“No. I had no idea who Malphus was.” She still needed answers. “How did you find him in the first place?”
“It was my job to watch over you. I followed you some nights after we broke up. I waited outside your window, looking inside. And one night, I saw someone else following you. It made me so angry. I started hitting him, but he was stronger than a human. That’s when I knew. I had to stake him. That’s why I had to make you interrogate him. I needed to see what you’d do. You were willing to hurt him. So I let you go. I had faith in you.” His voice broke. “I was wrong.”
A cold sweat beaded on her forehead. Malphus had been searching for her—just like Miranda had. And Josiah had attacked him not as a noble soldier in the fight against evil, but as a psychotically jealous ex-boyfriend.
As the truth of the situation dawned on her, the rage in her chest burned hotter, flooding her body like a hot magma. Josiah hadn’t been her Guardian. He’d been her stalker.
Her foot flew to his gun, and she kicked it hard out of his hand. It spun over the marble floor.
Josiah glared at her, rolling his shoulders. “I don’t need a gun.”
He uncorked a right hook to Rosalind’s head, but she ducked, and his swing failed to connect. He threw another punch, and his fist grazed her head. Gods damn it. His arms were much longer than hers. This was not a fair fight. What had Aurora told her? That she was awfully preoccupied with fairness, and sometimes bad things happen to good people.
She just needed to keep her distance until the right moment. She backed away, weaving away from his blows until he started to overextend his reach. When he pitched his body forward too far, she slammed her foot into his gut with a front kick, and he doubled over. She used that moment to ram an elbow into his lower back, bringing down the full force of the blow right into his kidney. Josiah grunted, trying to right himself. She threw a right cross, connecting hard with his temple, and he staggered.
Adrenaline coursed through her veins. “Screw you, Josiah.”
As Josiah stumbled back, she scanned the floor for the gun. This was the moment she needed to end this, or get out of there fast. She heard the sound of a gun cocking, and turned to find Miranda pointing the barrel in her face.
Tears streamed down Miranda’s face. “I don’t want to do this. But I know it’s what Josiah wants. And he’s the only one who can keep me safe.”
Horror coiled through Rosalind. “Miranda. You don’t have to do this anymore. You’re free. You can use your magic now.”
Josiah straightened, pulling the gun from Miranda’s hands. “She knows what’s good for her. She’s going to chain you to the stake.” Josiah pulled out a small metal spray can and soaked Rosalind with liquid. The sharp smell of gasoline burned her nostrils. “You broke one of my teeth,” he said evenly. “And you stabbed me.”
A pale, pink light glowed through the oculus. The sun was beginning to rise, and for the first time Rosalind realized there was someone else in the room. A stream of rosy light fell on Randolph Loring, who sat on one of the benches, watching.
“Are you here to watch the show?” Rosalind asked him, her legs trembling.
Randolph leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees. “The flames will purify you. They illuminate the truth.” He lifted a hand to the sunlight. “Lux in tenebris lucet: light shines in the darkness.”
“Stand in front of the stake,” Josiah said, still pointing the gun. “Miranda will bind you.”
She glared at him. Maybe she could get close enough to kick him right in that injured leg. “No fucking way.”
Josiah pulled the trigger, and pain exploded through her thigh. She moaned, and he unleashed another shot. Agony ripped through her stomach, and she clutched the bleeding wound. I’m going to die here. She staggered back, stumbling over the wood that surrounded the stake.
Josiah drew closer over the marble floor, and her mind blazed with pure panic. Run, Rosalind.
“Stand by the stake,” he said through gritted teeth. “That’s how it’s supposed to happen.”
Another gunshot ripped through her ankle, and she whimpered, nearly collapsing. Stand up, Rosalind. Show him you won’t bow to him. Blood seeped from her stomach.
Randolph rose. “This is your chance to atone, Rosalind. This is the only way you will keep your soul. Better that you burn now than suffer an eternal torment in one of the shadow hells.”
The door slammed open. Caine stood in the entrance. His black eyes glinted with ancient, primordial rage.