‘And yet you have the ring.’

‘Not because I wanted it, believe me.’ Her fingers worried the railing, nails digging into the rusty metal. ‘Remember how I told you Algernon put that horrible necklace on me at the Century Ball? Well, after I found him dead and went to gather the rest of my things from the Primoris Domus, I ripped the hideous thing off my neck and threw it against the wall in anger. It cracked open.’ A shower of chips drifted from her fingernails. ‘The ring was inside.’

She laughed bitterly. ‘Just one possession guarding another.’

He shifted uncomfortably. Did her past bother him? A moment of silence passed before he spoke again. ‘What power does this ring have?’

‘No idea. I started researching it after I overheard the conversation, but I didn’t get far before Algernon was murdered, and I ran. Now that I’ve had it in my hands, I can tell you it’s pure gold, sacred gold like what’s used for comarré signum, with script on the outside in a language I don’t recognize. Inside, it looks like … fish scales, sort of. Like interwoven pieces of gold. But it’s completely smooth on the outside, except for the writing.’ Brushing her hands off, she shrugged. ‘Whatever power it has, it’s got to be strong. Tatiana wouldn’t waste her time on it otherwise.’

‘How do you know it’s Tatiana and not Lord Ivan? He’s a vicious bastard; he could be the one hunting you.’

‘Because Lord Ivan hasn’t done so much as raise his voice since Tatiana came into the picture. He leaves all his dirty work to his pet.’

‘Which is why you think this Tatiana will do anything to get the ring back.’

‘Yes. I’m sure the Nothos Dominic killed was one of hers. And with Algernon dead, her next step will be forcing herself into Algernon’s position of Elder. It’s no secret she wants to rule.’

‘A female Elder? That’s a stretch.’

Chrysabelle flicked the switch on her ring back and forth, clicking the tiny blade in and out. ‘Puts her in place to become Dominus.’

He raised his brows. ‘Dominus? She is ambitious.’

‘More than ambitious. She wants to break the covenant.’ The covenant protected humans, kept them from seeing the truth of the world around them. If humans knew their nightmares were based in reality, the fear alone could destroy them. Or, as in the days of old, rouse them to gather their torches and pitchforks. It protected both sides, really.

His brows lifted another millimeter. ‘So she’s also insane.’

‘Quite literally if the rumors of her undergoing navitas are true.’

‘She voluntarily got resired?’

‘Or Lord Ivan forced her to. We can’t find the truth of the incident. But Tatiana definitely thinks the time is ripe for vampires to stop living in secret and start ruling the mortal world. She’s thought that since the days of the End War. Perhaps even before.’

‘The fae will think otherwise.’ He paused for a moment. ‘She’ll start a war.’

‘Which is why she wants to re-enslave the varcolai. They’ll be her army.’ Chrysabelle had overheard that part of the conversation too.

Mal scratched his jaw. ‘She sounds bloodthirsty enough to have killed Algernon.’

‘With a hot blade? She couldn’t hold it long enough.’

‘Does she have a comar?’

‘Yes.’ That made Chrysabelle think. ‘He’s from the same house as I am, Primoris Domus, but a few years older.’ She shook her head. ‘I don’t know him well, but Damien doesn’t seem the type to even hurt a fly.’

‘If he’s had the same training as you, he’d not only hurt the fly, but fillet it like a side of beef while kicking it repeatedly.’

She covered her half smile with her hand. His acknowledgment of her skills was a welcome thing. ‘You have a point.’

‘Would giving the ring back be enough for Tatiana?’

‘Hard to say with her. She’s not really the type to just let something go, and I’m sure she wouldn’t want anyone else to know about the ring.’ She sighed. ‘Plus, I don’t exactly have the ring with me.’

‘Where is it?’

‘Hidden.’ Why not tell him? Wasn’t like he could get to it anyway. ‘In my suite. At the Primoris Domus.’

‘You left it there?’

‘You think bringing it with me would have been a better idea? We’ll have to go there anyway to contact the Aurelian.’ She sneaked a look and caught him staring back. She shifted her gaze to the deck.

‘Am I that hard to look at?’

‘No, I … it’s just … ’

A low, gravelly noise rumbled out of him. ‘You judge me while you have no idea what it’s like. My head is never quiet. Never. You try spending just twenty-four hours without a moment’s privacy and see if it doesn’t make you a little crazy. I live that every day and night.’ His hands, the only part of him she dared look at, squeezed the railing until the metal groaned.

‘How long have you carried these voices?’

‘Since I killed Fi. The second curse kicked in with her death.’ She nodded. ‘In my own way, I do understand.’

‘How could you? How could your pampered, privileged life even begin to compare?’

She lifted her head, forcing herself to look into the murderous black depths of his eyes. ‘In my pampered, privileged life, comarré are never alone. Other comarré act as our handlers from the moment we’re born until we receive patronage. We live, study, and train in groups of fifty or more. When we’re in our patron’s home, we’re on constant guard that every emotion and feeling we give off is proper and respectful. Our lives are lived not for ourselves, but for the good of our house and to serve your kind.’