Page 33 of Lady of Darkness

“It could not have been the same person, Scarlett. It is not—”

He broke off as Scarlett’s face turned hard, and the gold in her eyes turned to pure flame.He felt his shields blow apart and shuddered as his magic flinched.

“Get out,” she whispered venomously.

“Scarlett, I—” he started.

She held out her right hand. “And leave my godsdamned ring.”

He stood and slid the Semiria ring from his finger. He felt his flames gutter and die out as his magic disappeared and hollowness returned. As he dropped it into her palm, though, he realized her arm was unwrapped, and the wound was completely gone. There wasn’t even a mark where it had been. That had been a deep cut. There was no way it could be completely healed.

“Your arm is healed?” he asked, stretching out his fingers to brush over the place where he had tended to her wound mere hours earlier.

She jerked her arm back. “Get out,” she said more loudly this time.

“Scarlett, there are things you need to know—”

She untangled herself from the sheets and stood, her legs trembling. She rose onto her tiptoes, looking up into his face. “The only thing I want to know from you is who that woman is.”

Sorin said nothing. He just stared back at her, not knowing what to say. It could not have possibly been her.

“Scarlett,” Cassius said quietly from behind her. She held up her other hand to stop him from speaking, and Sorin could have sworn a shadow swirled around her palm before dissipating like ashes on the wind. Her golden eyes were still on his as she said, her voice as quiet as death, “I do not want to see you. I do not want to talk to you. I wantnothingto do with you until you are ready to tell meeverything,starting with who she is.”

Unable to stop himself, he reached out a hand to her, but she jerked away again. “Get out,” she repeated, turning and going to Cassius.

Cassius caught her as she stumbled the last step, then gripped her face between his hands. “Are you all right?”

Sorin watched as Cassius’s eyes scanned Scarlett’s own. He watched as her slim hands came up,trembling, and wrapped around Cassius’s wrists.

In words he would not have heard had it not been for his Fae hearing, she whispered, “No.”

Sorin took a step back as Cassius wrapped her in his arms and pulled her close, stroking her hair. And as he stood there, he felt something deep in his soul that he shoved down, unwilling to acknowledge it, before he turned and walked from her room.

CHAPTER 10

SCARLETT

Scarlett clung to Cassius as his hand stroked soothingly up and down her back. He didn’t ask questions. He didn’t move until Scarlett pulled away. He cupped her cheek in his hand again and stared into her eyes. She brought her own hand up, wrapping her fingers around his wrist, steading herself.

“You scared the shit out of me,” Cassius said, his voice low.

“How did you know to bring him?” Scarlett whispered.

Cassius huffed a laugh. “A lucky hunch? Although I think he would have found an excuse to stay had Drake not told him to.”

Scarlett turned at the sound of shuffling feet to see Tava leaning against the dresser, a hand to her heart. “I’m fine, Tava,” Scarlett said, her voice as calm as she could muster. “Thank you for fetching them.”

Tava took a deep breath, then braced her hands on her hips. “Did you take your tonic tonight?” To her credit, her voice only shook a little.

Scarlett shook her head. “I did not. Could you fetch me the stronger one?”

Tava nodded and left the room, pausing at the door to look her over one last time.

When the door had clicked shut, Cassius spoke. “It’s not that late. You can take your regular one.”

“I need to sleep, Cass. I am exhausted.”

“That’s not what your stronger tonic is for,” he argued.

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