Page 178 of Black Sea

“Don’t let his gesture fool you, Sister,” Araton scolded me. “He certainly has a hidden agenda.”

Nauriel.

I felt a spasm in the wrist Amlach had gripped, and I quickly braceleted it forcefully before the sudden tremor in my hand was noticed.

“And even without his powers,” Father added, “he still poses too great a threat.”

Wrath flashed in my eyes. “He surrendered for me,” I replied emphatically. An emphasis that gradually faded as Araton and Father exchanged a gaze filled with uncertainty. “For . . .” Was that pity I saw on my brother’s face? “For love.”

“My child . . .” The king sighed sadly. “It’s a risk we cannot afford to take.”

I frowned. “What does that mean?”

Mother gave her mate and son a dirty look. Once more, the two traded heavy, conspiratorial glances.

“Speak!” I yelled.

Araton stepped away from the glass door, crossing his arms over his chest as he looked at me harshly. “He must die, Nauriel.”

“Over my dead body,” I growled in a voice so wild that my brother tensed up, as if prepared to defend himself if I lunged at him. “Father,” I then said impulsively, gazing at him with such intensity that it unsettled him. “ No.”

He watched me for a long time, his eyes so piercing that they made me feel like he was examining the inside of my body, searching for any sign that evil still lingered within me.

But it was gone.

It was gone.

Gone.

Although my father did not seem convinced at all, he took a deep breath and solemnly announced, “Mornon the Abomination will be executed tomorrow at noon.”

“ He’s my mate!” I screamed again, furious that he still wouldn’t accept it. “If you kill him, you will kill me too!”

“I know.”

I clammed up, shocked. Then, all at once, I realized.

Just as I had been willing to sacrifice myself for all of them, now he was prepared to sacrifice me to make sure the enemy was finally defeated. He would rather watch me live a lonely existence than see me with Amlach.

“Erech, please,” Mother said, “take at least a day to think it over carefully.” She fixed him in her resentful stare. “Our daughter’s life is at stake.”

He stayed silent for what felt like an eternity. Finally, unyielding, he declared, “I have made my decision.”

And sadly, in the funereal silence that followed, I realized I understood it completely.

“I do not approve of it,” Mother asserted instead. “And you shouldn’t either, Araton,” she added with a glower, then stepped slightly closer to him with a bitter expression. “You know what it’s like to live without your half. And though you will soon reunite with Serie in Rest, your sister will be condemned to never see her beloved again. Is this what you want for her?”

My brother looked down, his face shadowed with guilt.

“That’s enough,” Father said peremptorily.

Deeply disappointed, she quickly moved toward the other window, turning her back to us as she hugged herself and watched nature outside.

The King of the Elves’ steely gaze shifted back to me. “Go bid him farewell.”

It was only after blinking that I realized my cheeks were streaked with tears.

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