Page 56 of Avaritia
“Unfortunately, the Councilors are fixated on one particular part of your suggestions…”
I closed my eyes, a wry smile twisting my lips. “The punishments?”
Allerick made an uncomfortable sound of assent.
How very neat, that I’d drafted my own death warrant. How exceptionally organized of me.
“You should not feel that you need to defend me,” I said, opening my eyes to stare up at the ceiling once more. “You must not feel conflicted in any way about this, Allerick. I would vastly prefer you put me from your mind entirely. Finding Verity and bringing her safely home, that is what matters. It is the only thing that matters.”
“I think you’ll find I’m very intelligent and capable of caring about more than one thing at a time,” Allerick replied impatiently. “However, I do believe you are at least partially correct. If Verity cares for you as much as Damen claims she does”—Damen had claimed as such?—“then she is your best and only defense.”
Allerick stood, looking down at me with so much pity in his eyes that I should have felt frustration or shame, but there was no room for that. No room for any emotion beyond despair.
“Have heart, brother. We have no intention of giving up. Verity will come home.”
But to what home? To mine? Would I be here to greet her upon her return?
Or would the death warrant I’d already signed have taken me from her by then?
Chapter 19
“Your fiancé is here,” Doctor Torres said kindly, giving me a gentle smile.
I steadied my breathing, grateful that the doctor couldn’t smell the undoubtedly sour pheromones I was putting out with that news. This was the trap I’d sprung for myself in the hopes of avoiding a bigger one, but it still had teeth.
That Sebastian was claiming to be my fiancé had my hackles rising, though. What the hell was he playing at? This was my made-up scenario, not his.
Hearing his footsteps outside the door, I quickly wriggled down in the bed, pulling the sheet up to my chin to cover the mating mark, but freeing my hands from under the blanket so I looked slightly less corpse-like.
“Verity,” Sebastian said, rushing in and all but collapsing next to my bed, his shaking hands gently gripping my fingers in a convincing show of relief. I flinched instantly, my body reacting before my brain could catch up.
Get your shit together, Verity. He’s meant to be your boyfriend-fiancé, even—for god’s sake.
“Easy,” Doctor Torres murmured to Sebastian, while giving me a strained smile.
“Right.” Sebastian shoved his sandy-blond hair out of his face. “I’m just so relieved to see her. Sorry. I know I need to… take it slow.”
Apparently, he’d been debriefed on my condition already, which I supposed made sense.
What didn’t make sense was the way he was acting. I’d expected him to let me down easy—tell me that I was mistaken and we’d been broken up for years. But I’d also expected him to hang around, and inadvertently, set himself up as a buffer between myself and the Council, who’d be foaming at the mouth to pick my brain apart.
It had been ten years, but I suspected that Sebastian was still the same guy at heart. A nice guy. A hero. The white knight who rode in to save the damsels from all of their distress. He couldn’t help himself.
Maybe I’d rolled the dice wrong on that front, though. Was he playing along as an act of kindness? Or was he playing 4D chess with me?
Had he always been such a convincing actor?
“I’m so glad you remember me, baby,” he said, seeming genuinely emotional about the revelation.
Oh, yes. I remembered Sebastian perfectly. I remembered exactly what a spineless little mama’s boy he’d been. I remembered how I’d been good enough for him until I wasn’t; how he’d thrown me to the wolves the moment things got hard.
I remembered.
“Things are a little… fuzzy,” I managed, giving him a watery smile. Tentatively, I reached for his hand, my stomach turning at the feeling of his damp, sweaty palm and clawless fingertips beneath mine.
As far as he was concerned, I was behaving perfectly naturally. I’d always been pretty meek and happy to let him lead when we were together. Probably because he’d done such a good job at making me feel like an idiot who was incapable of making decisions for myself.
“I know, baby. It’s all going to be okay, I’m here now. What do you remember?”