Page 58 of The Monsters We Are
“What on Earth do you all think you are doing? I see that the witch has been found.” She sniffed at Cain. “It’s very hypocritical ofyouto march into my home without waiting for an invitation when you constantly criticize me for . . . Why do you have blood on you?”
“It isn’t mine,” Cain bit out. “Where is Shelia?”
Ishtar bristled at his tone. “Excuse me?”
“Where. Is. She?”
“What business is that of yours?”
He advanced on the female Ancientfast.“If I find out you had anything to do with what happened to Wynter, you are fucking dead.”
Ishtar’s back snapped straight. “What am I being accused of now?”
Wynter stepped forward. “Your aide teleported me to a spot not far from Aeon to deliver me to four vampires from Devil’s Cradle—they’d decided it would be a fine idea to cash in on the bounty. Which it wasn’t. They’re dead now. But Shelia? She teleported away before I had the chance to deal with her. So she’s alive. And that’s a problem for me.”
“And for me,” said Cain. “Where is she?”
“Shelia would not do this,” stated Ishtar. “It doesn’t even make sense that she would be involved. The only incentive she would have to betray you would be to enjoy the bounty. Handing the witch over to vampires forthemto enjoy it, well, there would be nothing in it for her.”
“But there would be something in it for you,” Lilith cut in. “Wynter would finally be gone . . . just as you have wanted from the very beginning.”
Ishtar’s face went crimson with anger. “I had nothing to do with whatever happened to her. And I find it difficult to believe that Shelia did.”
“Then you’ll have no problem calling her here to question her, will you?” asked Dantalion, his tone smooth but dangerous.
Ishtar made a haughty sound. “Fine.” She cut her gaze to the aide who’d hurried after them when they barged into the solar room. “Have Shelia brought to me now. Do not tell her what this is about. I will know if you did.”
Swallowing hard, the aide did an honest to God’s curtsy and then left.
Ishtar stared at Wynter. “If you have falsely accused one of my aides—”
“What reason could she possibly have to do that?” asked Seth, folding his arms.
Ishtar gave him a look that questioned his intelligence. “So that Cain would suspect and turn on me, of course. She could be spurring him to kill me.”
Wynter narrowed her eyes. “If there ever comes a time when I want you dead, I’ll see to it myself—I don’t need anyone to do it for me. You know that.”
Ishtar’s eyelids flickered. Yeah, she knew it.
“Did you put your aide up to this?” Azazel asked the Ancient.
Ishtar’s face hardened. “Does it really make sense to you that at a time of great upheaval, when we are so close to gaining what we want and it is more necessary than ever that all the Ancients stick together, I would truly do something like that?”
Actually, no, it didn’t. Cain must have doubted it also because, well, he hadn’t yanked her head right off her body.
A knock came at the door, and Ishtar called for the new arrival to enter.
Shelia breezed inside with a cocky strut. “You called for me, Your Grace?” She idly let her gaze drift over the others in the room. When her eyes landed on Wynter, her face drained of color. Stark fear crossed her features and glittered in her eyes.
Wynter gave her a dark grin. “If you hadn’t been so keen to teleport away quickly, you would have noticed that things didn’t exactly go to plan for you or the vampires.”
Squinting in suspicion, Ishtar strolled toward the aide. “The witch is telling the truth?”
Shelia’s eyes widened. “No, of course not! She is Cain’s consort. I would never be so stupid as to anger an Ancient.”
Cain growled. “You lie.”
Shelia cast him a brief sideways look, her posture submissive. “I do not, I swear to you I do not.”