Shaking his head, Jace stepsout of the way.“You just dug your own hole, you moron.”
Removing Arienna’s arm from around me, I stepup to him.“By insulting my wife, you insulted me.You insulted the Raza kingdom because she is now our queen.”
He pales.The smell of urine permeatesthe air, and itisstill a better addition to life than heis.
“And so I challenge you, Karl the Dumbass, to face me inside a fairy ring.”
His eyes roll back in his head, and he collapses.
Leaving him to sleep in his piss, I turn to Jace.“Load him up with the cargo.He comes back with us.”
Small hands grabmy arm.“You can’t do this.He wouldhave apologised.You can’t kill him for it.”
I turn to her, hating the fear in her eyes.For him.The bastard who hurt her.“The challenge has been issued.”
“So retract it.”
My jaw tightens.“It doesn’t work like that.”And even if it did, I wouldn’t.
“Why not?”
“Because it’s tradition to settle such insults in the ring.”And I’mlooking forward to carving him to pieces.
“But it won’t even be a fair fight!You’ll just kill him.”
I shrug.“So I’ll give him a blade and fight him unarmed.”
“That’s not the point!”
Ducking my head, I grab the back of her neck and haul her close until we’re nose to nose.“Why do you care?”
Her throat works, and I haveto struggle to stop myself from tightening my grip into a fist.
“He was my fiancé…”
“Do you love him?”
“No!”She glancesaway, looking athim.“But you can’tjustkill everyone you don’t like,” shesaysdesperately.“I thought you wanted peace.”
“His death won’t change my treaty with the Vylians, I assure you.And I’ll just apologise to the brownies.”
Tears wetting her eyes, she triesto lean over to look at Jace.My hand tightens, causing her to flinch.Her gazefliesback to mine.My grip easesagain.“Tell me why you want to save him,” I demand, needing to know the truth.
“Because…” She glancesside to side.Her gaze dropsto her feet.
“Every second you don’t answer is another punishment I will give you.”
Her pulse beatsrapidly against my fingers.
One second.
Two.
“Because he’s not a monster like you!”
Time stops.
My blood chills.
