“Your body will heal. Already you’re so much stronger,” she said, her guilt slithering back to choke her.

“It’s not just my injuries,” he admitted. “I was not prepared for that conversation, for your demands. You have a talent for negotiation.”

“And my sister for threats,” Nomi returned.

The corner of Malachi’s lip quirked. “True. Mount Ruin has changed her.”

“How could it not?” Nomi thought she heard disapproval in his voice, but she was in awe. Serina had spoken to Malachi as if they were equals. No, as if she held the power. Serina, Nomi’s sweet, submissive sister.

Nomi had never been more proud.

For a while, they sat in silence. But it wasn’t long before Nomi’s questions bubbled up.

“Why did you try to give me my freedom? Back at the ball, I mean.” She didn’t know what to think of Malachi. One moment he was volatile, just as Asa had described him. And other times, he seemed thoughtful, considerate even. She couldn’t puzzle him out, and that made her nervous. For this plan to work, he had to be deserving of her trust. And she just wasn’t sure if he was. In truth, he was probably wondering the same about her. She’d already betrayed him once.

He stared down at his hands, still as marble in his lap. Through the ripped sleeve of his shirt, she could see the ridge of stitches along his forearm. “The more time we spent together, the more it pained me, thinking of how I chose you without warning, without your knowledge or consent. It became untenable, knowing you hadn’t prepared for the life of a Grace. That I was forcing you.”

“So why did you choose me? Was it a mistake? You meant to choose Serina?” She’d always wondered. He’d seemed so unhappy with Nomi at first.

When he didn’t answer, she added, “Back in the palazzo, you said I was defiant and different from the others. But you never said why that appealed to you.”

She glanced at him. To her surprise, his cheeks had reddened. He focused all his attention on the cracked marble floor between them, picking at it with a finger.

He cleared his throat. “Well. The truth is, it didn’t appeal at first. But you, um, served a purpose.”

“A purpose?” What a callous way to regard a human life.