“I let Bileth torture me,” Caine said. “He wanted revenge, so I let him have some. And I wanted to see what you would do. I would have stepped in if it seemed like you were about to die.”
“Seven hells, Caine. He practically murdered me.”
“I did tell you to stay in the house. If you were a foot soldier in the army I commanded, I’d have to punish you.”
She forced that image out of her mind. “You’re not my commanding officer, and I don’t foresee that happening. We’ve already established I can take you in a fight. But maybe you should find some courtesans for Bileth so he’ll leave us alone. Perhaps you could glamour yourself to look like a beautiful, submissive woman and tend to his needs. I hear you’re an expert in the seductive arts.”
He grimaced. “Ugh. That sort of comment would get you a severe punishment if you were my foot soldier.”
“Stop with the punishment thing. You like that idea a little too much.”
“Right.” He turned, trudging through the thick undergrowth. “We need to keep going. We must find Tammi and Aurora. Omerelle lives somewhere nearby, and they may arrive soon.”
She followed him, snapping over twigs. “Omerelle? Who is this woman?”
“She’s a mage. She’s quite lonely out here. Her husband died a few years ago, and I keep her company sometimes. She’ll probably be thrilled at the visit.”
Rosalind didn’t want to think about what sort of “company” he provided.
Lilu circled over their heads, fluttering through oak leaves. Streams of cold moonlight pierced the canopy, and a cool breeze kissed her skin. A heavy scent of brine, moss, and oak leaves hung in the damp air. She could envision herself living out here in the wilderness, lulled to sleep every night by the gentle sounds of the waves against the shore, and the wind rustling the trees.
“Rosalind,” Caine said. “There’s something I have to ask you.”
His grave tone had her full attention. “Yes?”
“You said you remember my eyes from your childhood. Do you remember anyone else?”
“No. Just you, and glimmers of the sea and of flowers. And—weirdly—I remember seeing my own face a lot. When I told Tammi that, she thought I must be a narcissist.”
Caine paused, lightly touching her arm. “That wasn’t your face.”
His words made her stomach swoop. “What do you mean?”
He inhaled sharply. “That was Miranda.”
She gasped. “Who is she?”
“Your twin.”
The ground seemed to tilt beneath her feet as this news hit her. “I have a twin?”
“Miranda, yes.”
“And the Brotherhood have captured her?”
“According to Josiah.”
“Why didn’t you tell me about this before?”
“You’ve only just given up your allegiance to the Brotherhood, and I had no idea if you were trustworthy. And moreover, you’re impulsive and overly emotional. I didn’t think you’d approach it strategically. You’ve been very worked up this whole time.”
Everything about what he was saying made her blood boil. “You can’t trust me because I’m impulsive?”
“You followed me through a portal into another world, with no thought for your own safety. You decided to defy the orders of the Vampire Lord.” He held up his fingers, counting out her offenses. “You threw a fit in Elysium that drew attention to us. Oh, and you stabbed an ancient high demon—three times—in a direct contradiction of my orders. You’re not trustworthy.”
“Well when you list it all out—” She stopped herself. She didn’t want to get sidetracked by an argument. “Forget about all that. I need to know more details. Where has Miranda been this whole time? In Maremount?”
He started walking again, and she followed. “Miranda has been living in Maine. Your parents sent her to live with another member of the Brotherhood, but he didn’t treat her well. She ran away at some point.”
“Where did she go?”
“I have no idea. She must have been sleeping in the streets like a peasant.”
A flood of guilt and anger rushed through Rosalind. “I wish I’d known.”
“I wish I’d known too,” Caine said. “I assumed you were both living safely in the pedestrian world, until Ambrose told me otherwise. I was supposed to bring you both to safety, but the Brotherhood came for you first.”
“And she’s possessed, like me?”
“Yes. And that’s why Ambrose is interested in the both of you,” Caine said. “He wants all three of us together for a triumvirate of power.”
Stunned, Rosalind tried to picture her twin. “I think I remember her braiding my hair.”
“She was the sweet one. She used to give the servants food when they were hungry.”
The servants. There was that third person again. “And I used to torment them. Are you telling me that I’m the evil twin?”
“If you forced me to choose between good and evil, that would be my best guess.”
“What else can you tell me about her?”