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Shade swung around to his mate and enveloped her in his arms. “I’m sorry, baby,” he murmured. “He was hurting you—”

“I know.” Runa’s gaze met Limos’s as she pushed off of Arik. “Can we go outside?”

They all filed out the door, and as soon as it closed, Limos slumped against it. “Shit,” she breathed, more shaken than she’d cared to admit. “I hoped seeing you would snap him into reality.”

“This is going to kill him.” Runa’s voice was shattered, her expression just as cracked. “When it dawns on him what he’s done…” Runa licked the blood from her lips. Shade reached for her, but she pushed his hand away. “He swore he would never hurt me. Or any woman. Not after what our father did.” Shade kissed the top of her head and stroked her hair, but instead of soothing her, it seemed to have the opposite effect, and she flinched. “I’m going to just… get some air.” She took off like the house was on fire, leaving Limos with Shade.

“What’s going on, demon?” Limos crossed her arms over her chest. “What does she mean about their father?”

“He was an abusive monster.” The expression on Shade’s fac kShap>

Limos’s jaw tightened. “Arik and Runa?”

“Yeah. I don’t know much about what happened to Arik, but Runa said he tried to protect her and their mother. So either he’s turned out like his old man, in which case I’ll kill him for hitting Runa—” Shade slammed a frustrated fist against the door, as if sending a warning to Arik “—or he’s not going to like himself much when he comes around, and I’ll let him live.”

“You won’t touch him. My brother tethered his soul. Arik can’t be allowed to die.” She wouldn’t let it happen anyway, and she’d kill Shade if he tried, simple as that.

“Your brother is an asshole.”

She stiffened. Yes, Pestilence was an asshole, but he was her brother, and this demon didn’t know what kind of man he’d once been.

“Watch your tongue, Sem.”

Shade glanced in the direction Runa had gone before turning back to Limos. “Look, I had a brother like that once. He lived to torment us, and we had to destroy him.” He eyed her speculatively. “Are you and your brothers close? You’ll need to bond yourselves together stronger than ever to stop Pestilence. Don’t hesitate, and don’t let sentiments get in your way of what needs to be done. We made that mistake, and a lot of people died because of it.”

“It won’t be easy. Reseph was the most decent of all of us. He wasn’t always evil.” She didn’t know why she was defending Pestilence, except that no matter how much she hated him now, she’d loved Reseph for thousands of years, and she just couldn’t let go of that.

“Then what is your guilt about?”

She blinked. “What?”

Shade moved closer. “I can sense darkness… guilt… in females. You, Horseman, are drowning in it.”

She felt a tremor of unease that went all the way to her soul. “You don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“I know I’ve never encountered anything as intense as what you’re giving off. I know I would have had to go through hell in order to coax it out of you.” His voice was a disturbing, dark rumble, and what did he mean by coax it out of her? “But, thank gods, it’s not my problem.” He started off after Runa. “Keep us updated.”

Shade’s order should have raised her hackles, but what he’d said about both her and Arik shook her to her marrow. What did Shade know about her guilt? Could he read minds? Okay, she could seriously go into a panic about this, but now wasn’t the time. She had to focus on Arik, because yes, she was being crushed under the weight of her guilt, but right now, the human was her first concern.

If he realized what he’d done to Runa, how would that affect his recovery? Her brothers had never once struck her in anger—even though she deserved it… more than they knew. But she could only imagine how they’d punish themselves kh t inif they ever hurt her.

And the idea that Arik had been abused as a child… God, she’d always been numb to such horrors, or, more accurately, she’d never allowed herself to become sensitized to it. But picturing Arik bruised and bleeding under the fists of his own father tweaked