Helio’s POV
I marched down the corridor, searching for the parlor the servants had directed me to. It hadn’t taken much to figure out where Meri hung out. She was a lot like my mother in that way. She had a handful of rooms that she liked to use for specific things. Since she was feeling triumphant and riding the high of what she’d done to Cindra earlier, she’d be in her favorite.
With every step, I could see flashes from our childhood in my mind. Every time Meri had gone after Cindra, I had just stood by and watched. Rarely, I had stared Meri away or threw in a few deep blows myself to get Meri laughing so I could steer her away. Now, those memories all felt like little daggers, cutting me up with guilt. It was my fault Meri had gone unchecked for so long.
If Cindra and I were mates, i
