E MCCA

ng a single word, his countenance an unreadable, stony mask. Phoebe and I follo

e hall, and the damp air was suffocatingly heavy

g was properly cleaned?" I asked, my

eways glance at me. His voice was utterly flat. "Since His Grace

alid; it was systematic, long-term abandonment. My assessmen

harsh groan of metal hinges, and a thick, stomach-churning stench washed over us-a nausea

andkerchief over her mouth, lett

r her to stay near the threshold,

only a few fractured slivers of pale daylight to cut through

and canopy bed, and upon it lay a silent f

he bedside, my gaz

ated. If anything, the nobility had been far too merciful in their des

ay a flawless, razor-sharp bone structure. Through his high, sculpted cheekbones and untouched jawline, it was pla

gainst sunken cheeks, his frame so gaunt and skeletal that he seemed to be vanishing into the mattress. If not for the shallow, agonizi

his clammy forehead. The heavy blanket covering his lower

erocious combat power and aura had commanded the terrifying Vorrath legions.

ay?" I asked, turning my head toward Thomas

keeping his head bowed. There was not a trace of shame or guilt in

n, pressing my index and middle fingers firml

midwinter. His pulse was extraordinarily thin, a fragil

ual power into his energy pathways, using the profound dia

gy-the terrifying Dragonblood Poison-was wrapped around his heart like a tangle of venomous black thorns, actively g

as yet

ulled back the heavy, dirty blanket

g left immobile for months. Large swathes of skin had broken open into weeping, necrot

rcotic salve smeared over the wounds-a potion intended not to he

This was a slow, deliberate exec

f pity for this man who was my husband in name only-it was the profound, righteous rage of

, this was an abomination I wou

doorway, my command cutting throug

er eyes fell upon the horrifying, ulcerated st

massive cauldron of clean water. Fetch every piece of clean, unbleached linen cloth in this manor, and bring me the stro

ng the sharp, lethal focus in my eyes, she bowed deeply. "At on

ady Kristie, what is the meaning of this? Dr. Linden explicitly instructed

butler. The sheer, suffocating pressure of my spir

as 'proper care,' then he is either an utterly incompetent hack, or a murderous traitor

ly, his eyes widening i

e supreme mistress of Carlisle Manor. The Archon's life, his treatment, and his recovery belong entirely to me. If you or y

unyielding finger to

et out of