Chapter Sixteen
Wrath
I restedmy hands on the wall on either side of Bale’s head and leaned so close that her warm breath blew against my lips. When she lifted her chin in defiance, the tip of her nose brushed mine.
The blood rushing through my veins sounded as loud as the roars of the drakón in my ears. I dug my fingers into the rock as I resisted bending my head a fraction of an inch lower to brush my lips against hers. But I would not allow her to push me away.
“I already have power, Bale. I can make good men beat each other to death as easily as I can make those with malevolence in their hearts kill someone. I can make others do things that would never cross their mind until they encountered me. I don’t want power. I don’t want to rule. I want thefuckerwho kept me locked away for twelve thousand years to pay for it.”
“Thatfuckeris dead. He’s been dead for millennia.”
“But his predecessors kept me there too. The varcolac will pay.”
“Since you’re the one who got yourself locked behind a seal, thenyoushould be the one to pay for it.”
“You think I should pay for being who I am?”
“There is a reason the varcolac who locked you away did so.Youdid something to putyourselfthere.”
“I only did what it is in mynatureto do,” I snarled. “Am I supposed to deny who I am?”
“You’re supposed to keep the worst of yourself in check like the rest of us do. You and your fellow horsemen caused problems. If the varcolac didn’t lock you away, then chaos would have reigned years before the angels arrived. You know the varcolac had to maintain a certain order in Hell. You disrupted that order, and the varcolac punished you for it. Get over it.”
“Gets. Over. It?” I bit out the words as my fingers tore stone away from the wall.
“Yes, get over it. You served your time, and you’re free now. Move on from your vendetta or continue to fight and die like some of your other equestrian friends.”
I found it easier to control my temper around her, but she could also fuel it in ways few ever could. Unable to suppress a shout, I pulled back my hands and hammered them into the wall. Rock and stone gave way; they clattered as they bounced off the walls and tumbled to the floor.
When I yanked my hands free, blood trickled from the gashes on my knuckles, and I was sure I’d broken a few. I entangled my hand in her thick hair and pulled her head back as I stepped closer. I considered twisting her hair around my arm and showing her who was in charge, but I found myself unable to inflict pain on her.
She flattened her hands against my chest as fire flashed across my fingertips. The flames danced within her vivid green eyes as she glowered at me.
“Do you think you can kill me?” she demanded.
“If your death were what I was after, I would have let you die in the forest.”
“I will never seal the Chosen bond with you.”
I smiled as I stepped closer and lifted a fire-encased hand to her cheek. “So you say, but I can smell how badly you want to fuck me.”
The glint in her eyes told me I’d struck a nerve. She could fight me, but we knew her body begged for mine as badly as mine did for hers.
“How do you expect this to end between us?” she asked. “We are on opposite sides of this war. One of us must die.”
I hadn’t thought much beyond calming my compulsion to claim my Chosen. I was aware she would prefer me dead, but I’d never considered the outcome of what this was between us. The immense hurdle of getting her to concede to my will was all I’d considered.
“Not necessarily,” I said as I twisted her hair around my wrist.
Her chin rose further, but she didn’t try to shove me away. “I willneverjoin your side.”
That was true. She believed in her king too much to turn against him. There was a time when I believed in the varcolac also, but that was many millennia ago.
“I once followed a king too,” I told her. “Look at where it got me.”
“Once again,youractions landed you behind the seal. We can run circles about this all night, but we will never agree on it.”
“You’re right.” I ran my finger down her cheek. “I did sow discontent while I was free in Hell. I let my power free and stood back to watch as it wreaked havoc on those it affected. I reveled in the power I held over them because that is whoIam, but who are you, Bale?”
