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My head shakes. My stance unsteadies as I stumble back a step. This can’t be happening.
“You either stab your prince, or I get to kill these three stragglers in any way I choose.”
No!
No. No. No. No.
Haven’t I suffered enough in this life?! And yet, the only ones who truly mean anything to me are paying the price for the tragedy in my blood I was born with. This is all my fault.
“W–Why?” is all I can ask, my voice wavering. I brought Draven to him. So, why go this far to threaten more lives and cause more pain?
“It’s simple, really.” Whiro glides leisurely around me in a circle. “A certain someone told me he overheard you with the Dark Prince before the room was muted. His displeasure to know you were lying through your teeth about staying away from the one you told him would never be an issue again. He asked me if I could handle the problem, to guarantee you as his. It’s pathetic really, the lengths he will go to so he can have you.” He tsks. “You are nothing special.”
I see red.
Damning Aiden to hell while recalling my memories. It must have been the night Draven woke me from my nightmares. We spoke for a long while, even started kissing until the shadows blocked our sounds. My brows furrow. I didn’t hear any footsteps, and neither did Draven that night. Unless he used his power to phase himself every ten feet. We wouldn’t be able to hear him then. The knowledge of that has my blood boiling hotter.
I knew all his silk-woven words during our lunch were laced with poison. He was just waiting for the right moment to unleash it.
My fist shakes uncontrollably as my nostrils flare.
He. Will. Pay.
“But…” Whiro continues, linking his hands behind his back. “None of that matters.”
My breathing picks up as I dare to dart a quick glance around, making sure Draven and the others are still unharmed. Their eyes are focused on Whiro, hard and unyielding.
“You were always a means to an end. I never planned on sparing you. Only an entertaining game to watch you ruin your soul with every kill. To bring me the final piece I need for my power.” Whiro tips his head back and laughs.
It’s forced due to being unused. Scratching his throat as it bellows through the air, causing me to wince from how unnatural it sounds.
“You see, it's just a game that you never had a chance to win. A trick. I always knew you would find a way to go against me.” He sneers at me then. “I even knew you went after the Corrupted—I could sense the change.”
Widening his arms, he gestures to the ones I hold dear to my heart. “This was always the plan. To destroy your soul while gaining the soul I needed.” Towering over me, he inclines his head, looking down as if the sight of me nauseates him. “I never wanted a daughter. Not then and not now.”
His words shred my insides, as if he struck with the blade still clutched tightly in my hand. I have no love for Whiro, only wanting to be the one to destroy him. Still, his words still sting, hitting their mark.
I let the silence speak for me. Too angry to say anything that won’t come out screaming and full of rage. Nothing that will help save those I love.
I glance at Draven, then at my three friends being pushed to the ground. Suddenly, all goes quiet. The rushing water fades away, the scrapes and clicking from ghouls disappear, and it feels like it’s just me, all alone. I drown it all out. Focusing on the steady pounding of my heart as I close my eyes.
Whiro thinks there are only two choices for me at the moment.
Plunge this dagger into my mate or let him do his worst to my friends.
But he forgot a third option…
And one I plan on taking.
Slowly, I inhale deeply, letting my lungs fill to the point of pain before pressing the tip of the blade against my chest. The sharp point pushing past my clothes and digging into my skin, piercing through the first layer. My pulse is steady and rhythmic. But far in the distance, it sounds like yelling.
I go to take one final look, but panic radiates down the bond like a bolt of lightning. My eyes snap open, finding Draven trying to stand. Whiro has wrapped his shadows around Draven, keeping him on one knee. The ache in my heart spreads as Draven’s mouth moves roughly. Though, I’m still lost in the rushing haze of contentment, of what I must do.
Then, I slide my gaze to my friends. All three are trying to push against the ghouls as spit flies from their mouths with desperate words I can’t make out.
But this has to be the way. I can use the blade on me, enough to distract Whiro. To stab it straight through my body and let my shadows grab hold to send the blade flying through him. He’s in the perfect position behind me for the blade to make a direct hit. Giving the rest enough time to escape, because if you cut off the head of the leader, the rest will follow suit.
With one final breath in, I pull the dagger back to give it enough room to force it past skin and bone. But when I do, a rush of air takes hold of me, causing me to stagger as I look to my right. Whiro is there. Shadowing himself beside me and latches his fingers around my wrist, the iciness of them biting into my skin. His hands are unrelenting, restraining me in a hardening grip as he twists my wrist to shift the angle of the blade and then surges us forward.
