"Lies!" she spat, her own voice rising to match his. "All lies to protect your little pet! You found her half-dead, and you brought her to our bed! Do you take me for a fool?"
"I brought her here because it was the only safe place!" he yelled, stalking toward her, his eyes blazing. "Because this house is compromised! Ceryne—loyal, faithful Ceryne, who served you wine just last season—is a spy for my grandmother! She sent assassins for Arin, Elyra! Assassins! They came into this house, into her room, and they tried to kill her! They would have killed me, too, had she not saved my life!"
Elyra stared at him, her mind reeling. Ceryne? A spy? Assassins? It made no sense. It was a wild, desperate story, a lie fabricated to cover his own weakness, his own betrayal.
"More lies," she whispered, shaking her head. "You would concoct this… this fantasy… just to justify your own infidelity."
