“Because you killed Theodora’s mother,” Cassius declared baldly. “And Theodora travels with her.”

“I’ll leave you to it,” Serena muttered swiftly.

“I’m sorry?” Nero rumbled disbelievingly.

“Serena shared with us in Fire City that you killed Tiana, Dora’s mother,” Cassius stated before she could make her exit.

“Cass, maybe now is not the time to—” Elena began.

“Fucking hell, you cunt,” Nero gritted.

To her.

Serena’s body turned to stone.

“Nero!” Cassius bit.

“By the goddess,” Elena whispered.

“Why would you say something like that?” Nero demanded, again to her.

“I think our conversation begins and ends with the word you called me,” she returned, her heart beginning to race for some inexplicable reason.

“I don’t think it does, seeing as Theodora will be princess of my realm and I’m her for-all-intents-and-purposes new father’s lieutenant, tasked with keeping all royals safe, a task I promised my sword and my life to, and your lie makes that impossible,” Nero returned.

“Lie?” Elena was still whispering.

Serena tried to save her deceit, wondering for the first of any that she’d concocted why she’d committed it.

“With Trajan, you warred against my sisters repeatedly. You can’t possibly know who you killed or did not.”

“I disagree, since I’ve never killed a single Nadirii,” Nero retorted.

The atmosphere all around them grew weighty.

Shite.

“Though I took issue with a prince I did not support warring against them for reasons I also did not support, and when forced into his service, the only thing I could do to share that was be a very poor soldier with absurdly bad aim with arrow, sword, dagger and fists,” Nero shared. And he was not done. “Added boon, he was so disgusted with my service, he released me from it. That said, I’m rethinking my position about refusing to kill a Nadirii right about now.”

“What you said was a lie?” Elena asked.

Serena turned to her sister to see Elena staring at her, stunned.

“Not to my knowledge.” Another lie. “It was reported to me Nero brought Tiana low.” And yet another one.

Yes, Serena was wondering why she’d instigated this deception.

Elena stared at her.

And then she breathed, the words dripping with hurt, “It was a lie.”

“Elena—” Serena began.

Her sister’s eyes suddenly glowed amethyst, something Serena had always hated, but in that unfortunate moment, she understood it was not hate.

It was envy.

And in that moment, regrettably, she saw that glow was rather arresting, although she bizarrely wished she was not the cause of it.

“You’re despicable,” Elena spat. “I can’t even stand to look at you.”

Her heart squeezed.

She actually felt it squeeze.

What on earth?

“Go about your business,” Elena snapped. “I no longer care what you do, what you think, where you go. And you never gave me much reason to enjoy your company, but I shall refuse it until I can find some way to stomach the sight of you. Further, not that you care, I shall still inform you, even if I should manage to best that gargantuan feat, you’ve lost me. Whatever little part of my heart I held safe for you regardless you did naught to deserve it, it’s lost. Gone. Never to be recovered. Mark this, not ever, Serena. Not…fucking…ever.”