“Yes, actually.There’s more to life than being a king.Aurelia would’ve –”
“Stop bringing her up!”I roar.Slamming my fist into the wall, I pull back anddoit again.Again and again until my handisbleeding and the pain in my knuckles matcheswhat isin my chest.“Shepoisonedme.”
“So what?”Jacesaysso flippantly, it cutsthrough the furious haze, just for a moment.
“What do you mean ‘so what’?”
He walkstowards me, histealeyes downcast,his body language soft and nonthreatening.He’strying to coax me into relaxing like I’msome wounded animal backed into a corner.
“I mean,” hesaysslowly, “that everyone you know has tried to kill you at least once.Including Nicholas and I, and you got past that.”
Ishakemy head.“That was different.”
“No, it wasn’t, and you know it.”
My jaw tightens.I refuse to look at him.
“And if Aurelia hadn’t stepped in, we would have.”His voice cracksever so slightly.“When you told us that you planned on killing her, we thought the idea of power had finally gone to your head.That you were doing it just to take the throne.That she would die in a fairy ring, forever trapped and never knowing peace… You didn’t even fight us when we came for you.”
Tears burn my eyes in memory of that day.Nicholashadwanted me to die quickly; Jacehadwanted to drag it out.The pain in his eyes…
“You didn’t blame us after either,” hesayssoftly.“Fuck, you gave me the job of protecting you.”
“I didn’t want to kill her.”My voicecomesout strained.I close my eyes, clamping down on the agony burning my throat.
“None of us did.But you also knew it was the only way to save her soul.To give her a chance at reincarnation.We should’ve believed in you, just like Arienna should have.But we didn’t.Ourcrimes are the same.”
Ishakemy head, refusing to listen.“You think I should just forgive her?”I spit.“Itrustedher.”
And she broke it.
Stabbed me in the fucking heart.
“She tried to bring you back, you know.”
I recall her throwing allofthe food intothe bin.Frantic.Wild.With pain in her eyesand tears rolling down her face.
Ishakemy head.“She tried to kill me.”
“Technically, Fabia was the one who managed it.Did you know she has a blueprint of the tunnels?”A touch of pride fillshis voice.
My eyes narrow.“Charge her with treason too then and burn the –”
“I’ve already destroyed her copy.”
The anger in my chestdoesn’tloosen.Itisn’tenough.Punishing them from afarisn’tenough.
As I stride for the door, Jace stepsin front of me.A knife embedsinto the floor between my feet.“Pick it up,” hesays.
“Jace –”
“I issued a challenge.Pick it up.”
“My anger isn’t with you.”
“It’s not with her either.It’s with yourself, and I’m going to let you beat it out of your system.”
I scoff.“How is it with me?I’m not thefuckingone who poisoned me.”
