Page 20 of The Eighth Isle

“He did,” Andya told me, raising her chin. “They made a deal. He will be staying with her. They will remain on the Eighth Isle together. Syra willnotattack anyone—she gave us her word.”

Laughter came out of me, raw and ugly. “She will kill Grey. She’s fucking insane—she willkillhim!” Did they really need me to spell that out for them?!

But more importantly, how big of a fool was I really to actually think they gave a rat’s ass about Grey?

“She won’t,” Raxae said. “She thinks he’s Hansil.”

I fisted my hands so hard my palms bled. “Sheknowshe’s not Hansil. SheateHansil’s heart!” I whispered, with so much hatred, I was surprised she didn’t drop dead right there on the table.

“But she’ll take Grey,” said Andya, folding her hands on the table as if to appear calm, but I could see through the expression on her face.

“He looks so much like him,” said Fessa, smiling like she was fucking high now. “Exactly like Hansil—right, sisters?”

“Fessa,” Raxae warned, but the siren didn’t give a shit.

“Mhmm, he was so, so delicious. I remember the taste of his flesh…”

My stomach threatened to come right out of my mouth in an instant.

“Don’t mind her—she ate a poisoned liver,” said Oreinne, her voice light as a breeze—and I didn’t think I’d ever heard her speaking before.

“So Syra will really stand down?” said Romin, not in the least worried by that sentence. “You’re absolutely, one hundred percent certain that we’re safe from her?”

We’re not,I wanted to say.Nobody is safe from Syra.

Except I didn’t bother. What would be the point?

Closing my eyes, I released a long breath—and any expectations I might have had that the sirens would help me. That the Evernights would help me.

They wouldn’t. I was on my own.

“Yes, we’re certain,” Andya eventually said.

The brothers sighed in relief, but…

“For now,” Raxae added.

“And there’s nothing we can do about it?” said Emil, and he was afraid, too. It kept surprising me to see them like this because never did I think it was possible.

Then again—never would I have dreamed that Syra would awaken again, not for any reason in the world. Least of all that it would be Valentine himself to do it.

“She killed our sister easier now than she did back then,” Andya said.

“Because we’re weak. Because we’ve been stripped of everything that makes ususfor five centuries,” said Raxae.

“But there’sfiveof you and only one of her,” Romin insisted. “And we’re here, too. All four of us. Does that make a difference?”

I no longer hoped or prayed, simply listened.

“None whatsoever. She can kill us all if we attack her now,” Andya said.

“And why would we want to if she doesn’t attack us? If she stays on that Isle with Grey, why would we waste energy, unnecessary magic?” said Fessa. Of course, she did.

“Did you see him?” I asked before I could help myself.

“We did,” said Raxae.

“He’s content,” said Andya. “He’s content to stay with her and keep her on the Eighth Isle while the rest of Ennaris heals.”

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