“We do what we must, for the people we love,” she snapped.
My mind worked. Was this woman being manipulated, or blackmailed? Was she not as evil as I had previously assumed?
No. I couldn’t believe that. She’d stabbed Emma. That was unforgivable.
But still. If she needed my aid, I had to offer it— if only to get her out of the way.
“If they’re threatening you, I can help,” I said lowly. “You don’t have to work for them.”
“Yes I do!” She sent a nervous glance over her shoulder before adding, “There’s more at stake here than you understand.”
“If you would inform me, perhaps I could lend a hand.”
The White Rose bit her lip, and her eyes darted frantically. It was the most emotion I’d seen her have all night. She was definitely making a decision whether or not to let me in.
Finally, she uttered, “If you want to stay alive, you need to keep away from Elijah and Gabby. That’s the best advice I can give you. Leave them up to me.”
“To you? You’re defending them!”
“For now.”
“Whose side are you on?” I demanded. “We could work together, and end this tyranny!”
“I don’t need a partner. I work alone,” she argued. “When people are around me, they tend to get hurt. Trust me.”
Ugh. She had a vigilante complex, like me. I never got how annoying it was until I was on the other side of it.
“Look. If we don’t stop them, tonight, there’s going to be real consequences for the people of Malovia. You don’t want that to happen. Anything personal that’s getting in your way has to be sacrificed.”
“You don’t know what I want.” Her voice blazed then, and she pushed me away.
I took a surprised step back— no one with any diplomacy would do that in a social situation.
She was a commoner. Another clue. A few were staring, but most kept their eyes averted. The White Rose clearly made everyone nervous.
Her hands balled into fists. “Stay out of my way, Ethan. Don’t get involved with Gabby tonight. If you try, there are going to be consequences.”
She swept away and out of the ballroom. My heart pounded. I was furious... and embarrassingly aroused at the same time.
I despised myself for being attracted to the woman who’d tried to kill my mate. I was a worthless adulterer.
I waited, but the White Rose did not return to the ballroom. She must’ve run off someplace else. A curious thing to do, since she was supposed to be Gabby and Elijah’s security, but maybe this was her plan— to keep playing games, to lure me away from Gabby when this was my last chance to stop her.
I couldn’t watch the White Rose and Gabby at once. But if I did nothing, when the time came to follow Gabby into the woods, the White Rose would find me again, and prevent me from catching her in the act.
My friends might be able to stop Gabby. But I didn’t want to depend on other people. It wasn’t that I didn’t trust them.
It was Gabby I didn’t trust. And she’d slipped us by one too many times already.
I checked the massive clock hanging overhead. Wherever the White Rose had gone, I still had time to find her, and take care of her before I had to be back here.
The White Rose had her reasons for protecting Gabby and Elijah. Whether they were pure or motivated by hate, I wasn’t sure. But they didn’t matter.
I had to end the White Rose. Before midnight came, and I lost my chance to follow Gabby for good. And I knew I couldn’t be merciful. If the White Rose was permitted to live, she’d stop me somehow. The good of Malovia, the good of my people, depended on me taking her life. I had no other choice.
It was time to change into a suit of another kind.
Chapter Twenty-Two
Emma
I had a choice to make. And it had to be tonight.
If I stopped Ethan from following Gabby, Malovia would be doomed. Elijah and Gabby would be crowned tomorrow, and they’d take over everything. I’d be forcing the fae into a life of servitude.
And if I didn’t... Malovia would be saved, but Ethan would not. Gabby would know it was him who followed her. She’d turn him in. The Arcanea Alliance would arrest him— or worse, kill him.
Ethan would gladly make the sacrifice for his country. He’d die or go to prison to save the fae.