Page 185 of Maksym

“I went to her.”

“Why?”

Sloan’s fingers tightened. “Because nobody else did.”

Nikolay closed his eyes.

Only for a heartbeat.

Then he opened them and remained still.

Grace paused just long enough for that sentence to sit where it belonged.

“Did anyone tell you to go to her that first time?” she asked.

“No.”

“Did Sage Lynch tell you to speak to her that night?”

“No.”

“Did you comfort her?”

“I tried.”

“Was that comfort genuine?”

Ironwood’s counsel shifted, perhaps sensing danger in compassion.

Sloan looked directly at Grace. “Yes.”

Grace held her gaze. “You liked her.”

“Yes.”

“Immediately?”

A faint, broken humor touched Sloan’s mouth and vanished before it became a smile. “She was hard not to like.”

Maddie’s hands moved in her lap. She did not look up.

Grace let the admission stand without dressing it in sentiment.

“What happened after that?”

“Sage noticed.”

Grace turned slightly, giving the Council the line of her profile. “Noticed what?”

“That I could talk to her.”

“Because she trusted you?”

Sloan swallowed. “Because she was beginning to.”

“And what did Sage do with that knowledge?”

The prosecution counsel stood. “Objection. Calls for speculation as to the deceased Alpha’s motives.”