Saetan sat on the window seat in his study at the Keep, staring at the evening sky, a glass of yarbarah dangling from his fingers. As much as he adored her, he was glad Surreal had left the Keep before he returned. Right now, he needed some time to himself before he returned to the Hall.

There was another dreamer.

What is Twilight’s Dawn?

It iss the Jewel for Kaeleer’ss Heart.

There was another dreamer.

Sshe iss who sshe hass alwayss been.

I lost nothing I regret losing. I am what I want to be.

Lorn was right. He should have looked with his heart to find the answers. If he had, he would have realized there was one person who had no regrets, who felt no grief about the power that had been lost. Was, in fact, enjoying her “diminished” strength.

There was another dreamer.

One tear spilled over, not from sorrow this time but from joy.

He raised the glass of yarbarah in a salute. “To you, witch-child.”

FIFTEEN

1

No one saw him, heard him, felt him as he entered Lektra’s town house and climbed the stairs. He paused on the landing. He’d spent the day learning about his prey, so it was simple enough to sense which woman huddled in which bedroom.

Turning away from Lektra’s room, Daemon walked down the corridor. As he passed through the door of Roxie’s bedroom, he placed aural and psychic shields around the room that would keep this conversation private.

She was curled up in a chair, reading a book—something he doubted she usually did for entertainment. She wasn’t aware of him as he watched her, as he breathed in her scent.

An illusion spell could hide what a person looked like, but it didn’t change her psychic scent. When he’d seen her in Banard’s shop the day he bought the bracelet for Jaenelle, he’d felt pity for the witch who needed an illusion spell to hide a disfigurement.

Tonight, pity—and mercy—were words that had no meaning for him.

“So,” he said pleasantly as he dropped the Black shields that had kept him hidden from her, “since you couldn’t have my brother, you decided to play games with me.”

Roxie sprang out of the chair, dropping the book. “I—I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Roxie, darling, of course you do. Lucivar exiled you from Ebon Rih when you tried to force him into your bed. I know all about you. Or enough about you. I made it my business to find out. But I really don’t care what games you played with Lucivar. I want to know why you decided to play games with me.”

Roxie pouted. “Lektra wants you. I just helped her.”