I gaped at her, my mind immediately filling with grisly images. “Really?”

“How else do you think I got free of shackles made in the same way this pretty little cage of yours was?” Veses glanced down at her arms. “Growing these back from the elbow down took some time.”

“That is…disgusting.”

“You should’ve seen me when they were just mangled stumps,” she replied. “Still, I was far more attractive than you.”

I rolled my eyes.

“I’ll admit, it was extreme, but when I felt Hanan’s death, I just knew it was our dear Nyktos who’d done it,” she said, and my teeth started to grind at the our-Nyktos part. “That’s what woke me from stasis, if you care to know.”

“I don’t.”

Veses smirked. “Anyway, no one else would dare do such a thing. But as I said to you before, Nyktos can be so…deliciously unpredictable in his anger. I figured Hanan had gotten his hands on you, you were dead in one way or another, and it was best if I made myself as scarce as possible before Nyktos returned and blamed me for something I had nothing to do with.”

“Are you forgetting that he imprisoned you because you tried to kill me?”

“That’s irrelevant.”

I stared at her.

“But imagine my surprise when I arrived in my Court only to be told that Kolis had a new pet who also happened to be the recently crowned Consort of the Shadowlands.” A glow of eather pulsed behind her pupils. “It was nearly as shocking as hearing Kolis call you his graeca, the same freckled mortal Nyktos sought to keep hidden, who happens to have the Primal embers of life stowed away inside her.”

“Did you mean to say disappointment instead of surprise?” I retorted.

She eyed me. “Disappointed cannot even begin to adequately describe what I felt. Devastated? Heartbroken? Yes.”

“Exactly how devastated could you be when, not that long ago, I saw you grinding on another man’s lap?” I countered.

“Just because what I want has been out of my reach doesn’t mean I cannot take what is.”

But she had taken what was not within her reach.

“So, in the last day or so, I did some digging,” she continued. “Oh, the things I’ve learned. Nyktos’s imprisonment is not at all surprising. After all, he did kill another Primal—one known throughout the realms as brave and formidable.” She pressed her hand to her neck. “If I had pearls, I’d be clutching them.”

“Uh-huh.”

“I detect a hint of sarcasm.” Dipping her chin, she grinned. “You’d be right to suspect my sincerity. Hanan was a weak, sniveling coward who’d outlived his worth. Good riddance.”

Apparently, Hanan and Veses hadn’t been on good terms.

“I also learned that the Shadowlands are on the verge of invading Dalos.” She shivered. “Now that will be entertaining. Should liven up the humdrum of everyday life.”

“Was having to chew your arms off not exciting enough for you?”

Veses chuckled. “It was short-lived.”

No part of me was surprised that she found the idea of people dying entertaining. And that was exactly what would happen if the Shadowlands’ forces invaded—there would be losses on both sides.

She watched me. “I also learned about the deal you made for Nyktos’s freedom.”

“And by learned about the deal, do you mean you spoke with Callum?”

“I’ll never tell.” She winked. “But you know what the most interesting thing I learned was?”

“The better question is do I care,” I said. “The answer is no.”

“You should care,” she replied, the edges of her fangs dragging over her lower lip. “Because there is some…how should I phrase it? Doubt concerning who you claim to be.”

I forced myself to show no reaction. “Gee, I wonder who the source of that doubt is.”

“If you think it’s just Callum, you’re wrong,” she replied, and I tensed. “You see, all of us Primals who were alive when Kolis first became the Primal of Life remember what Sotoria looked like. And while you share similar features—”

“The hair color is wrong, and I have more freckles,” I said. “I know. That is evidence of nothing.”

“Except other reborn souls appeared as they were in their previous lives.”

“And how many of those souls were also placed with the embers of life?” I reasoned, rather proud of my fast thinking. “Has it occurred to you or anyone else that had some impact?”

“Oh, I’m sure it’s occurred to some,” she said, tilting her head. “Mostly those who have no interest in whether or not you are Sotoria.”

“But you? You have a vested interest in simply not wanting to believe that I am her,” I said. “That way, you would be…less devastated.”

Her lips thinned.

“But I’m beginning to think you like feeling that way,” I continued. “After all, you are beautiful, Veses.”

Her lips turned up.

“At least on the outside,” I added, and the curve disappeared. “Either way, you could have almost anyone you want, gods and mortal alike, yet you seek the two most ineligible beings in both realms.”

A muscle began ticking in her jaw. “I think it’s funny you believe they are ineligible.”

“What I think is funny, is that both you and Callum seem to assume I won’t say anything to Kolis about your visit.”

“I’ve assumed nothing. Callum? He’s a charming boy, but he doesn’t always think things through.” She lifted a shoulder.

Callum? Charming?

“But I don’t think you’re going to say anything,” she added.

I crossed my arms. “And why is that?”

She shrugged again, slowly walking from the side of the cage to where I stood. Eather crackled from her eyes. “You won’t tell Kolis.”

“You’re far too confident in that.”

“I’m not confident. I just know I’m right.” She moved as close as she could without touching the bars. Only a foot separated us. “You won’t tell him because you know how he’ll react. And despite what I say, you wouldn’t put me in that position because you’re such a good and decent mortal.”

Tension crept into my shoulders. “You’re right.”

Her smile turned smug.

“But you’re also wrong. I’m neither good nor decent since I’d rather see you dead than punished.”

Veses’ laugh was like wind chimes. “I see jealousy makes you say terrible things.”

The embers stirred in my chest as anger continued to flare. “I know.”

Her head tilted. “About?”

“About the deal you made with Nyktos.”

Veses’ smile faded.

Mine returned. “Kolis seemed disappointed in you for not telling him about my presence in the Shadowlands. How do you think he’ll feel knowing that you made a pact with his nephew to keep any knowledge of me hidden from him?”

Astonishment briefly lit up her features. “He told you?” Her eyes met mine as a cunning smile replaced her previous astonishment. “Did he tell you how eager he was to strike the deal? How much he enjoyed—?”

“Spin all the bullshit you want about yourself.” A rush of rage caused the embers in my chest to go crazy. “But don’t even try doing that to him, you sick bitch.”

Veses sneered, baring her fangs. “How dare you speak to me in such a manner?”

“How dare I? What in the gods’ names is wrong with you?” I struggled to keep the pulsing embers down. “There is no way you don’t know how disgustingly wrong what you’ve done is. You cannot be that demented.” The moment the words left my mouth, I realized that Kolis was that demented, so Veses likely was, too. I shook my head. “Clearly, what happened the other night in the Council Hall wasn’t the first time. You know what that feels like.”

“I already told you, I enjoyed—”

“I don’t care what you claim!” I shouted, and her eyes widened as a burst of energy left me, blowing Veses’ skirt back and causing the chandelier to swing. “You know what it feels like, and you still did it to someone else—someone you were once friends with. Yes, I know you two were close at one time. But that didn’t matter, did it?”