Page 68 of Reign

“Manipulation. Extortion. Blackmail.”

“Quite right.” Sabine brightens. “The girls I choose realize the importance of their position, for it is because of them I’m able to call in favors, for these men who come visit them show their weakness, their penchant for the forbidden. Take Ivy, for instance. She was desperate to give her father back his stellar reputation. Once she became princess, we were able to do that, for the Noble that visited her was the CEO of her father’s company, and he received a promotion soon after.”

I scrunch my eyes shut at the image of what Ivy was forced to do in order to save her family in the only way she thought possible. I can’t believe I’m talking to the woman responsible for Ivy’s suffering, holding a conversation with her like we would at a reception. “And the princess before that?”

“Emma?” Sabine leans against the wall, pursing her lips in thought. “Before she rebelled, the man I chose for her would’ve opened the kinds of doors for her that she needed. Finding her father and knowing her mother, for one.”

My lips pucker in minor confusion, but I keep on track. “I’m not talking about her. I’m referring to Piper.”

Sabine meets my gaze. “Piper wasn’t a popular choice when it came to the Nobles who frequent our territory.”

“Why? Because she’s your daughter and you can play favorites like that? Use the poor girls, the desperate ones who need something, to do your bidding instead of your own blood?”

Sabine laughs, the champagne flute catching the light as her movements reflect her mirth. “No, child. Piper couldn’t be trusted to keep her mouth shut. She was willful, that girl, but when Emma ceded her position—quite permanently, as you know—I was forced to put my daughter in her place before the Nobles started asking questions about Emma’s demise. You and I both know my preference would’ve been Violet, but the amount of trust and grooming it takes to create the ideal princess … well, there simply wasn’t time. To keep up appearances, I chose my daughter, but with that decision came the consequence of losing business.”

Business. She calls sex trafficking a business. I’m going to be sick.

“Then I guess her dying opened you up for business again,” I deadpan.

I expect Sabine’s quiet laughter in response, but shadows cross over her expression instead. “She was never meant do die. And my youngest was never meant to be her killer.”

“I guess that’s what happens when they get a mother like you.”

Sabine’s eyes sharpen, then drill into mine. “My girls were strong. Intelligent. And in one case, lethal. I may not be proud of their actions, but I’ll always honor their spirits. Unlike your mother, who couldn’t stomach the idea of being pregnant with you. She wanted to abort you, do you know that?”

I ignore the jab, but it’s difficult. “Is that why you killed her?”

Sabine lifts her chin, the neon lights from the dance floor cresting over her cheeks. “Meredith ran from greatness. Avoided her potential and squirreled you away in a janitor’s closet. She was a coward.”

“She saved me.” I peel my lips back on a snarl.

Sabine doesn’t twitch. “Did she? You’re here, aren’t you? Despite her better efforts.”

“I’m here to—” destroy you, but I don’t allow myself to get that far. Just as Sabine wants me under her wing to gain a closer watch on me, so do I want to keep her at a distance to maintain the element of surprise. “I’m here to claim my rightful place. The Virtues are mine, not yours.”

“You can’t have them without me, just as I can’t keep them without you. Do you finally understand why you’re still alive, dear child? We need each other. Keep in mind, do you really want me to stop considering you necessary? Reflect on what happened to your dear friend…”

A slithering, sickening feeling uncoils in my gut, realization mixed with stubborn refusal. I can’t resist the next words that peel out of my mouth, “I don’t need you to take this entire institution down.”

“Oh, my, is that why you and that boy are at such odds?” Sabine squints against her new perception. “Sweet child, now I understand why you’re both so bull-headed about each other. Chase Stone will never allow you to hurt us. His entire life revolves around these societies.” Sabine pauses, pushing her lips to the side as she feigns contemplation. “I’d wager he’d rather see you destroyed than his brotherhood.”

“You overestimate my feelings for him. He doesn’t influence my decisions, and I don’t affect his.” I push off the wall, done with this conversation.

“I’d rather think I’ve hit them spot on,” Sabine murmurs at my back, but I hear the arrogance, the certainty that she can’t be wrong.

“Don’t forget your first dance with Tempest!” she calls soon after, but I’m pushing through the crowd, searching for the nearest exit. “Your most recent decision notwithstanding of course.”

My exposed skin tingles as I pass through the dance floor, the too-tight dress constricting my movements at the same time it’s putting them on display. My eyes skim over heads until I land on the second source of my unease.

Chase stands at the opposite wall, his chin lowered, his drink dangling at his side. Yet in all his languidness, his stare is fervent and on fire, as if he’s eager to incinerate me on the spot.

He watches me mumble to Tempest that I’m not feeling well and need to leave. Stares me down as I take the stairs up and out of the Nobles’ hidden room.

And I feel him long after I exit into the Wolf’s Den and creep along Briarcliff Academy’s pathways, searching for warmth.

23

Callie

---