She could have stopped him, Gray against Gray. Her Green Jewel had shielded her a little, but not enough to keep her from getting hurt. The Gray was her surprise weapon, and she didn’t want to give up that edge until she absolutely had to. After the second time, he’d done nothing but hold her tight against him, but she felt the anger in him, watched his Jewels flash as they absorbed the energy.

“I’d kill that bastard if I could,” Philip said through clenched teeth. “He acts as if nothing’s happening while she…”

“Who?” Surreal tried to lift her head. “Who’s a bastard?” If she had some idea what had made him act this way, she might be able to get through the rest of the night.

“That ‘gift’ Dorothea SaDiablo sent to Alexandra. There’s more warmth in a glacier than there is in him, and yet Leland…”

Surreal smelled blood. She turned her head just a little. Philip, in his rage, had bitten his lip.

She’d already guessed that Philip’s attachment to the Angelline court had more to do with the daughter than the mother. Wasn’t that what the completely dark room was all about, being able to pretend he was leisurely making love to Leland? Were there hurried couplings when Robert Benedict wasn’t there, couplings so tainted with the fear of being found out that there was no pleasure in them? Now Sadi was there, and Leland could be physically gratified by another male under Robert’s watchful and approving eye.

Surreal shivered, remembering all too well what it felt like to be gratified by the Sadist.

“Cold?” Philip asked, his voice a little gentler.

Surreal let him tuck the quilt up around them. Now that she knew where to look, it wouldn’t be difficult to reach Sadi—if she wanted to. Still, there was that red-haired witch at Cassandra’s Altar who was asking about him, and she did owe him.

Surreal pushed herself up on one elbow, fighting Philip’s restraining hand. She smoothed her hair away from her face, letting it fall in a long black curtain across her back and shoulder. “Philip, why do you believe Sadi is serving Lady Benedict?”

“She publicly summons him to her room so that the whole family and most of the staff knows he’s with her,” Philip snarled. His anger made his gray eyes look flat and cold. “And at the breakfast table, she chatters on about how entertaining he was.”

“She actually says he was entertaining?” Surreal flung herself backward and laughed. Damn. Leland was smarter than she’d thought.

Philip threw himself on her, pinning her to the bed. “You find this amusing?” he spat at her. “You think this is funny?”

“Ah, sugar,” Surreal said, gulping back her laughter. “From what I know about Sadi, he can be very entertaining out of bed, but he’s seldom entertaining in bed.”

Philip’s grip eased a little. He frowned, puzzled.

“She’s not the first, you know,” Surreal said with a smile.

“First what?”