The male smiles.

“Nox?” Blaise groans, panic returning to her voice.

I clutch her hands in mine. “I’m right here.”

This seems to settle her, and when she looks up at me, it’s the Blaise I remember.

I realize I have no idea what Blaise did. What just happened.

“Nox, this is Andy,” she says, rolling her head lazily toward the male kneeling over her, eyes wide with relief. “Andy, this is Nox.”

“I believe we’ve already met.” I clench my teeth at the memory of this male, of the cruel things he said to Blaise, crushing her, until I want nothing more than to rip his throat out.

Which, as it turns out, I get the perfect chance to do, because, to my shock, Andy embraces me.

He pulls back, a firm grip on my shoulder as he grins. “So you’re the one who puts up with Blaise, here?”

I am momentarily speechless, but Blaise just crawls into my lap, letting the shadows cloak the two of us as she wraps her arms around my neck, settling herself into my grasp.

I brace myself for the bloodlust, but it doesn’t come. Blaise looks human, and though I initially thought her blood smelled human, there’s something about it that…isn’t.

I’m about to ask what in Alondria is going on when the female plant-wielder pipes up. “Where can I get some of those?”

I turn toward her, though I realize she can’t see my face. She seems comfortable in my personal space all the same.

“Pretty sure you have to kill someone to get a set,” says the male standing next to her.

She turns to the male and bats the longest eyelashes I’ve ever seen. He crosses his arms, rolling his eyes.

“Can you please get me some?” she asks, while she snaps her fingers absentmindedly, strangling a mere that just leapt out of the shadows with a set of thorny vines.

Yep. I cannot wait to get back to the quiet, peopleless Mystral.

“Kiran.” Blaise snaps back from my embrace. “I need to get to Kiran,” she says, realization settling over her expression.

I stand to join her, but she shakes her head. “You should help defend the city.”

I venture toward my wife. “I’m going with you.”

Tears well up in her beautiful, human eyes. How is she human? And she smiles, but she shakes her head all the same.

Then she slips into the shadows, and…changes, flashing a set of glistening fangs.

Fates, Blaise can shift between her human and vampire forms.

“Do you trust me?” she asks like it’s a dare.

Evander and I both groan, but we let her run off into the palace, so I suppose that means the answer is yes.

CHAPTER 112

ASHA

Every eye in the room swivels to me as I hold the trembling dagger to my chest.

Kiran, my sweet, sweet husband, is the first to speak. “Asha. What are you doing?”

If only I knew.

I wince at him, trying and failing at an apologetic smile.

I’ve been flying off script since last night. Dinah relayed Blaise’s message, and ever since, I’ve been scrambling for purchase on a wall that has no footholds, desperately grasping for a solution to save not just myself, but everyone I love.

I spent the last few hours grappling over, not Blaise’s message that they were coming to rescue me, but why she’d deemed it important to tell me.

There were multiple things that bothered me about it. Mostly that Blaise knows better than anyone how to hide important information. And that the more people who know the truth, the more difficult it is to keep hidden.

I couldn’t quite believe Blaise had been so concerned over my mental wellbeing that she didn’t think I could wait a few more hours to know I was being rescued.

So why?

Why inform me they were on their way? Why tell me the plan to get Kiran close enough to Az to alter his feelings?

Unless that was never Blaise’s plan to begin with.

Blaise, who had spent plenty of time with Az. Enough to know that Az was already aware of Kiran’s power—information he’d gotten from Gwenyth. Blaise, who knew Az would already be expecting Kiran to use it against him.

Blaise, who knew the only thing that might make it through the callus that has crusted over Az’s heart.

Of course, I hadn’t expected Az to bring his healer to me last night. Hadn’t expected the slimy faerie to take my face in his hands, strip me of my scars with a trace of his oily fingers.

From a glance in the mirror the healer handed me, it seems my eye is back. I still can’t see out of it, so consider me unimpressed.

That ordeal had thrown me off, but I’d had plenty of time to think. To figure out what Blaise wanted from me.

Plenty of time to realize that Az always wins. No matter what, he’s always been so far ahead of me, I couldn’t even glimpse him in the distance. And Kiran was too recognizable. He would be caught no matter what.

So I’d decided if he was going to be caught, it would be on my terms.

I’d told Az of my friends’ plans to sneak into the palace. It had crushed me to do it, but I’d glimpsed it—the glimmer of trust in his eyes.

I’d known then that I had him.

I’d staged this, hoping for an opportunity to beg Kiran to take away my feelings for him.

Because if this is going to work, I don’t just need Az to want me.

He has to need me, has to feel my love graze his fingertips.