Page 64 of Avaritia
“It was very difficult for me to tell you this,” Moriah—the true victim, apparently—sighed. “But it would be cruel to let you believe a lie any longer.”
The stone-cold audacity.
“You were a victim of the escalating war between Hunters and Shades. They have gotten increasingly bold, even dragging humans into it with their puppet, Austin Thibaut.”
I could imagine Austin throwing his head back and laughing when he heard that, and it made me feel substantially better.
“It is essential that if you have any recollections of your time in the shadow realm, that you tell us. We must know what they’re planning, Verity. How can we defend ourselves against it otherwise? How can we keep the human population safe?”
“Eri will tell me anything that she remembers,” Sebastian said firmly. “But she needs to rest. The priority needs to be on her recovery right now.”
“Naturally,” Moriah agreed smoothly, eyes flashing with irritation. “Which is why you’ll stay here for the next few days. There is plenty of space, and Verity is safely surrounded by people who care about her well-being. The lights are on at all times, and there are no switches in the rooms so they can’t be tampered with. You are entirely safe from monstrous shadow creatures here.”
Was that a threat or a promise?
“Thank you,” I murmured, rubbing my temples dramatically.
“I’ll show you to the room we have set aside for you,” Moriah announced, the scrape of the stool on the tile making me wince. “Perhaps after a few hours’ rest, you’ll be able to join us for dinner. We’re all here to see you, after all.”
“Perhaps,” I agreed, mortified at the very thought.
It was a painfully slow journey upstairs to a small guest bedroom, and I all but collapsed on the dark gray brocade comforter, my limbs shaking with the effort of climbing up the stairs.
“Sebastian,” Moriah clipped. “Why don’t you return downstairs with me and we’ll get Verity some water?”
That definitely wasn’t a two-person job. I suspected he hadn’t played his part quite the way they had planned, and was about to get raked over the coals for it. He would probably return far pushier for information, which was going to be annoying.
Before I could decide how to handle that, the door opened again. I lifted my head feebly, expecting to see Sebastian, but finding a panicked-looking Lucas standing in front of it instead, breathing heavily.
“Tell me it’s not terrible there.”
“What?” I asked, blinking at him.
“The shadow realm. Tell me it’s not actually awful. That they treated you well. That women who go there are safe.”
I dropped my head back to the mattress. “Sorry. I’ve got amnesia.”
“No, you don’t. I’m not messing around, if it’s not safe, then I need to stop her. Hurry, before your stupid fake boyfriend gets back.”
“That’s rude.” I stared up at the ceiling, contemplating my options. The shadow realm was safe so long as whoever he’d sent on their way didn’t mean any harm. If they wanted to defect, they’d be welcome. I wasn’t about to drop my ruse for Lucas’s benefit when he’d been the one to call the cavalry on me in the first place.
He made a noise of frustration, letting himself out of the room, and I kicked off my shoes and crawled up the bed, huddling under the comforter and feigning sleep in the hopes that Sebastian would leave me alone.
It seemed to work. He quietly set down a glass of water on the nightstand before leaving again, the door clicking shut behind him. Were there cameras in here? Maybe. Probably.
Shit. Now what was I meant to do? After a few minutes, I gave up lying still and sat up to have some water, looking around the room. There appeared to be a half bathroom attached, and I climbed out of bed, padding across the room and sliding the pocket door closed behind me.
True to Moriah’s words, there was no light switch in the tiny bathroom. I leaned over the sink, splashing my face with water to wake myself up, and drying off before reaching down my dress to fish the necklace out of my bra and give my aching boob a break.
Entranced by the swirling motion, I undid the clasp holding the cage together, letting the orb roll into my hand. The way it moved was fascinating. I was sure I’d remember if it had been swirling this fast back in Theon’s workshop.
Caspite.
“It is more like… living darkness, I suppose. It expands, takes over everything it can.” That was how he’d described it. Like the in-between was stuck in place, but it if it could spread farther it would, except it couldn’t survive outside of its environment. I pulled the silver chain over my head, my fingers closed around the glass, clutching it tightly in my good hand as a slightly deranged idea began to form.
It probably wasn’t going to work.
And then I’d also be sans beautiful orb for my necklace.