AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Manny glanced at Killian, his expression uncertain. But Killian was staring at Elyse with an icy countenance. She held her breath, waiting for an answer.
“One month,” Killian said finally, then before Elyse could argue he added, “as a trial period.”
Truthfully, it was the best Elyse could have hoped for. She nodded her agreement, even as a subtle terror rose in her throat. She swallowed it down, ignoring the goose pimples that now prickled her arms.
“And,” he continued, “you must swear not to harm myself or anyone in the Royal Guard.”
Elyse’s lips parted, a protest on her tongue. She had no qualms with promising not to harm Killian or Manny, but what if another situation arose where she needed to protect herself? She didn’t like the uncertainty of it.
Killian’s face was stony, though. There wasn’t any sense in arguing.
“Okay,” she agreed.
“And,” Killian said, stressing the single word, “you won’t be able to lie.”
Elyse swallowed as hundreds of secrets flew through her mind. It wasn’t that she made a particular habit of lying, but the thought of being unable to tell a lie—even a little white one—felt suffocating. It would leave her open to so much vulnerability. What if she was forced to tell them about Kelia, the young girl she had been manipulated into murdering? Or what if they asked questions about her father? She didn’t want them to know the possibility that she had been sired by a demon.
But if agreeing not to lie got her what she needed, what the people of Prestowne deserved, she would do it. She gave Killian a nod.
“Anything else to add?” Killian asked. He looked at Manny, who appeared surprised that any of this was happening. Elyse didn’t know who he was surprised by—Killian, Elyse, or both.
When Manny didn’t have anything to add, Killian sat up in his chair, leaning his elbows on the table. “So how do we make this blood pact?”
“We’ll write out the terms of the contract and sign it with our blood,” Elyse explained. She nodded to Sera, who went to find parchment, ink, and a quill.
Elyse noticed a silent conversation pass between Manny and Killian. It was nearly imperceptible—a slight tilt of the head, a slow blink. Their discussion seemed to be something along the lines of “Are you sure you want to do this?” and “Absolutely.” Manny leaned back in his chair and crossed his arms, warily accepting his friend’s decision.
Sera returned and splayed her gathered tools atop the table. No one spoke as she smoothed out the parchment and uncorked the bottle of ink. Elyse spared a quick glance toward Killian, but he watched Sera with an icy resolution that made her shiver.
Sera dipped the quill into the ink, her hand trembling. Elyse’s heart felt suddenly heavy. She hadn’t considered how difficult this would be for Sera, having to watch her closest friend sign her freedom away in an irreversible pact. But before she could say or do anything to comfort Sera, Manny reached out and gently took the quill from her still-shaking hand and slid the parchment in front of himself.
“Right,” he sighed, and he began to write down the date.
Elyse breathed slowly as he wrote out the contract, savoring each inhale and exhale. After all, her breaths were numbered. One month was all she had to either catch the killer or convince Killian to extend the contract. No matter what, she would end up at the gallows. It was just a matter of when.
Though, the gallows might not be the end for her. Lazarus had brought her back from the dead before. Would he do so again? It was a strange thought. She had faced death many times, and yet there she was, living. She felt invincible and yet utterly mortal.
Manny finished writing and passed the parchment to Elyse. As her eyes roved over the words that sealed her fate, she forced her face to stay neutral. Killian, on the other hand, looked deviously satisfied as he read over the contract. He unceremoniously pulled out his knife and slid it across his hand, then dipped the quill in his blood and signed. When he was finished, he held the knife toward Elyse, a challenge simmering in his eyes.
Her gaze traveled from the knife, glistening with blood, to the cut on his hand. “I can show you how to heal that,” she said, pointing to Killian’s fresh wound.
His returning stare was cold. “Just sign,” he said firmly, extending the hilt of the knife in her direction.
The weight of the chains was heavy as Elyse reached out her hands to take the knife. As she grasped the hilt, her finger grazed Killian’s, and he instantly recoiled, fisting his hand against his chest. Elyse couldn’t help the hurt that flooded her features. Despite herself, despite knowing exactly how disgusted Killian’s stare would be, she couldn’t stop herself from meeting his eyes.
But instead of finding anger or revulsion, his eyes were soft—pensive even. He looked away before she could decipher his emotions.
With a shaky breath, Elyse slid the knife across her left hand. Blood seeped from the wound—the twin to Killian’s. The moment she scrawled the final letter and lifted the quill from the parchment, her whole body tingled as the magic of the oath settled over her.
Killian must have felt it too, because he shuddered, his face pinching.
It was done.
No one looked at each other, as if they had just done something foul. Tension brewed in the air, a mixture of fear and regret, with an undercurrent of hope.
“I’ll get some bandages,” Sera said, breaking the silence and excusing herself from the table.
Manny sighed. “So where do we begin?”
