Elena moved to kneel in front of Victoria's chair. She took Victoria's hands, the ones with black veins running beneath the skin and held them firmly.
"Listen to me," Elena said. "Corruption is not just about what magic you use. It's about what you do with it. Thalia used her power to hurt people. To control them. To take away their choices. You're using yours to give Lilith back her life. That is not monstrous. That is love."
"Love that costs Nicholas his life," Victoria said bitterly. "Love that requires an Alpha to die permanently. Love that..." She stopped. "Love that I'm not even sure will work. What if the resurrection fails, Elena? What if Nicholas goes into the Veil and sacrifices himself and Lilith stays dead anyway? What if I corrupted myself and made all these deals and traded all these pieces of myself for nothing?"
