Page 60 of Beneath the Thorned Crown

I hold my ground, even though every nerve in my body is screaming at me to move, to run.

“Are you going to let me in?” I ask, my voice sharper than I intend.

Dominic doesn’t move. Behind him, Nico sighs, dragging a hand through his hair.

“This isn’t a conversation you need to be a part of, Isabella,” Dominic says finally.

“Bullshit,” I snap. “You just admitted that someone inside your own house betrayed you. And that I was part of it. How the hell am I supposed to pretend I didn’t hear that?”

Dominic exhales slowly, his fingers tightening around the glass in his hand.

“I’ll handle it.”

“That’s not an answer,” I shoot back.

“It’s the only one you’re getting.”

His tone is final.

But I don’t accept it.

I step past him into the library, my pulse pounding. “Where’s Charles? Where’s Jayden?”

Nico stiffens.

Dominic’s expression doesn’t change. But that lack of reaction is its own answer.

My stomach twists. “Where are they?”

Dominic sets the glass down carefully, his movements too measured. “Jayden left earlier today.”

I narrow my eyes. “And Charles?”

I feel the shift before Dominic even says the words.

“He’s gone.”

The air thickens, pressing against my ribs.

“Gone?” I repeat, my voice barely above a whisper.

Dominic’s gaze hardens. “He left. That’s all you need to know.”

No. That’s not all I need to know.

But before I can push further, Nico steps in, his voice lighter, but forced. “Come on, Bella. Let it go.”

I snap toward him. “Don’t patronize me.”

Dominic clenches his jaw. “Isabella—”

“No,” I cut him off. “I’m not just some pawn in this. You don’t get to decide what I do or don’t need to know.”

Dominic’s features darken. “I do when it’s about keeping you safe.”

Safe.

That word burns through me.

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