goes wrong tonight, I want you to know—”
“Nothing bad is going to happen, Jules.”
She nods again and glances down at my hand. I realize I’m holding hers, though I didn’t mean anything by it. I swiftly let go. “See you soon.” I make quick work of crossing the plank.
When I join Ailesse on the ledge, she looks at me with thoughtful eyes. Almost sympathetic. I slide my torch in a sconce and glare at her. My best mask is anger. I don’t need her telling me Jules doesn’t pierce my soul again.
“You’re cunning, Bastien.” Ailesse’s voice is smooth and sure. “I acknowledge that. But whatever trap you’ve laid for my mother is certain to fail. She won’t be coming alone either. She’ll bring the most skilled among my famille. Remember, I warned you.”
I smirk. She’s been saying much of the same all day. Empty threats. Vain attempts to intimidate me. It doesn’t rock my confidence. Within the hour, I’ll take the queen’s life and have my vengeance. As for any others she brings, I’ve planned for them, too. I’ll take all their bones so they can never hurt another man again. Then I’ll deal with Ailesse and our soul-bond. The thought makes my stomach wrench.
Don’t think about the bond now. Focus on the task at hand.
Across the chasm from one another, Jules and I shove the plank into the pit. It falls silently into the darkness, and I swallow hard. Now the queen won’t be able to get to our side, and Ailesse can’t escape the ledge. But I can’t either. I’m stuck here with her perfect smell and warm body until Jules brings both of us back across the chasm when this is over. She’s already devised a way involving rope.
Jules picks up her gear and forces an encouraging smile. I try and fail to give her one back. She’s risking her neck, same as me, but I don’t want to lead her on. Instead, I nod and look away—from both girls, my soulmate and my best friend. Merde, my head is a mess.
Jules’s ring of lamplight fades. Then she’s gone. My heart kicks faster. I’m hyperaware of being stranded with Ailesse. If I moved a little closer, I could fill my lungs with her scent. I could touch her hair and . . .
I blow out a sharp breath. Pull yourself together, Bastien. Ailesse’s allure is still affecting me from her dark spell at Castelpont. It should have worn off after Jules dug up her last bone under the bridge.
What if it did wear off and my attraction is real?
I pace the narrow length of our six-foot ledge. I rub the back of my neck and roll out my shoulders. I try not to meet Ailesse’s eyes. Or wonder. But as the wait drags out for the queen to come, my curiosity builds. There’s so much I still don’t know about Ailesse. The conversation she had with Marcel keeps needling my mind. “Why do you need physical strength to ferry the dead?” I blurt, unable to resist talking to her. “If that’s the point of your bone magic, I don’t understand. The dead don’t have bodies, right? They’re just ghosts.”
Ailesse’s brows lift at my sudden interest. “Not exactly. The dead are kind of in between. They become tangible after they rise from their graves.” She brushes a few strands of tangled hair from her eyes with her tied hands. My fingers twitch, wanting to help her. “Some souls are destined for the Underworld, and they rebel.”
I chew on that for a moment. “What happens if they don’t go to the Underworld?”
“They escape back to the mortal realm and hurt innocent people.”
“So your goal is to protect people?”
“Yes.”
I can barely comprehend that. My chest grows heavy, and I shift on my feet. I can’t shake the realization sinking inside me. I have no idea who Ailesse really is. “If you’re trying to protect the innocent, then why do you kill them—the ones you meet on bridges?”
Lines crease between her auburn brows. “Because . . .” Her mouth parts as she searches for what to say. Has she ever even thought about this before? “Tyrus and Elara won’t let us help anyone if we don’t.”
And just like that, my blood runs hot again. “You know, there’s a reason people stopped worshipping your gods.”
She stiffens. “Slaying our amourés proves our commitment to the gods and their path for our lives, not our own. It’s about loyalty, obedience.”
“That absolves everything, doesn’t it?”
Her