Realising she’llnever tell me, torn between outing her and saving Richard, tears burn my eyes.Shoving her back intothe closet, I race into the kitchenette and start opening upthecupboards.I pull out everything that’salready open and throw itin the rubbish bin.Anything she could have contaminated,I toss out.
“What are you doing?”Richard asksas he strollsout of the bathroom, his towel around his waist, smelling of fresh minty toothpaste.
“I saw roaches.”Trembling, I throw out a whole box of unopened cereal.“They’ve probably laid their eggs inall this.We have to get rid of it just to be sure.”Opening the mini-fridge, I pull out theleftovercakethatI made.Guilt crushesmy shoulders.Thisisall my fault.I never should have told Fabia.
“Arienna,”hebegins, but hedoesn’tfinish his sentence.Reaching out a hand for the breakfast bar, hesitsdown on one of the stools.
“I’m not crazy,” Isay, pulling everything out andtossingit.The bingetsfull all too quickly.“I really saw a roach.”
I refuse to look at him, refuse to let him see the tears rolling down my face because he’llknow then.He’llknowthat all I’ve been doing these past few days is trying to kill him – just like everyone else.
“Because trust –having yours and giving you mine– thatis the biggestthrillfor me.”
And of course it would be.Whodoeshe trust in this life?Jace and Nicholas.That’sit.Everyone elseisout to kill him, and Ican’tbe one of those people.Ican–
A hardthumpstopsme cold.
My blood drainsfrom my face –frommy whole body it seems–as I turn towards him.
Or rather,towardswhere hewassitting.
The breakfast barisempty.
His stoolislying flat on the floor.
Next to his body.
I dropthe milk I’mholding.Itspraysall across the floorasI scramble over to his side.“No.No, no, no, no, no.”
Grabbing his shoulders, Ishakehim.
Hedoesn’treact.
Pressing my head against his naked chest, I listen for a heartbeat.
The softest thump.
Anything at all.
Thereisnothing.
Just silence.
Ihavekilled my king.
No!An unholy noise ripsthrough the air.Monstrous and cruel, it bouncesaround the room, tainting everything with its darkness.Snuffing out all the light and happiness, it overwhelmsme, suffocatesme.
And then I realise it’scomingfromme.
My lungs.My heart.
Broken.
Shattered.
Guilt-wracked.
Empty.
