Page 99 of Point of No Return

I watch Thomson’s face carefully, assessing the truth in it.

He’s not telling me everything.

“What else?”

He winces, and before he can lie, I dig the tip of my blade in just below the third rib on his left side. A scream bubbles out of his throat, blood dripping down his stomach.

“He- didn’t! He didn’t want you to know. Your… wife…” His breathing is choked, his head dropping back as I relent.

I watch him carefully, the droplets of blood trickling off the edge of the blade. “What about my wife?”

His head falls back, pain clear in his face. “She was never… It was never about the money.”

“What wasn’t?”

“Prevya!” he yells. His shoulders shake as a sob wrecks through him. He’s given away enough to damn him- to forsake his life should whoever else he’s working with find out. But it’s still not enough.

It’s not everything.

“What does the company have to do withmy wife?” I growl the words, the urge to plunge the blade into his gut growing stronger by the second.

“Your marriage to her guarantees their loyalty. This goes farther than Westos. With her, you will rule all of it. Westos, Prevya. The Westlan seas between them. She’s the key.”

Charlotte is the key to uniting both realms. I was just too much of a fool to see that Tyson wanted more than a pretty face. He wanted a queen. An ace to play until she no longer proved fruitful. And Eva…

“You are a fool if you think she will ever be safe here.”

Eva only wants to go home. And I’m the only way that happens. It hits me so deep in the chest that for a minute, I’m silent, listening to the pitiful whimpers leaving Thomson’s mouth. I press the blade against the edge of his throat, digging in. “Why did you come here tonight?”

Thomson shakes his head, eyes closed in a silent sob. “We were wrong.”

“About what?!” I yell, and he shrinks back into his chair.

“The Orlovas never had any intention of letting you rule. At least, not for long. Prevya will never let you. You or the girl. She’s been ruined.”

And I’ve been the one to ruin her. Just like she’s been the one to ruin me.

Chapter Forty-Four

Charlotte

It’s late when the door to our room opens. I’m half-asleep and barely holding my eyes open by the time I realize it’s Skar crossing toward the bathroom. The door shuts behind him. I hear him rummaging around in the dark, and then the shower turns on.

I want nothing more than to fall back asleep and deal with everything in the morning, but for some reason, I sit up. I’m wide awake, trying desperately not to think about why we’d been rushed home earlier. But I’d been worrying about it all night, and now that he’s back, I know sleep is a long shot.

The shower cuts off, and a moment later, I hear him shuffling around again, getting dressed. Another too-long moment, and the door finally opens.

“You’re up” is all he says, and I know when he freezes that he must see me sitting up.

“You’re back,” I echo, and I see him lean against the wardrobe across the room.

The sight alone brings memories of earlier hurtling back. I’m all-too aware of the distance between us. It’s too much space, and I want nothing more than to close it.

I want him to touch me again.

My nipples instantly harden at the thought.

His voice is dark as night as if he can sense that I’m thinking about that moment back at the club. “You should go to sleep.”

---