"She ain't trying to stop it."
The words land like a death sentence.
I swallow hard.
"If it comes to that," I say, "I'd like to just tell her my side."
Shane doesn't turn around.
"We'll see."
The door slams, and the lock clicks.
I'm alone again, and my breathing slows.
I close my eyes, and for the first time in years, I don't fight the restraints.
I just sit and think.
If she listens to me, forgives me, and lets me live, I'll spend the rest of my life proving I'd die for her.
If she doesn't, I'll die knowing she was the only woman I ever loved.
40
KEIRA
The clock on my phone reads 2:17 a.m.
I can't sleep. I can't rest. Hell, I can't even think straight.
Every time I close my eyes, I see it. The altar, the candlelight flickering across those faceless red robes, the knife slicing into my skin, the smell of incense and blood mixing in the air, the Phantom King's voice, cold and certain, telling me things that have wrecked me internally.
And then Octavian's face when he found me. The way his eyes went wide, then dark. The way his hands shook when he cut the ropes.
I rub my forehead, willing the images to stop, but they don't.
My arm throbs beneath the bandage. The pain is dull now, but the scar will be permanent.
I lift my hand, fingers hovering over the white gauze. I don't touch it. I can't, because if I do, I'll feel it again.
My phone buzzes and the screen lights up. Calli's name flashes with a FaceTime request.
I stare at it for three rings before I answer.
Her face fills the screen, eyes wide, mouth already open.
"Holy shit, Keira. I just got all your texts. Sorry, I was with the baby and... your arm! Are you alright?"
I lean back against the headboard, pulling my knees up. "Do you want me to lie?"
She shakes her head, pressing her lips together. "No. But, God, Keira. I'm coming. Niko can watch the baby. I'll book a flight right now."
"No." I sit up straighter, my voice sharp. "Don't. We're in the middle of a clusterfuck here, and I don't need you opening yourself up to danger."
Calli pauses, her jaw working like she wants to argue. But she doesn't. She just nods, frustrated. "Fine. But when we get off this call, I'm calling Ares and asking him about all that stuff you told me. I don't think he'd know. And I sure as hell don't think he'd be down with betrayal like this. Not when it comes to you."
I give a bitter laugh. "Yeah. I know."
