Emmy and her blood-red hair step forward, her dark eyes lighting up as she hisses through her teeth. “Absolutely.”

“No way.” Aiden steps in front of me, hands spreading out, trying to shield be away. “She’s not touching her.”

Sylas fakes a pout, sticking out his bottom lip. “My poor little brother. He always wanted to protect Kayla, yet you were never very good at it.” He pauses. “Why bring her all the way out here, to one of the most dangerous places there is? To keep her away from us? Because I don’t think you’re that stupid.”

“I was looking for Xander,” Aiden says, his voice stable. “He’s the only one I could think of who could make it so she could never turn, even with medicine.”

Sylas laughs, the sound ringing against the cathedral ceiling like a bell. “You were looking for Xander.” He stops, his laugh dying down. “Xander threw himself off a building quite a while ago—being stuck as human finally caught up with him and he just couldn’t take it.”

Aiden’s breath catches. “You’re lying.”

“No, I’ve never been the liar,” he says. “That’s always been your thing. I’m more of a truth kind of guy, no matter harsh it is.” He strides a path in front of us, tapping his finger on his lips. “It’ll catch up with you too, you know,” he says to Aiden. “If you keep deciding not to turn.”

“You can still turn?” I say to Aiden. “You never mentioned that.”

“Because it’s not important,” he shrugs me off. “I won’t ever do it—damn myself to that life.”

Before he can react, Sylas sprints forward and crashes Aiden to the floor. His legs are fast—faster than mine. Aiden’s head smacks against the marble ground, the cracking a sickening sound to endure.

My eyes widen and I back away.

“Take it easy,” Sylas says, holding up his hands. “You don’t need to be afraid. I’m not going to hurt you. I just want to talk to you.”

“I’m not afraid,” I say, looking for an escape route. “And I’m not stupid enough to believe you.” The hallway is close, but how can I leave Aiden behind?

“He’s okay,” Sylas says, stepping after me. “He’s just taking a nap.”

“I know he’s okay.” Because I can hear his heart. “But I don’t know if he’s going to remain okay.”

Sylas presses his hand to his heart, his teeth shining as he grins. “You have my word. No one will harm you or him.”

“I’m not believing anything you say, until I have an idea of what this all is.”