Elena POV

The sting on my cheek still burned, but gods, the satisfaction burned hotter. She thought she’d rattled me, that a slap could undo me. What she’d done was hand me the perfect excuse to tear her down brick by brick, word by word, until there was nothing left but dust and the faint stench of desperation.

She was still standing in front of me, chest heaving, eyes glowing like an animal cornered and too stupid to know when to back away.

I tilted my head, my smile stretching wider. “There she is. The real Vanessa. Not the silken doll Kael paraded around, not the oh-so-loyal woman he tucked...