exploitable issue in the maze, but I didn’t think … I’m sorry, Jules.’

‘The house,’ she says, ‘is it …?’

‘It’s fine,’ Maddox assures her. ‘Everything is being sorted as we speak, and by the time we go back, you won’t be able to tell that anything had happened.’

She settles a little, and I see Maddox’s shoulders relax.

Daemon brings her a bottle of water out of the fridge near his desk, and she gives him a look of thanks as she opens it and takes a sip.

Iron steps forward, looking angry, and she grimaces.

‘I took Pierre’s link key,’ she mutters. ‘I’m sorry.’

‘Were you going to use it, Jules?’ he asks.

She winces, and I feel her close herself off from our shared emotions.

She eases away from my embrace, giving me an apologetic look.

‘It’s just for a few minutes,’ she says. I see her throat working.

‘I won’t be able to do this if I can feel everything you’re all feeling.’

I cast a look at Daemon. He has a grim set to his jaw.

Do what?

‘We need to talk,’ Jules says to the room.

‘You don’t have to do this now,’ Dameon begins, but she puts up a hand.

‘Yes, I do.’ She looks around the room at us. ‘It’s been a long time coming.’

She grips the blanket and wraps it around her shoulders like a cape.

‘There are things that you don’t know about me. Some of you know some things, but I don’t think any one of you knows the whole story.’ Her forehead creases. ‘But I want you to. All of you.’

She heaves a stuttered breath. ‘I’m going to tell you everything. One time.’ She looks up at us. ‘At the end, if you want me to leave, I will.’

Jules looks lost as she seems to grapple for words, but she waves Jayce away when he steps toward her.

‘Let me get this out while I can.’ She takes a deep breath. ‘I’m a thief and a con artist. I’m good,’ she says without modesty. ‘I’m good because if I weren’t, I’d be dead.’

* * *

Jules

I ease the blanket away from my chest, and I drop the conjure, but I only let them see the slave mark for now.

‘I was a slave to a High Fae named Tamadrielle,’ I say. ‘I escaped him, and I hid. I’ve been eluding him and his people for years. But in order to do that, I need a conjure every few months to make sure he can’t find me with magick.’ I smile a little sheepishly. ‘A very expensive conjure.’

I glance at Maddox regretfully. ‘It was running out when I stole from you the first time,’ I explain. ‘I couldn’t let it run out.’

I take a sip of water from the bottle in my hand before I continue, giving myself a second to organize my thoughts.