These were Elara’s thoughts.
A sharp pain in his foot ripped Nik back to the reality unfolding below him.
And to Lafontaine pressing the heel of his polished boot onto Nik’s toes with crushing force.
“Outside. Now.”
Every instinct screamed for him to run, beg, or cajole until his father relented.
But he was Elara’s Patron, and she needed him.
He straightened his shoulders and faced his father.
“Souverain, I can explain.”
Lafontaine struck faster than he could dodge. Nik’s skull cracked into the wall hard enough to blur his vision and rattle his teeth. A grade-one concussion at least.
“You weakhearted fool,” Lafontaine snarled. “Were you swayed by a pretty face or just too stupid to realize the viper you’d invited in?”
His brain struggled to right itself from the impact.
“SPEAK!”
“I thought we could use her,” he slurred.
“Then you knew who she was!” Lafontaine shoved him against the wall, fingers digging like claws into his chin and cheeks.
“She’s not a rebel, but I thought she might be working with them.”
“And?”
His mouth dried. Elara was the daughter of a rebel like he was the son of a Souverain. It didn’t mean they were their parents or their parents’ mistakes.
“So,” Lafontaine seethed, “you harbored the spawn of the very creature who murdered your mother.”
The truth slammed into Nik’s bones like cement.
“You hid her from me,” Lafontaine said.
“Because I wanted to prove myself to you,” Nik replied quickly.
“By raising vermin into a position of power?”
“Only so you could use her.” He swallowed a knot. “I wanted…”
But the things he’d wanted felt as if they belonged to another person. Elara was also lost, stumbling through the wreckage their mothers had left behind. Tonight, he should’ve been overjoyed to see her suffer.
He only felt numb.
“What if…” Nik took a deep breath. “What if she’s the answer? Elara Rousseau, not Elouise Auclair.” The words came rushing out. “She could be a bridge between the Counseil and the Restes, a way to make reparations. Father, think of—”
Another strike sent Nik careening hard enough that he lost all sense of direction. The world continued to spin as he pushed himself from the floor. Blood trickled warm and sticky down his chin, staining his best suit.
“I knew you couldn’t be trusted.” His father adjusted his collar. “You’re both Restes filth. Born and bred.”
Nik’s thoughts took too long to catch up. The world was sluggish and hazy, Lafontaine’s words barely making sense as he flipped his coat and headed to the door.
“Once again, I will fix your mess.” Lafontaine stepped over him. “Go home.”
