Page 65 of Veil of Shadows

It felt like someone stabbed me in the heart.

“Triv,” Lars said, his voice taking on an edge. “Don’t. It’s not her.”

“They’re right, it wasn’t me,” I said more adamantly.

But the lean blond crossed his arms. “Prove it.”

I shrank back, but just as fast, a tidal wave of power emitted from Jax.

“Trivan. Stop it,” Jax growled. “It’s not Elowen. She didn’t betray us. She wouldn’t do that.”

But Trivan shook his head. “How do you know? None of us really even know her.”

Lars frowned, but he didn’t disagree. Jax, though, was in Trivan’s face in two strides.

“It wasn’t her,” he snarled.

Trivan’s nostrils flared just as fast. “Just because you want to stick your cock in her doesn’t mean she’s?—”

A ferocious snarl tore from Jax, and in a blink he had Trivan pinned to the wall and punched him in the stomach. Hard.

The blond doubled over.

My jaw dropped just as Phillen winced.

Trivan wheezed, eyeing me again before giving Jax a murderous glare. “Command her, Jax.Commandher to tell the truth.”

I paled.

Jax had told me once that he never used his Mistvale magic on fae unless they were truly vile. He’d called that aspect of his magic evil, yet Trivan had just asked him to use it onme.

“Watch yourself.” Jax shoved him against the wall again. “I’d advise you to choose your next words very carefully,friend.”

But Trivan’s suspicions seemed to speed through the group. Phillen, who’d always seemed to be on my side previously, cast me an apprehensive look. Lars did too, and even Bowan’s jovial smile disappeared, and Quinn’s entire focus centered on me.

“Maybe you should, Jax, just to put everyone’s mind at ease,” Lander finally offered. “I’m not saying I doubt her, but if you did, then we’d all know for certain.”

“I’m not doing that to her!” Jax roared.

But I took a step forward, my heart cracking that none of these males felt I was trustworthy, even though I tried to tell myself it was only natural to suspect me. They’d all known each other for full seasons and trusted one another explicitly. Of course, they would suspect me.

“It’s okay.” I licked my lips, my throat suddenly dry. “If it helps and stops everyone from fighting, you can command me, Jax.”

Trivan’s eyebrows rose, and a fleeting sense of doubt crossed over his features.

Jax shoved Trivan against the wall one last time, then faced me. “I won’t do that to you.”

“Just do it,” Trivan snarled from behind him. “In fact, do it on all of us. Make sure nobody in this room has turned on us.”

Quinn’s eyes narrowed, a heavy frown descending upon his face. “You think one of your brothers would do that?”

Lars shook his head. “Really, Triv...this is low, even for you.”

But Trivan just shrugged. “Then prove me wrong.”

Jax glowered at him, but the fact that everyone seemed okay with being commanded by Jax’s Mistvale magic seemed to put him more at ease to command me. If he did it to everyone, he wasn’t singling me out. Still, he raised his eyebrows at me, his expression full of remorse.

“It’s fine,” I said, answering his silent question. “Despite what Trivan thinks, I’m not a liar.”

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