Lydia’s violet eyes flicker with something. “Well. I suppose I have nothing more to tell you, after all.”
She watches me carefully, as the realization sets in. Rajeen was attacked by the Umbra, an assassin known for the violent murders of abusers throughout Alondria.
The Umbra, who’d saved Dinah the night Azrael had kept her hostage. The Umbra, who’d ripped the heads of the traffickers from their bodies, for some reason sparing me, the king who had threatened to kill a bride every mooncycle.
I say nothing.
By the amusement in her eyes, I don’t think I have to.
CHAPTER 95
BLAISE
I wait until Kiran and his siblings are deep in conversation before I leave Nox’s side and hunt down Asha’s sister.
Dinah’s sitting in the parlor upstairs.
She startles when I slip into the booth across from her. “You shouldn’t be up here.”
I can’t help but notice how much harder she seems than the way Asha described her. “If anyone’s coming, I’ll hear them well before they have the chance to see me.”
“You didn’t hear me sneaking up on you in the marketplace,” she counters, eyes looking rather bored.
“Yeah, well, I was distracted.”
“By Nox.”
I sigh, which I suppose is enough of an answer.
“The two of you aren’t together,” she says, and I don’t know why, but I somehow feel interrogated, although she’s yet to ask me a question.
“No,” I half say, half swallow, misery welling up in my chest, pain that I have to quash.
“That’s a shame.” Somehow, Dinah sounds like she means it.
“I betrayed your sister,” I remind her, taking her glass of wine and taking a gulp before handing it back to her. “I would think you’d want for me to be miserable.”
Dinah levels me with a stare. “If you’re miserable, and you and Nox aren’t together, then you betrayed Asha for nothing. The least you could do is make her sacrifice worth it.”
Sadness pings at my chest. “It’s not really up to me. When I betrayed your sister, I betrayed the Old Magic too. He wasn’t thrilled about it, so he cursed Nox not to love me.”
“Oh,” she says, her gaze falling a bit. “That sounds like him. He’s always been a fan of tragic stories. Unrequited love is one of his favorites.” Her tone is affectionate, like how someone might speak of an ornery grandparent, but she rolls her eyes just the same. “It’s not nearly as romantic as he makes it out to be.”
“You mean Fin.”
Dinah stiffens, but then her shoulders loosen, as if she’s decided it’s so obvious it’s not even worth hiding. She picks at the hem of her sleeve without looking at me.
“I hold on to things longer than I should.”
I flick my gaze over to the girl, assessing her, then decide to let it be. “You’re not how your sister describes you.”
She shifts, making herself taller in the booth. “And you’re exactly how everyone describes you.”
I force an amused smile to my lips. “And how does everyone describe me?”
“It would be impolite to say.”
I huff a laugh. “Don’t worry. Asha’s never said an impolite thing about you.”
“She thinks I’m soft. That being soft makes me weak,” says Dinah.
I shrug. “Is she wrong?”
She blinks. “Not about the soft part. But I suppose if I tell you I’m not weak, I’ll just make myself sound less credible.”
I take in the girl, assessing whether she’s up to the task. “I need you to get a message to your sister.”
Her perfect brow shoots up. “That we’re coming for her?”
“Yes. But something else, too.”
Dinah’s perfect features go blank for a moment. “Why did you wait to get me alone before asking me?”
I take another sip from her glass. “I think you already know the answer to that.”
Her eyes turn steely. “If it’s because Kiran won’t like it, that means it’s putting Asha in danger, which means I won’t like it either.”
I shake my head. “There’s nothing more dangerous than going in and making decisions without all the relevant information.”
