Hannah let out a humorless laugh. The kind that came from someone who had already accepted the absurdity of their own life.

"On a scale of one to ten?" she repeated. "Probably a dead twelve."

Violet snorted before she could stop herself. But that seemed to encourage Hannah a little.

She shifted her weight and looked away, her face turning oddly blank.

"Angus was different with all of us," she said. "Not in a good way. More like he tailored the torture."

Violet’s stomach dropped, her expression slowly lost its amusement.

Hannah continued. "If he thought you were weak, he broke you for fun. If he thought you were useful, he worked you until you couldn’t stand. "And if he thought you were special..." she trailed off.

Violet frowned.

"What?"

Hannah looked at her then. There was something in her eyes Violet did not like.

"He watched you more."

A chill crept down Violet’s spine.

"Me."

Violet couldn’t help but think back to all the letters Nancy had once mentioned receiving over the years, only for them to later turn out to be from Angus.

Hannah gave a brittle smile.

"I think that’s why Ziva hates your ass," Hannah said. "She wanted to be the one father obsessed over, not you. She wants to be the special one, not just another tool like the rest of us, easily replaceable and disposable."

Violet had no idea whether to feel honored by that or not. She hated Ziva’s ass too, and if Angus obsessing over her made Ziva that irritable, then so be it. Except being liked by Angus was not a good thing.

Hannah said, "I know we are all practically experiments in Angus’ hunger for power, but I couldn’t help feeling like I was meant to be more than the others. Like Angus wanted to test just how powerful his seed was, so he slept with a weak human, expecting I’d come out some powerful wolf and prove his superiority."

Her lips twisted. "Instead, he got a mutt. A disgrace to his line." She laughed, as if her very existence was one giant insult to Angus’ face. A self-deprecating laugh.

"I was mostly invisible after that, which honestly was one of the better outcomes. At least until Ziva decided to make herself mistress over the rest of us. I had no choice but to train and become stronger. Otherwise, I would’ve been dead a long time ago."

The more Violet heard about Ziva, the more anger filled her. It wasn’t enough that Angus had made her siblings’ lives torturous, Ziva’s best contribution had been to add to their suffering. Not that Violet could entirely blame her. She had learned from the best after all—Angus.

"Father made us compete for almost everything. Especially for his attention. Approval. Survival. Sometimes for food."

She listed them off.

"Sometimes to avoid punishment. Sometimes just because he was bored. Or needed somewhere to pour his frustration. Our pain was his amusement. Ziva knew that and learned how to dish it out and serve it to him exactly the way he wanted."

Although Violet had known what she was asking for when she requested the story, the rage still threatened to consume her.

Asher had taught her how to recognize whenever her power was stirring.

And right now, it was.

She calmed herself almost immediately with the thought that, soon enough, Angus and Ziva would get what was coming to them: justice at her hands.

Hannah let out a breath through her nose.

"You know what the sick part is?"

"What?"

"The fact that we still want his approval."

Violet didn’t give her a dirty look, not when she understood.

Look at her. She had practically preened for Seraphira’s approval the instant she arrived in the Fae Realm— even though it hadn’t been worth it in the end.

"When someone spends years making you believe your worth depends on whether they look at you or not, you start rotting from the inside."

She shook her head. "It didn’t help that us siblings couldn’t depend on each other."

Hannah stated, emotion in her voice, "Rose was practically the best thing that happened to us. She was like the mother I never had. But that self-centered psychopath, Ziva, killed her because she couldn’t stand the fact that Angus had a soft spot for her."

"The twins, Laura and Layla, had each other and didn’t care about anyone else. Bree was hardly human. Lilian practically competed with me for hierarchy." 𝒇𝒓𝒆𝒆𝙬𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝒎

Hannah explained, "Being at the bottom meant serving Ziva, and no one wanted to be the witch’s—I mean that literally and not in a good way—bitch. So it was either her or me." She smiled wryly. "None of us wanted to lose."

"So yeah," Hannah told her, "there was no bond. Everyone was out for themselves."

Silence settled between them again, with Violet mostly trying to digest what she had just heard. Hannah looked around the palace, admiring its grandeur.

She muttered, "You know when I said you were lucky you were raised in District One, away from him? I’m totally wrong."

"I mean, look at this..." Hannah gestured around them.

Violet followed her gaze, taking in the elegance of the palace, the ancient towering trees, and if she listened carefully, the faint sounds of pixies carrying on with their never-ending parties.

Hannah told her, "You could have had all of this, but instead, you were raised in miserable District One. In the end, Angus really did shape our lives one way or another after all."

"Yeah," Violet breathed. "I could’ve been the spoiled Fae princess." She gave a little shrug. "But I guess life does have its surprises after all."

She straightened, saying to Hannah, "I know what you expect of me, Hannah, but I cannot give you that. Not until I figure out my own life. But what I can promise you is that I’ll make sure Angus and Ziva bleed for all the pain they’ve caused."

Violet added slowly, "Perhaps then, when all this is over, we can give this sister thing a chance."

A slow smile crossed Hannah’s lips. "Sure. Although you should know I don’t plan on returning to the human realm ever. I found my mate here."

"What?" Violet was surprised. She didn’t know that. "Who is it?"

"It’s Lord Taryn." Hannah blushed. "I intend to build my fairytale life here."

Oh. The lion shifter. He wasn’t a bad choice. He would treat her well. Violet found herself looking out for her sister without even realizing it.

"Sure. Whatever you say." Violet nodded.

Guess that was it then. She didn’t plan on staying in the Fae Realm or returning to it after all this was over—unless convinced otherwise.

Hannah then said, "If you want information..." she winked conspiratorially, "then the kitchen is your best bet. The staff hear things from maids, guards, footfae, stable hands, laundresses, and attendants. And they tend to talk a lot while working."

"However," she added, "I’d advise you to let this go and get some rest. You have a big day tomorrow, and I want you to win. This realm can only be my home if the right people rule, not men like Angus."

Violet was suddenly speechless.

Hannah lowered her head slightly. "Goodnight, sister."