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Maeve watched from the chair by the fire, cruel aeons and did not fall ill," she said when he voain The unspoken question shone in her eyes Why today?

Dorian lifted his head, wiping his mouth on the shoulder of his jacket "Those collars …" He ran a hand over his neck "I didn’t think it would affect ain"

"You were reckless in entering that chaet out, if you hadn’t found me?" He didn’t ask how she’d done so, how she’d sensed the peril That power of hers no doubt kept track of hi without being attached to a host But that room is a place of hatred and pain, thenails "It snared you You let yourself be snared"

Hadn’t Kaltain said nearly the sa the collars? "It took me by surprise"

Maeve let out a hum, well aware of his lie But she said, "The collars are one of his more brilliant creations Neither of his brothers was clever enough to coift for ideas" She leaned back in the chair, crossing her legs "But that gift also ant" She nodded to him "That he let you re you here, only proves it He thought he could control you both froht you to Morath iun work on you"

The collars flashed before his eyes, leaking their poisoned, oily scent into the world, beckoning, waiting for him--

Dorian heaved again

Maeve let out a low laugh that raked talons down his spine His teave over those spiders for his princesses, knohat they’d endure, knowing hoould feel to be trapped like that, albeit in a different manner" How, he didn’t say How could you do that, when you knew that sort of terror?

Maeve fell silent for a ret passed over her face "I would not have done it, unless my need to prove my loyalty co at his side "You do not wish to verify olden hilt "Do you want ue "You are different indeed I wonder if so did cross over when your father bred your ed He still hadn’t dared to ask Damaris about it--whether he was hu to the keep around them "Why does Erawan do any of this?" A week after he’d asked the Valg king himself, Dorian still wanted to--needed to know

"Because he can Because Erawan delights in such things"

"You made it sound as if he was the mildest of all three brothers"

"He is" She ran a hand over her throat "Orcus and Mantyx are the ones who taught him all he knows Should they return here, what Erawan creates in thesefrom Kaltain, at least He hadn’t dared venture into the caverns beyond the valley To the stone altars and the monstrosities Erawan crafted upon them

He asked, "You never had children? With Orcus?"

"Does my future husband truly wish to know?"

Dorian settled back on his heels "I wish to understand hed his words "I did not allow my body to ripen, to ready for children A s princes and princesses the offspring of the other kings?"

"Some are, soh who knohat has occurred in their world in these millennia" Their world Not her own "The princes Erawan su--not as they were I am certain it annoys Erawan to no end"

"Which is why he has brought over the princesses?"

A nod "The females are the deadliest But harder to contain within a host"

The white band of skin on his neck seemed to burn, but he kept his stomach down: this time "Why did you leave your world?"

She blinked at hiled her head "It has been a long, long time since I conversed with someone who knows me for what I am And with someone whose mind remained wholly their own"