Sawyer put his hand on my shoulder. “Yes, you can. You just won't let yourself.”
I raised an eyebrow and glanced between the two of them.
“You won’t hurt her,” Kohen chimed in. “You may hurt othersforher, but you won't hurt her. Not intentionally, at least. You're better than that.”
Sawyer nodded in agreement as he rose to his feet. “I know you're in love with her, and whether or not you're ready to admit that to yourself is on you. But she almost died tonight, and you should take that as a sign from the gods to tell her.”
How were they being so rational about this? Was I just overly emotional right now? “How do you guys act like it doesn't bother you? The way killing has changed you?”
“Now probably isn't the right time to get into this, Seb. You have a lot on your mind and Maeve needs you in there,” Sawyer said, angling a thumb towards the door.
“I mean, there's no way it hasn't affected you. Am I just really shitty at hiding it?” I replied, ignoring his suggestion.
“I don't look at it the way that you do, I guess. The way I see it, I'm just protecting the ones I care about and the kingdom. It's just part of the job,” Kohen said. “I don't think about it as deeply.”
I turned to Sawyer who shrugged. “I don't know, man. Maybe it's easier because I haven't been forced into killing since I was a kid.”
Kohen's jaw went slack at the brash remark, but I couldn'thelp but let out a snort of laughter. That was the Sawyer I'd missed.
He smiled at me, pulling me into a one-armed hug. “You're too hard on yourself, man. Just let yourself be fucking happy. You deserve it, whether you believe that or not. You just killed two men for her—if that’s not honorable as fuck, then I don’t know what is.”
“You and I have very different definitions of honorable.”
Kohen replaced Sawyer's embrace, patting my back. “You know, I hate when I have to admit this, but Sawyer is right.” He pulled away. “Regardless, you should really be in there with her. She’s going to want to see you when she wakes up.”
Right. Time to stop my damn pity party. I blew out a breath, then rose and marched into the room to be with the woman I loved.
Chapter
Thirty-Nine
“Maeve.”
“Maeve, can you hear me?”
Everything was dark, but I made out the sound of a familiar voice. A woman's voice.
“We only have a moment, so listen closely.”
I couldn't move or see anything. Listening was all I could do.
“The day will soon be here,”the breathy voice called out to me, just as a beam of light bisected the darkness encompassing me.
“The prophecy will soon be fulfilled. Prepare yourself. Prepare your loved ones. Merciless bloodshed is just among the horizon.”
Reality began to resurface as more light gradually pooled in.
“Do not fight the sacrifice. Do not fear it.”I recognized the soft voice as Blythe’s.
I felt my consciousness returning and realized that I was lying somewhere between the veil. Though hoarse, I found my voice. “I am no longer afraid of death.” If the sacrifice was catching up to me, I would let it.
“Nevertheless, it's not death you need to fear.”
I didn't get a chance to counter as beams of shimmering light dripped from the walls, replacing the darkness with a nothingness of white.
“I think she's waking up,” I heard a male voice from somewhere to my left.
“What did she say?” another person asked.
