I inhaled through my nose. “Which means, he can harm the two of you, and if I intervene, I will be punished—and Iwillintervene.”
“He won’t get a chance to harm us,” Casteel stated.
I stared at him. “I don’t think you’ve been listening—”
“I’ve been listening,” he interrupted. “If these rules don’t protect us, they also don’t apply to us.”
My gaze flicked to Attes.
He nodded. “He would be correct.”
“That still doesn’t change things,” I said, untangling my fingers. “I don’t know Kolis well, but I know enough. He’ll goad you—both of you.”
“He will,” Attes confirmed.
“And he’ll say things that…” Pressing my lips together, I rose, unable to stay seated. “He’ll say things that you will react to.”
Casteel’s gaze followed me as I moved behind the chair. “You think I don’t know that?”
“I think you do—both of you.” I glanced at Kieran, who’d gone quiet. “But I also think it’s completely different once you hear him.”
“When did you hear him?” Vonetta asked.
“Before you…woke up for real?” Delano questioned, earning a confused look from her.
“No.” I exhaled roughly. “It’s a long story. I’ll have to tell you all later. But trust me, he will say stuff to provoke a response.”
“How about instead of asking them to trust you,” Casteel said, his voice low, “you trust us to keep our cool?”
“I do trust you, but—”
“There should be nobutfollowing that statement,” he cut in.
I gripped the back of the chair. “You don’t understand, Cas.”
“I don’t understand,” Malik chimed. “Yeah, again. But why wouldn’t you want them there? Why would you argue to go alone?”
“She won’t be alone,” Attes said. “I will go with her.”
A muscle flexed in Casteel’s jaw.
“And that would be allowed?” Malik asked.
“It was not requested that she go alone.”
Malik’s gaze moved between us. “This still doesn’t sound wise to me.”
“I’m not going there just to listen to whatever nonsense Kolis has to say.” I turned and stepped off the dais. “I’m going to kill him.”
Naill twisted in his chair to face me. “Wouldn’t that be in direct violation of the rules?”
“That’s the point.” One of them. “The Fate will put me in…a time-out.” The edges of the tunic snapped at my knees as I began to pace. “I’ll survive that, right?”
Attes didn’t turn around. “You’re a true Primal of Life and Death. I don’t even know if a Fate can kill you. At least, not one.”
Oh.
I hadn’t even considered that.
