Page 253 of Lady of Ashes

Her eyes ?icked to the wall where she’d been chained for weeks, searching for anything to take her mind off of him. Of how he’d sank to his knees, then to the ?oor. Of Cassius holding her tightly in that throne room.

Of the utter insanity that had encompassed her. That she could barely keep at bay now.

No. This was not the time to think of that day three weeks ago. So she focused on the spot where she’d sat chained to a wall, forcing herself to breathe in and out.

In and out. In and out.

And she waited.

But not for long.

The door banged open, a hooded ?gure stalking in. He came up short when he saw her sitting there. Slowly, he raised his hands, pulling back his hood. Black eyes bored into hers.

“Death’s Maiden,” Alaric said casually. “It is about time you came home.”

“Is it?” Scarlett asked, her head tilting to the side.

Alaric nonchalantly removed his cloak, draping it over the sofa against the wall where Tarek had often sat, observing her.“You could have at least left a few of them alive on your way in, though.”

Scarlett shrugged. She’d left a trail for him to follow. Every assassin, every Night Child, every seraph she had come upon as she slowly strolled along the streets of the Black Syndicate, onto the grounds of the Fellowship, and through the halls down to his dungeon study had met their death. Some by ?re until they were ash. Some by drowning on dry land. Some by shadows. Some by blades.

All by wrath.

“I am assuming you brought me the ?nal key?” he asked when she didn’t reply.

Scarlett reached into a pocket, pulling out Juliette’s amulet, Reselda’s symbol hanging from the chain of skystone. She spun it around on her ?nger. “This one?”

Alaric only nodded his head once, hands sliding into his pockets. “Has Queen Talwyn learned to shift them yet?”

“She has.”

“Impressive,” Scarlett quipped. “I thought it would take her longer.”

“Three weeks was too long the way it was,” Alaric retorted, a slight bite to his tone.

Scarlett tsked under her breath. “Someone is growing impatient.”

“I made it very clear I was out of patience.”

“And time.”

When Alaric just stared back at her unblinkingly, she dropped her booted feet to the ground. She planted her elbows on his desk, resting her chin on her hand as she asked sweetly, “Is Achaz out of patience too?”

He stilled. “How do you know that name?”

“It seems you left out quite a bit of history when providing my education,” she said, spinning the amulet around her ?nger again.

“You were told what you needed to know to ful?ll your purpose,” he replied coolly.

Scarlett hummed in response.

“I will admit that while I am not surprised to see you here, I am surprised to see you so … collected,” Alaric said cautiously, as if she were an explosive substance that could go off at any moment.

He wasn’t wrong.

The images that used to ?ash through her mind had been replaced. They were no longer Veda stabbing Cassius. Nuri bleeding out. An old of?ce. Plunging a dagger into Juliette’s heart.

It was him ?ghting his way to her.

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