“By spreading lies about me, by watching me when I was in Amdarh so you could build those lies on a foundation of truth?” Smiling, he crooned, “Did you also help Lektra with the carriage accident that could have injured Jaenelle?”

“No!” Panic laced her voice, filling him with pleasure. “I didn’t know about that! Not until she got back to the town house.”

“Ah.” Daemon sent wisps of a seduction spell into the room—just enough to dull the sharpest edges of her fear. “Everything has a price, darling. It’s time to pay the debt for your part in these games.”

“I suppose you’re going to tell Zhara to exile me from Amdarh.”

Smiling, he glided across the room until he stood in front of her. “Exile? Oh, no. That was Lucivar’s choice.” He held out his right hand.

As the seduction spells coiled around her, her eyes gleamed with speculation. She slipped her hand into his, then sighed with pleasure when he raised her hand and brushed his lips across her knuckles.

Roxie licked her lips. “So you’re not going to exile me?”

“No, I’m not. Because there is one small detail you didn’t take into account.” He licked the back of her hand as his fingers shifted to her wrist.

“What’s that?” she asked, sounding breathless.

“I’m not my brother.”

His nails stabbed her. His snake tooth pricked her wrist, and he pumped half of his venom into her before he released her and stepped back.

She stared at the wounds on her wrist, then looked at him, stunned.

“As I said, darling, everything has a price.”

He watched her die—and it was a hard death.

Hearing the click of a lock, Lektra spun around and stared at Daemon Sadi, who was leaning against her bedroom door. She pressed a hand against her chest, as if that would control the sudden pounding of her heart. “How did you get in? My butler didn’t announce you.”

“I didn’t want to be announced,” he replied.

“You came for me.” She breathed out the words, hardly daring to believe. Her beautiful love was here. He had realized who really loved him and had broken his ties with Jaenelle in order to be with her.

He walked toward her. “Yes, I came for you.”

There was something cold about his smile, something mocking in his deep voice, but she didn’t care about that because his gold eyes were already glazed with passion.

She flung herself at him, intending to throw her arms around him, but he stepped aside at the last moment. She staggered, off balance, and almost fell.

“Don’t touch me,” he snarled softly.

“But—” Confused, she pushed her hair away from her face. “Then why are you here?”

“I came to give you what you want from me. I came to give you what you deserve from me.”