The words were like a punch to the face. Shock replaced anger as I blinked to get my bearings.

"What?"

"Kill. Lady. Kateen."

My face twisted in confusion.

"I thought you didn't want dead Compact members."

"The Compact is dead, Jacob. Keep up. Kateen's monopoly on trade has been detrimental to our plans for years. With the curse removed, her position is weak. We should strike now before a new Compact is signed."

My mouth was agape.

"So, all your talk at the meeting about raising Kateen to nobility-"

"It wasn't a lie, but this opportunity is too good to pass up."

"You're unbelievable."

"And I still take that as a compliment."

She nodded to the other person beside me.

"Take Shay. He'll help you rescue Isla and complete your end of our bargain."

Shay flashed me a sad smile.

"A pity. Lady Kateen was my best customer."

I blinked at them, wrapping my mind around the sudden shift in negotiations.

"Just like that. You'll help us."

Reed shrugged.

"It's a fair trade. One life for another. What do you say?"

What do I say?

Save Isla while getting revenge on Kateen? It was perfect.

"I-"

"Oh! I almost forget."

Reed pressed a finger against her temple.

"We had another deal."

I stiffened in my seat.

Reed smiled.

"It's only fair to finish that one first. Don't you think?"

"I'm not going to tell you about Isla."

"Then we won't help you."

I stood up. Reed's red-tinted eyes followed me.

"Where are you going?"

"I'm going to Kateen's estate. I'll save Isla without your help."

"Alone? You might get over the walls with the jacket WE gave you, but that won't work in hallways. Do you know which room she's being held? Can you fight your way through all of Lady Kateen's highly trained guards? Guards who know the lay of the land."

I grimaced. She was right.

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Her smile turned mischievous.

"Shay, don't you know the layout of Lady Kateen's estate?"

"Of course I do. I visited the estate many times to alter her dresses."

He leaned forward and whispered.

"She's been gaining weight."

"Good to know. So, Jacob, what will you choose? Every second you wait, Van Lagos gets closer, and Clarice spends more time with Isla. From what I've been told, she can be quite rough with her playmates. You know that from experience."

I furrowed my brows, hunching my shoulders like a beast trapped in a cage too small. I was cornered on all sides. It was like the world had conspired against me to create the perfect trap.

You couldn't have planned it any… better…

The realization struck me like lightning.

This WAS a trap, and it benefited one person.

"You did this!"

Reed's face slipped into a neutral expression.

"You need to be specific, Jacob. I do a lot of things."

"Kateen would never make a move on the Pit without Sanctifier approval. I saw you talking to her yesterday, and then I saw Kateen tell Cassandra something that terrified her. It was you! You're the reason Isla was kidnapped. You knew I would crawl back to you for help!"

I scowled and let out an exasperated sigh. The scattered pieces of the puzzle were falling into place.

"It's perfect. You get the information on Isla and remove Kateen without the Guild taking any blame. You're the one who told us to leave her in bed this morning. To not worry about her not waking up."

I shook my head. My shoulders slumped. After everything that I had done. Everything that I achieved. I was still a pawn in Reed's plans. I was no hero. I was a fool.

"Clever boy," Shay said. "If you had figured it out before your wagon ride, you could have saved the girl from her fate."

I grabbed my forehead, trying in vain to stop my head from pounding and the room from spinning.

Reed leaned back into the sofa, crossing her legs, her hands interlaced in her lap.

"I warned you, Jacob. I told you what we wanted, and I gave you more chances than most to give it to me. Yet, you kept struggling like a fish on a hook. It's admirable, but there comes a time when you must accept certain realities. The Sanctifiers always win. Because you couldn't accept that, Isla will suffer."

My anger flared. My vision turned a bloody red. A searing pain ran up my arms and back.

"I'm going to kill you!"

Something cold and metallic pressed against the side of my neck.

It was Shay.

His oversized sewing needle was gripped in his right hand. His long, slender arm reached across the sofa where he sat.

"Don't forget where you are and who is beside you. I am more than ten times your senior, and my Apprentice is a Special Inquisitor of the Sanctifier Guild. Between the both of us, we would fold you like laundry. Now, sit."

My knees went weak. I fell back onto the sofa.

Shay sighed, sliding the needle back into his hand.

"I told you, Apprentice. He's clever—too clever."

"Agreed, but I still believe it's an asset. Jacob, there is no world where you don't give me the information I want. Shay could force it out of you, but that would consume will that could be used to save Isla. For her sake, tell me what I want to know."

I grimaced, my fingertips digging into the sides of my face.

Which betrayal was worse? Isla's trust or her life? If I told Reed the truth, Isla would become a pawn in the Sanctifiers' plans. A tool to be used against Luskaine and the father she swore to protect. But the thought of her in Kateen's hands sent shivers up my spine. The older woman disturbed me in ways I didn't know were possible, and then there was Clarice...

"Isla is the first child of the King—a bastard."

Reed and Shay exchanged wide-eyed glances.

"Oh?" Shay said, the surprise raising the pitch of his voice.

Reed's face split into a feral, hungry grin.

"That's useful... That's very, very useful," she whispered.

I buried my face into my hands, hunching over to make myself small.

I'm sorry, Isla. I'm sorry, but I have to save you...

Other voices echoed in my mind. The voices of dead friends and family.

You betray everyone who trusts you... Everyone you love...

I curled into myself, huddling against the chill that ran through my body. Fighting back the tears and my urge to scream.

"Van Lagos was right! We're not people to you; we're tools to be used and discarded."

My voice was raw like I had spent hours yelling. My throat was sore, and it hurt to swallow.

"Jacob, I told you not to forget what I am," Reed said.

A weight lifted off the sofa across from me.

Light footfalls stalked around the low table.

"But let's be clear about one thing."

Delicate yet firm fingers cupped my chin, tilting my head until my eyes met hers.

And then she kissed me.

A slow, passionate kiss that filled me with the warmth I lost.

She melted into it—melted into me, her wandering hand moving from my chin to grab the back of my head. After a moment that felt like an eternity, she pulled back.

"Some tools are discarded. Others are sharpened."

She smiled.

"A deal is a deal. I'll tell you what Rugar and High Sanctifier Alden are preparing for you at the capital."

I blinked at her, my lips still tingling.

"What?"

"They created a black contract... about you."

"What?!"

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