The letter I wrote to him burned in my pocket, and I closed my eyes, letting the wind wash over my face. I wasn't a coward. I would face my fate, but it would be on my own terms. Not hers, not theirs—mine.
A twig snapped, and my eyes shot open. It was time.
I leapt from the branch, landing with a thump onto the forest floor. I stood slowly, a half-grin forming on my face as I spotted the silhouette of a male walking in my direction.
Both kingdoms were at stake, and they sent one person to find me? I nearly laughed.
Broad shoulders and blond hair came into view, and I did laugh this time, finding it amusing that it would be him.
“How did you find me, prince?”
It had been Jaxon whom I sought all those months ago. I had been curious who my half-brothers were. They seemed like good people; their kingdom, despite the daka, was at peace. It was so different from Velra, and I hated that Morgana was going to destroy a place with so much joy and beauty.
While searching for Morgana’s blasted spellbook, I’d stumbled upon plenty of others. That’s how I learned the portal between realms could only be opened by the reigning ruler. It’s what prompted me to sneak into one of their castles in the south. I had sought more books on the matter, explored its massive library while that older male who occupied it was away. It was how I found that book on ripping souls. Pulled to it as if by fate.
My plan had formed, a way to warn them of what was coming.
I had already met Jaxon a few times at a local tavern in Niverrian, and he drunkenly let it slip that he had been searching for a book. It had been easy to convince him it was in Velra, that his mother was still alive.
I was the reason they even stood a chance against her.
And by some cruel twist of fate, I was the one who had to die.
“Let's just say I have some powerful friends who know things,” Jaxon said coolly. He was on edge, muscles tensing as he scanned me and the surroundings.
“You can relax. I'm not going to run. If I were going to, I'd have already done so. I wouldn't be sitting here in this dreary forest, waiting for you to arrive.”
Surprise danced across his sharp features, but suspicion still glimmered in his eyes.
“You are prepared to die, then?” Jaxon asked, brow furrowing. He was covered in mud, his white shirt clinging to his sculpted muscles. Dark circles were smudged beneath his eyes, and I figured he must have traveled non-stop to reach me, given the clear signs of weariness and exhaustion on his face.
“Are you?” I asked sharply.
“I am,” he said confidently. No hesitation in his powerful voice.
“Then how are we going to do this?”
“We?” Jaxon questioned, and I laughed.
“Aren’t we sacrificing our lives for the greater good? Isn’t that what Fate has planned for us?”
Jaxon stiffened, but something that looked an awful lot like pity crossed his face, and I growled.
“You heard the Fates. You can't expect me to let you live, can you? I won't risk you making a mistake and having children one day,” I snarled, sliding into a defensive position. “We do this together. Or I will end you myself before taking my own life.”
It’s what I had written to Lex about, among other things. I hadn't been sure who was coming for me, and I had put contingencies into place. When I died, I needed him to finish what was put in motion. To promise to end this fucking bloodline for good.
Understanding seemed to dawn on Jaxon, and he shook his head, his hand sliding into his pants pocket. I pulled on my magic sharply, my arms rising, preparing for an attack, but he only pulled a crumpled piece of paper out and stared at it.
“I was prepared to die, Lana. Would have gladly let you kill me.” He laughed, shaking his head again. “You know,” heheld up the piece of paper, waving it at me. “I wasn’t supposed to read this letter.” Jaxon ran a calloused hand through his hair and back over his face, another chuckle rumbling past his lips. “Not until after the battle.”
I lowered my arms, and got startled as he started to laugh louder. I stared at him, bewildered, unsure what to do.
“Fate has used us like puppets, giving us orders, telling us what to do, where to be. It’s felt like they have been using us to benefit them. So, I thought, fuck them. That my destiny was my own, that I could make my own damn choices.”
His laughter died down and his sharp golden eyes crashed into mine. “And now I'm thinking they knew I would read this.”
“What are you going on about?” I said, frustrated by his ranting.
