Page 203 of House of Lilith

I whip it out and see it is, but I just keep walking, my hand still in his.

“Can’t you block him or something?” he asks.

I look up at him. “Don’t be like that.”

“Well, he’s a fucking asshole.”

“He’s notallbad.”

He blows a laugh through his nose, making me stop and look at him. “I see you don’t fully understand the nature of my hatred for him. It’s notjustabout his character.”

I frown at him.

“Oh I love it when you’re being thick like that, Nyx,” he tells me, making me shove at his chest for being an ass.

He lets out a laugh, grabs my waist with one hand and explains, “Fucking Aalders could become the holiest of holy men and he’d still be fucking Aalders to me,” he says with a shrug, “simply because he used to get under those pants. And what’s under those pants ismine.”

“Even if it were yoursnow,” I protest as I keep walking, “it sure as hell wasn’t then.”

“It was always mine,” he says matter-of-factly, “I just wasn’t at the location yet.”

That makes me have to stifle a laugh.

“Still, he should’ve known,” he continues scoldingly. “He was trespassing and I hate to say it, but I’m not a forgiving man.”

“Oh yes you are.”

“Not when it comes toyou.”

I look up at him again, smiling and rolling my eyes. “You idiot.”

It makes his face light up. But then his eyes dart ahead and I turn to see the Pull Chamber appear from between the bushes.

My eyebrows pull down as soon as I spot her. Mother, standing next to the cast-iron fence, throwing daggers at Dahrian.

*

We both stop midstep. I let go of Dahrian’s hand and start moving toward her, sensing Dahrian staying put to give me space.

“So it really is true, what they’re all saying?” Mother demands as I come to a stop before her, thumbing her nose with her eyes still fixed on my boyfriend. Then she turns to look atme. “Even the part with him climbing up the Tower to you like some ape?”

I let out a sigh, surprised to see how little I care. “What’re you doing here, Mother?”

“Stopping you from making the biggest mistake of your life,” she says with the usual conviction in her voice. “Maybe it’s a good thing, that you haven’t stayed with Max.”

My eyebrows pull down.

“It seems he’s fallen out of favor with the King due to some gambling incident,” she explains.

“I don’t really care,” I tell her.

“Anastasya,” she starts, obviously fighting to stay civil, “you have two roads ahead of you.” She glances at Dahrian again. “You can go with him and thus effectively ruin your life — because no one will have you once they find out who you’ve been with.”

The warning look she throws me almost makes me let out a laugh.

“Or you can realize he’s a mistake and let me find the next best match for you.”

For a second, I just look at her. Then I run my hand over my face, let out a sigh and take a step closer to her. “I want you to leave, Mother. Right now.”

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