Chapter 30 · The Lie Unmasked

“Tell me it’s a lie, Selena.”

Cane didn’t shout. He didn’t have to. He had her pinned against the cold marble pillar of the sanctuary, his forearm pressed firmly against her collarbone. The weight of his body was a physical threat, a reminder that the distance between them was now measured in millimeters and heartbeats.

Selena’s breath hitched, her chest heaving against his leather chest piece. She tried to twist away, but his grip only tightened. The scent of ozone and old blood clung to him—the smell of the Void. It drowned out the sterile incense of the temple.

“I don’t… I don’t know what he’s talking about,” she whispered, her voice trembling. “Augustus is a liar, Cane. He feeds on chaos. You know this.”

Cane let out a low, jagged laugh. He leaned in closer, his lips brushing against the shell of her ear. The heat of his breath made her shiver, a violent contrast to the ice in his eyes.

“He told me I wasn’t just a sacrifice,” Cane murmured, his voice a dangerous velvet. “He said I was bait. A lure to bring something else out of the dark.