Page 154 of She Who Holds My Wrath

“I will not chain you like some untamed beast, Korithax.” Her thumb brushes beneath my eye, wiping away something wet I hadn’t realised had fallen. “You have been in total control until the moment an enemy injured me.”

Her ocean-eyes search mine, a faint smile gracing her perfect mouth. “You killed innocents today, Korithax. You killed innocent men and women. But you did it to try and protect me. Your loss of control was not unjustified. It was just… extreme.”

I let out a shaky exhale, pressing my cheek into her palm, craving her touch like a beast starved of affection. “I can’t promise it won’t happen again, Daisy. Not when it comes down to your safety.”

“I’ll make sure I’m fully armoured in training. I should have listened to you, I’m sorry,” she says quietly, guilt in her tone.

“None of what happened was your fault,” I reply sternly.

“We’ll figure this out, together,” she says. “Or we don’t do it at all.”

She reaches down and releases my arms and legs from the restraints, my body aching from being held in one position. I sit up, throwing my legs over the edge of the bed, and instantly pull her into me despite the dizziness fogging my senses. Her lavender and honey scent invades me, and everything inside me quietens for just a moment as she rests her head on my chest, her arms wrapping around my waist.

“I love you, Daisy,” I murmur against her hair. “More than anything.”

“I love you too,” she says softly. “But there is something we need to go do. And I need you to hold yourself together until I say so, okay?”

I look down at her, noticing the small crease beneath her brows. Whatever it is she needs us to do, she’s worried about me. About how I’ll behave. About if I’ll lose control again. My chest aches at how much I’m putting her through. I need to be good for her. Even if the voice inside my head is screaming for revenge. I have been trained to be nothing more than a heartless, savage animal. I will learn to leash myself for her, no matter how much it fucking burns.

Chapter 49

DAISY

My eyes stay fixed on Korithax as we stand in the dark belly of the dungeon.

My shoulder is starting to ache again, the tonic the healers gave me several hours ago is wearing off. Everything happened so fast. One minute I was teaching civilians how to manoeuvre a blade—correct stance, steady grip—and the next I had one plunged clean through my shoulder. I mean, points for aiming and using it correctly, I suppose. But gods, being stabbed fucking hurts. Like, really hurts.

The healers assumed me there’ll be no lasting damage. Immortality has its perks after all, because my body heals faster than it ever did before. By tomorrow, the wound should be all gone, leaving only a dull ache behind. At least, that’s what they promised.

Ezra and Cassyr were checked over, too. Cassyr escaped with only a mild concussion. Ezra wasn’t so lucky; burst blood vessels in one eye gave him a vicious red bloom across the white, and dark bruising already shadows his throat. It’s going to look brutal by morning.

But he stopped him. My best friend was the one person brave enough to face Korithax at his worst. He stood between Korithax and absolute ruin. Everyone was fussing over him when I left, telling him he was their hero. Despite blushing and telling them it wasn’t a big deal, I know for a fact he was loving every damn second of the attention he was receiving. Apparently, he’d given him one of the ‘fuck up’ concoctions he made of the sedation tonics. One that he knew was too strong, hoping it would be enough to overpower Korithax and The Void.

Korithax stands in the corner of the dungeon, motionless with a gaze that never leaves the boy strapped to the chair in front of me.

Before coming down here, I had Aran dig into who our would-be assassin was. Graille. One of Virena’s newest soldiers from Fjhellheim Heights. Barely old enough to serve, but fast-tracked because of the impending war. He looks smaller now. Blonde hair matted with dirt. Pale-grey skin smeared with dried, pale-blue blood from where Korithax slammed him into the floor. His head is hanging low, unconscious from sedation.

I nod to Kirrian, one of my newer guards, and he steps forwards, uncorking a vial of tonic and forcing it past Graille’s lips.

The boy instantly stirs, and my attention snaps immediately back to Korithax.

Maelkar stands on his left, Lucifer on his right. Both of them ready with syringes of sedation if he begins showing signs of losing control. The thing is… I’m going to let Korithax kill him. I’m angry. I’m ninety-nine percent sure this was the Six’s doing. And I’m done with them sending their fucking minions to do their work for them. I’m no longer the girl who cowered in their presence. I made them, and they won’t even face me, themselves. It’s pathetic, really. But until I get the information I need from him, I need him alive.

“Wakey, wakey,” I sing song.

Graille’s head jerks up. Fear floods his face as his pupils blow wide, swallowing the colour of his eyes. He thrashes against the bindings, breath hitching as his chest heaves.

“There’s no point,” I say calmly. “You’re not going anywhere. Not yet.”

His gaze lock onto mine, and just like that, the fear drains away to nothing but pure, unadulterated hate. My cool and calm collected mask slips, a frown forming between my brows. What could I have possibly done to make him hate me?

He suddenly spits, the disgusting glob landing inches from my boot.

“Fuck you, you disgusting bitch!” he snarls.

My brows lift despite myself. What the⁠—

“You’re vile. They’re going to kill you. You’ll die and the worlds will be better for it!” he shrieks hysterically.