Elizabeth's POV

My head swam. For a second I thought she would laugh. But her face was blank and the words came like a promise. She meant it.

For a moment I considered laughing at the absurdity. My mother is threatening to kill a man she fought so hard to keep. But then I thought of Sebastian’s gentle hands and the way he smiled at me. My chest closed up.

“No,” I said, softly. “You can’t…”

“I can,” she interrupted. “We do what we must. Do not test ...