Dark lines creased his forehead. “Another round of muscle spasms.”
“Oh, Alex.” I stumbled back over to the bed to sit beside him, taking his hands in mine. “Are you all right?”
“Better now that you’re home and in one piece…mostly. What did Mother say?” He patted at the pillows, beckoning me to join him.
“We went to the most marvelous tavern,” I announced, crawling over his frame and collapsing into the downy softness. “Your father has excellent taste in wine.”
Alex cocked his head, worry shining in his eyes. “Father was there?”
“Was he?” I fretted. “I didn’t see him! He’ll be so upset we didn’t say hello.”
Feeling wonderfully rid of inhibitions, I nestled next to him,snuggling my head against his chest. He smelled so…green. Like fresh-cut grass and sun-dappled leaves, a summer rainstorm and a forest hike.
His breath audibly hitched. “Tell me what Mother said. I haven’t seen Julien or Viktor at all today, and then with you gone for so long—I almost began thinking I’d dreamed everything about yesterday.”
The bed was impossibly comfortable and my eyes fluttered shut in a drowsy haze, lulled to relaxation against the warmth of Alex’s side. His fingers tickled at my waist with annoying persistence.
“Yes, yes. Your mother…Your mother…”
“My mother,” he prodded.
“She…” My mouth fell slack as sleep fought to claim me.
“Verity,” Alex murmured, his lips close to my ear.
“Hmm?”
He poked at my shoulder, pulling me away from blessed unconsciousness. “You know, I imagined our first time in this bed a bit differently.”
“So has your father,” I muttered. My stomach clenched, flipping over with a nauseous ache, and sweat broke across my scalp. My mouth felt thick and fuzzed over. How much winehadI drunk?
I vaguely remembered Dauphine calling for a third bottle but I didn’t think I’d had any of it. But she had. She’d tossed the empty vessels into the fireplace, cackling like a fool as they smashed in green shards. Bastian had rushed in shortly after, gathering us out of the tavern and into the coach. I struggled with what happened next. It seemed much easier to shut my eyes and forget it all.
“Verity Thaumas!” Alex exclaimed, his voice snapping me out of my daze. “What happened today?”
I pushed myself up before leaning heavily on a corner of his stack of pillows. I rubbed at the back of my neck, attempting to keep myself awake and present. “Water, please.”
He reached over to the side table and poured me a glass of water. “An excellent idea. Drink that, then another.”
I nodded, gratefully downing it all in a long, thirsty gulp.
He refilled it once, then twice, before setting the pitcher aside. “So?”
As I tried to focus, the room swam about, tipping and turning. “She knows.”
Alex bit his lip, looking grim. “You’re certain?”
I nodded. “And…there’s more…”
His eyebrows furrowed. “How can there be more?”
I paused, unsure of how to explain every revelation that had come to light in that tavern. “She knew about the experiments…on the women and her. She knew Gerard was trying to shape you all into something…”
Golden.
“…greater than you’d be.”
He frowned. “What do you mean?”
