Page 132 of With Wing And Claw

Suspicious.

Furious.

All of themrational options, and all of them would have been so, so much more bearable than the truth—

Heartbroken.

Oh, she had been such a fucking fool.

‘You,’ she breathed, gaze immovable. ‘You told them?’

The footsteps abruptly halted.

So very silent, this cursed, dead place – a silence in which she couldhearher heart slowly, achingly crumbling to pieces in her chest. It made so much sense. It madesomuch sense, now that she was finally adding up the plain, ugly facts – the words that had been spoken straight to her face weeks ago …

‘What?’ Naxi said.

At once her voice was no longer so sweet.

Looking up was the last thing Thysandra should have done, and she did it anyway, out of some twisted, self-flagellating desire toseethe betrayal with her own eyes. Blue eyes. Pale cheeks. Small, dainty feet wrapped in strips of pale blue fabric. Sweet, so temptingly, lusciously sweet …

Like poison.

Her wine had been sweet, too.

‘You told them. While I was sleeping.’ It wasn’t even an accusation – rather, a conclusion. ‘You were the one who stole Gadyon’s notes and spread them. All those times you said you were gone to visit the Labyrinth, you … you …’

‘Sashka, what are youtalkingabout?’ Too shrill. ‘Why would I—’

‘Because you wanted us to leave,’ Thysandra said hollowly.

Blank blue eyes gaped back at her, and this time, no objection came.

‘You wanted me to get out of here. The very first thing you told me in the bone hall, for hell’s sake – that you were only biding your time at the court until I decided to come with you.’ A joyless laugh burned like acid on her lips. ‘But you didn’t want me to resent you either. You didn’t want to force me to run off before I could be well and truly sure that my time here was an irreparable failure – so youmadeit a failure, didn’t you?’

So utterly brilliant. Soutterly ruthless. The sort of scheme only a creature with no empathy at all would be able to come up with.

And shouldn’t she have known from the start? Wasn’t this how every interaction between them had developed? At the Last Battle, Naxi had toyed with her feelings to win the fight and save her own life. In the Alliance’s cell, Naxi had toyed with her feelings to make her talk and win the war. So how,howhad she somehow allowed herself to believe it was true this time, that all too perfect idyll the demon had so skilfully crafted between them?

Toyed with her feelings. Won her trust. Sold her out.

As always.

Likeeveryone.

‘That’s ridiculous,’ Naxi said.

A scoff fell from Thysandra’s lips. ‘And that’s the best you’ve got? When I’m only repeating the things you told me yourself? When—’

‘I’ve been helping you! Why would I help you if—'

‘—if it didn’t gain you anything?’ she cut in, voice growing louder. ‘Exactly! You’re a bloody demon! You’re the last person in the world who’d be helping anyone just for the warm, fuzzy feelings! Of course you weren’t going to sit around and just wait for me to maybe change my mind – ofcourseyou would be working for yourself first and foremost!’

She’d thought Naxi’s cheeks pale before. They’d gone almost translucent now, a waxy deathlike pallor. ‘Sashka …’

‘And don’tSashkame!’

‘I made a bargain.’ It was almost a plea as Naxi staggered forward on her bound feet, arm held before her, wrist turned out. The mark gleamed pink and innocent in the morning light. ‘You do remember our bargain, don’t you? I couldn’t betray you even if Iwantedto, Sashka. You can’t just—’

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