Total pages in book: 132
Estimated words: 125083 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 625(@200wpm)___ 500(@250wpm)___ 417(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 125083 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 625(@200wpm)___ 500(@250wpm)___ 417(@300wpm)
Except it was.
And it had penetrated her heart.
A hiss sounded in her ear. “That’s for my father, you bitch.”
Agony scraped Wynter’s insides like a serrated blade as the sword withdrew from her body. A hand roughly shoved her to the floor, and she was too damn weak to even throw out her hands to catch her weight. Her heartbeat pulsed in her ears—slow, erratic, faint.
Footfalls sounded, and then a male spat out a curse. “Annette, what have you done?”
Bowen.
“I did what I had to do,” the woman claimed.
Wynter’s heart stuttered to a stop, and darkness swallowed her.
*
Cain kept his expression blank as Ishtar swanned into Seth’s drawing room with an overly bright smile on her face. Well, of course she was smiling, and of course said smile held a hint of smugness. Given that Seth had invited her here, she probably thought that his brother had ‘come round’ and wanted to revisit old times. She’d soon be disabused of that theory, because he was just as pissed as Cain about the shit she’d pulled with Wynter.
“Seth, darling,” she all but sang. Her step faltered when she noticed Cain standing in front of the fireplace, but then her smile widened. “Well, hello, you. I get to have quality time with both brothers. How lovely.” She elegantly lowered herself to the spot on the sofa beside Seth, her brow wrinkling at the hard look he wore. “Whatever has gotten into you?”
“Tell me something, Ishtar,” said Cain, “did you really think that urging Wynter to run to Seth to seek refuge from me would work?”
Ishtar’s smile melted away. “She told you, I see.” The Ancient spoke as if Wynter was a petty child who ran off to tell tall tales to her parents.
“She chose to fairly give me the chance to speak in my own defense,” said Cain, purposely vague. Any conversations he had with Wynter weren’t Ishtar’s business.
The Ancient’s upper lip quivered. “And you fooled her into believing she matters to you.”
Cain took a menacing step forward. “I told you to leave her be.”
“You also insisted that she was under the protection of every Ancient. That therefore includes me. I did what was fair and just. You know that well. Or do you have it in your head that she doesn’t deserve to be protected from you? From how you are toying with her affections to keep her close?”
“Don’t claim you did anything but act in your own selfish, petty interests. You care nothing for Wynter’s feelings. What is ‘fair’ to her has no relevance to you. You would not give a damn if I was ‘toying with her affections.’ Which I’m not.”
Ishtar flapped a dismissive hand. “Anyone can see that you are using her. Except for her, apparently—she stupidly trusts your word. Well, if you are looking for an apology from me, you will not get one. Twist my actions if you must, but I did what I thought was right.”
“Right for who?” Seth cut in. “You, I’m guessing. You certainly didn’t do right by Cain or Wynter. And don’t for one moment think we’ll truly believe otherwise. Cain’s not twisting your actions. You are. But then, I suspected you would. Gaslighting is something you seem to enjoy.”
“Do not cast me into the role of ‘villain,’” she said, her tone tart. “Pretend to care about the witch’s itty bitty feelings if you wish. But if you truly did care, you would be hesitant about using her as bait to lure the Aeons here. You would be second-guessing your decision. You’re not, though, are you? No. Face it, we are all using her to get what we want. She will realize that eventually, Cain. Then she will turn on you.”
Wynter had been right, he realized. Ishtar viewed her as a silly, naïve girl. She didn’t see that his little witch was as ruthless as they were. She didn’t see that Wynter would find some satisfaction in being the bait that lured the Aeons to their death, considering they’d blessed the execution of her mother.
Oh, Wynter might not be so pleased that no one had shared this with her. But if there was one person who understood the need for secrets, it was her—she had plenty of her own. She wouldn’t turn on him for holding certain things back from her.
“Does it not bother you that you’re a person who’d find so much satisfaction in seeing Cain suffer in any way?” Seth asked Ishtar. “You weren’t always so wrapped up in your own feelings that those of others rarely mattered to you. You’ve changed over time. You lost pieces of yourself somewhere along the way.”
Ishtar’s eyes glimmered with annoyance. “You like to think you are so much better than the rest of us, don’t you?”
Seth’s expression tightened. “Do not insinuate that my being different means I am not a true part of the circle. And do not think you can change the subject so easily, or that Cain and I don’t have a right to our anger.”