“I didn’t know who he was. I didn’t recognize him,” Rosalind mumbled.

In the lobby, Miranda tugged on her arm. “It’s okay. Come with me. There’s something you need to see.”

Rosalind shook her head, distracted. Flashing lights blared outside the protective shield that Caine had created around the building, and someone with a booming voice barked orders into a loudspeaker.

Rosalind glanced at Miranda. “What are you talking about? What do you need to show me?”

“It’s in the Great Hall.”

“What do you mean? How do you even know about the Great Hall?” Her skin prickled with apprehension.

Miranda tugged her hand, pulling Rosalind toward the great oak door. “My magic helps me see things. And I want you to see, too. You wear the iron ring. You’re wedded to Blodrial. But I can show you something you’ve never seen before.” She pushed through the door.

Rosalind didn’t know what was happening, but she wasn’t about to argue with the sister she’d sent to a torture chamber. Hugging her sodden clothes, she stepped into the Great Hall, and the door slammed behind her.

“Why are we in here, Miranda?”

Miranda walked to the circular stage. Through the darkness, Rosalind could now see an iron stake that stood in the center of the room, its base surrounded by a pile of wood. High above, moonlight streamed through the oculus, which someone had opened to the air, almost as if someone had prepared the room for… Her stomach hollowed out. “Miranda. Let’s go. We shouldn’t be in here.”

Miranda backed away. Light sparked off metal on her finger—an iron ring. “I didn’t have a choice. He makes me do things. He says he’ll protect me from the pain.”

“Who says he’ll protect you?”

Miranda slipped into the shadows. “Josiah.”

Chapter 32

A fist slammed into the side of Rosalind’s head, and her world spun. She tottered. Through her blurred vision, she caught a glimpse of Josiah’s enormous form. What the fuck, Miranda?

She hadn’t even begun the fight, and was already at a disadvantage. Stumbling, she reached for the gun in the back of her pants, but Josiah gripped her arm hard. He grabbed the gun and pointed it at Rosalind’s head.

“You betrayed me.” His voice cracked.

Rosalind’s head throbbed, and she stared into the barrel. She choked down a thousand angry retorts. This wasn’t the time to argue.

“I was supposed to protect you. I planned to find a way to marry you. You were mine.” The gun shook in his hands. “And then I saw you wrapping your legs around that monster.”

Rosalind seethed with rage. She’d just risked her life trying to save people from Josiah’s torture, and he was going on about a kiss that hurt his feelings. “It was tactical,” she ventured, trying on one of Caine’s lines. “I was doing what I thought I had to do to get back to you. You’ve always been the one I wanted.” The words tasted like poison in her mouth.