Page 41 of Beg the Night

Despite what I’d assumed, Katherine looked very much alive and healthy, apparently in the good graces of the Ministry, too.

Her smile did not waver an inch. “Disappointed to see me, sister?”

Disappointed?A million emotions flooded my body. When Katherine left, I was pissed. How could she leave her sisters when we needed her the most?

And all that time, she had been here. With them. Disappointed in her? Maybe. But to see her alive and in the flesh… I swallowed down the anger and panic rising in my throat and forced a curt smile. “Just surprised. I was sure I’d never see you again after you left us.”

Her brown eyes sharpened. “Yeah, well, things change. And change isn’t always a bad thing, Thena.”

I clenched my fists so tightly my nails pierced into the skin on my palms. “Oh yeah, it’s been real peachy for me so far. You know Jasmine is dead, too? I had to bury her by myself while thecrows circled in the sky above me. A real pain, dragging a body with no help.”

For a split second, Katherine’s smile faltered. “What?”

I shrugged. “Not like you’d care about her, or any of us. When you left, it was pretty damn clear you wanted nothing to do with our family.”

Inwardly, I cringed. I’d planned to take the high road. But the warm buzz from the wine was infiltrating my senses, making me forget why my behavior mattered at all.

Hell, I’d all but forgotten whyanythingmattered.

“Are you working with them? Did they take you, too?” My words came out in a rush, a mix of curiosity and hurt and panic.

“I’m here to help you.” She stepped even closer, her sweet perfume wafting over me and making me dizzy. “When Director told me they found you, I could hardly believe it. But here you are.” She looked me up and down, her expression scrutinizing.

“Considering they came and kidnapped me from ourhome. They found me, all right. Suddenly, it makes more sense. For our whole lives, we lived in peace, without the threat of the Ministry, yet you wandered off, and within weeks, they’d discovered our home. Now look at us.”

Darkness overtook her expression for a heartbeat. “You’re hiding your powers from her and you need to stop. It’s only going to hurt you.”

There was no stopping the scoff that escaped me. My sister had definitely gone nuts.They had gotten to her, too.“I have no powers.”

Her laugh shook my bones. “We both know you’re a mystic. You’re not helping anyone, least of all yourself, by lying.”

Yep. She’d lost her mind completely. Had she been indoctrinated into theAthena-has-powersclub?

“Lying? You’ve known me my entire life, Katherine! Are you seriously telling me you think I’m a mystic?”

“Look around you,” she ordered.

Over her shoulder, I scanned the room of soldiers dressed and playing nice. People were laughing. Dancing. Probably getting way too drunk.

“Everyone here is a mystic,” she said, her tone harsh. “Including me. Including you.”

Oh. My. God. This conversation had gone from concerning to entirely deranged. “You’re a mystic?” I breathed, unease coiling in my stomach. “Exactly what type of power do you have?”

“That’s not important right now. They don’t want mine nearly as much as they want yours. That’s why we’re having this discussion.” She sighed like she was already tired of this conversation. I despised it when she acted like even speaking to me was below her.

Standing tall, I locked eyes with her. “You’re lying.”

“About what?” She held her arms out. “What reason would I have to lie?”

“If I were a mystic, don’t you think I would have used my power to get out of here?” I threw a thumb over my shoulder. “You know where they’re keeping us, right? Do you know what they want me todo?”

“Of courseI know. I’m a lot closer to you than you think, Thena. You’re being detained in the dungeons with the rest of the mystics until the claiming. But it will all be over soon, okay? I promise you this is the worst part.”

A silent beat passed between us while my mind raced with all kinds of ridiculous thoughts. Who was this person? She’d never been overly kind to anyone, but she was absolutely frigid now. “Did you go through this, too, Katherine? The claiming?”

She stepped closer to me, lowering her voice. “Yes, and you better do it too. If you cooperate and perform the claiming with that man, they’ll get you out of that dungeon.”

My heart pinched painfully. My sister, the one person left in this world who should care about my well-being, was here forcing my hand just as Director had been. Where had we gone wrong? When had things gotten twisted enough to send her running to the enemy?

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