Page 172 of Demon's Bounty

My sister, standing in the doorway.

“Soleil? What are you doing here?”

An expression flashes across her face—one that looks strangely like panic—before she schools her features back into the cool, aloof neutrality I know so well.

“I’m here to help Vayla, and, well, I thought it would be bad manners if I didn’t stop by and let you know I’m at court.”

I stand from my seat on Callum’s lap and cross the room toward her. “Vayla? With what? And aren’t you supposed to be tits-deep in all your Ascension bullshit right now?”

Soleil rolls her eyes, and I’ll take it as a very, very good sign she’s not immediately biting my head off over disrespecting her precious coven.

“There are a few sections of Ariana’s grimoire that need a potion master’s touch in translating and proving out. I… I thought I could lend a hand.”

“Really? And Esme agreed to that? I thought her and Allie were on each other’s shit list lately.”

Soleil shrugs, and again, something unreadable passes through her eyes before I can fully figure out what it is.

“It’s important to the coven,” she says, like that explains anything.

Before I can interrogate her any further, she turns her attention to my mate.

“I also owe you an apology, Callum. For what happened back in the coven hall, the way I acted and the things I said to you, I’m—”

The end of her apology is muffled by a big demon hug.

“There’s no need to apologize,” he tells her. “You saved Seren, and that’s all that matters.”

He lets her go, and though she looks a little flustered, Soleil finds a smile.

“Well,” I cut in. “Maybe notallthat matters. You were a bit of a jerk, Sol. Really, there I was, about to draw my last breath and you were—”

An odd, strangled noise from the hall catches all our attention. We turn to find Finn standing there, jaw hanging open and eyes wide with shock.

Eyes that are fixed solely on Soleil.

I know that look.

Star-struck, dumbfounded, like the ground beneath his feet has opened up and dropped him into a whole new world.

Oh, Goddess.

Not again.

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