Chloe's throat was dry, her body trembling though the room was warm. Valerius's words still echoed, laced with venom and truth she could not refute.

You loved her. The accusation burned deeper than the sting of his flogger. She wanted to scream that he was wrong, that she had never loved Ereshia, but her silence betrayed her.

Valerius didn't wait. He stepped behind her, his hand firm on the small of her back, pressing her forward until she stumbled into Melara's arms. The other vampire caught ...