I glanced at Corson to see his reaction, but he didn’t look at all astonished by my admission.
“He doesn’t bear your mark,” he said.
I closed my eyes and hung my head. “No.”
“You won’t be able to resist for much longer.”
“I know.”
“What do you plan to do?”
When I opened my eyes and met his gaze again, I saw the glimmer of unease that flashed across his face.
“I won’t kill him,” Corson said flatly. “Not unless he forces my hand. I willnotkill him, Bale.”
“I can’t do it.”
“I know, but I won’t take his life if it means taking yours, and neither will anyone else here, not even Magnus. Besides, you don’t want him dead anyway.”
“No, I don’t.” I lifted my glass and gulped whiskey before setting it down again. “But he’s our enemy.”
“Is he?”
I desperately sought the answer to that question.Is he still the enemy?There were so many times when the answer was a resounding no, but I was terrified he’d try to kill Kobal if he got the chance, and I couldn’t let that happen.
No matter what I felt for Wrath, no matter what this was becoming between us, we were not the most crucial piece in this puzzle. Countless others counted on us to establish peace on this plane; our lives were not more valuable than that myriad of others. I’d fought for the greater good and the bigger picture my entire life, as had Corson and Kobal; that would never change.
“He said all the fallen angels are dead,” I said.
“Do you believe him?”
“Yes. There was no reason for him to lie about it, and we haven’t seen any of them. They were never known to remain hidden. If any of them remained, we would know about it.”
“That’s one less thing to worry about.”
We sat in silence for a few minutes as we sipped our drinks. I didn’t question why Corson was taking the revelation that Wrath was my Chosen so well. He’d found his Chosen; he knew what it was like to need another with a savage intensity.
He also knew what it was like to love another. I didn’t love Wrath, but when I recalled him smiling in the snow as Zorn pranced around him, I realized I could come to love him far easier than I ever would have believed possible. Last month, I wanted him dead, and now I wanted him back in my arms.
“Do you trust him?” Corson asked.
“To protect me, absolutely. Not to kill my king, no.”
“That can’t be allowed.”
“I wouldneverallow it.”
“I would stop him.”
I met and held his gaze. “I wouldn’t expect anything less. I would stop him too, but I couldn’t kill him. In the beginning, I was so certain I would be the one to destroy him, and myself, but I can’t. However, I wouldneverallow him to kill Kobal.”
“I know. I couldn’t have stayed away from Wren either, if she were on the other side of this war. She did consider me the enemy, though.”
“I remember. Did you ever think that maybe we’re all the enemy? Who are we to say we’re completely right? Who are the craetons to say they’re completely right? Maybe we’reallwrong.”
Corson gave me a wan smile. “Careful, you’re starting to sound like Caim.”
“He’s another one I like a lot more than I ever would have thought possible. I was upset when Mytaz froze him. I felt like I lost a friend, and I had.”
