Sister stared at sister.

And another first for Serena.

She greatly wished she had something to say.

But she did not.

“I mean, truly,” Elena whispered. “Using the loss of Tiana? And using…Dora?” she asked.

She did not expect an answer.

With that, Elena didn’t even glance at Cassius or Nero.

She stormed away.

Serena turned to watch her go, her mind scrambling to find words to say, for all of a sudden, she couldn’t bear the idea of parting with her sister in this manner.

But she remained mute.

For what she saw behind her, she felt the odd and not at all pleasant sensation of her clenched stomach entirely evacuating her body at the same time something depressed her chest.

And that something felt the size of an entire Nadirii treehome.

This was because Chu was standing there.

“Chu,” she whispered.

“I fear you don’t care you just lost your sister,” Cassius said behind her. “But I’m seeing that matters not. For you’re about to lose something that, to you, is even more dear.” He then murmured, “Let’s go.”

“Cass, I’m not even close to—” Nero refuted.

“Let’s go,” Cassius repeated.

Serena wasn’t paying them all that much attention.

Her gaze was riveted on Chu.

Though she did sense Cassius and his man leave.

Her gaze still did not leave Chu.

When they were alone, he asked calmly, “Did you speak this lie?”

“I—”

“You spoke it,” Chu declared expressionlessly.

She took a step toward him.

He lifted his hand her way.

She stopped.

“To hurt her. To hurt them. To hurt your sister, her man, their family, you spoke these words,” he stated. “And you did it for no other reason than to cause harm.”

“Please, let me—”

“This is our end.”

At his decree, she snapped her mouth shut right before her body locked in an effort to contain an abrupt, excruciating, head-to-toe pain.

Chu walked away.

And he did not look back.

92

The Spy

Tedrey

Go’Doan Temple, Fire City

FIRENZE

“You can speak in front of him.”

“But, Fenn—”

“I will not repeat myself.”

Tedrey sat next to his old lover—nay, his renewed lover, G’Fenn, ostensibly a Go’Doan priest, in reality a Rising general, and he did so quietly as he studied the priest standing across the table.

He was tight-faced and wished to be tight-lipped.

They did not trust Tedrey after the time he spent with Lorenz, the captain of Mars’s Trusted, and knowing he still spent time with him, as he was living with him.

However, Fenn knew Tedrey, or thought he did, and as he did, his old/new lover had been easy to convince that Tedrey was still a devout soldier for the cause.

Or, more to the point for Fenn, a devout worshipper of Fenn’s cock.

“We have received word,” the priest before them said tightly. “Prince True is now King True and he’s announced they will publicly execute not only our agent in Birchlire Castle, but all those who participated in the assassination of Queen Mercy.”