Chapter 41 · You saw her

He shut his eyes.

The truth landed between us, ugly and incomplete.

"You saw her," I whispered.

"I saw enough."

"Dax."

"She was already bleeding. The oath had her pinned to the seal. I couldn't break it without feeding it another life."

"So you fed it yours?"

"I made a bargain."

"With whom?"

He opened his eyes again. "With the thing under this table."

The ledger pages began to turn faster.

"What did it promise you?"

"Time."

"For her?"

"For you."

My hands slid from his face to his shoulders. His coat was rough beneath my fingers, damp with sweat and blood. I felt the tremor running through him.

"You keep saying that like it makes this better," I said.

"It kept you alive."

"It destroyed my name."

"Your name could be repaired."

"My sister couldn't."

His face tightened.

There it was. The pain he had hidden behind orders, threats, and that cold enforcer stare. Not guilt. Not exactly.