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He inches closer, and closer, until I can feel his breath on my face. The moment is strange and uncomfortable. I want it to be over. I want to fight him. Kill him. I want to destroy him the way he has so perfectly managed to destroy me. I want to take everything from him the way he has taken everything from me.
The reality is that I feel angry when I look at Wyatt. I feel a deep-rooted hatred I don’t think I can ever be rid of. More importantly, I don’t think I should be rid of it. He hurt me more deeply than anyone has ever hurt another person. He has slaughtered my heart and now he wants to slaughter my kingdom.
I feel a blade pressing against my belly, and I look down at the knife in his hand. I realize that this is it. We failed. We didn’t stop him. I thought I could fight him. I thought that perhaps I would have a chance to a fair fight.
I thought maybe, just maybe, the two of us could battle. I thought perhaps I would have the opportunity to face the man who so desperately feels the need to take my entire world from me.
Just maybe.
“For king and country,” Wyatt whispers. I feel the blade press slightly into me. I know this is it. This is the moment I die. Somehow, I thought it would be different. I thought I would be old and surrounded by a loving wife and a gaggle of children. I thought I would have grandchildren and memories and a wonderful legacy that made my family proud.
I didn’t think it would be this.
I didn’t think I would die in a throne room surrounded by demons.
Surrounded by monsters.
Surrounded by people who despise me and everything I stand for.
I nod and close my eyes. I would have given almost anything for one more day with Rose. We met far too late and had too little time together. She really is fantastic. She really is the most perfect creature I’ve ever laid my eyes on.
“I loved you,” I say to Wyatt. Together, we were brothers. We were unstoppable. We could have ruled the world, he and I. It didn’t have to be this way.
“You shouldn’t have,” he says. I feel him tense, and I tighten my body. I prepare myself for the pain that’s about to tear through my stomach, but it doesn’t come. Instead, I hear a gagging noise, and I open my eyes to see Wyatt’s mouth open and his eyes wide. His knife drops to the floor. I am unharmed.
Rose steps out from behind him and I see the blood on her clothing. It’s dripping from the dagger in her hand. She looks at Wyatt and shakes his head.
“Fuck you,” she whispers.
Then all hell breaks loose.
Chapter 16
Rose
The demons seem to realize what I’ve done to their lord and master, but it’s a moment too late because Wyatt is absolutely, undeniably dead. He’s just totally, completely dead. There will be no coming back from this moment. There will be no saving him. He’s gone.
They raise their weapons and crowd around us, but none of them seem to know what to do.
Should they kill us?
Should they bite us?
Should they try to fight us?
They’re yelling and screaming, but they no longer have a leader, so no one seems ready to make the call that yeah, it’s time to kill the little fairies. Instead, the demons snarl and growl. A few of them seem to be mourning Wyatt, but for the most part, they just seem angry and confused.
I’m about to spin my amulet to give us a chance to escape, but the doors to the throne room burst open at that moment. There’s a flutter of dark, glittery wings. A fairy flies in: one I’ve seen before, one I know very well, in fact.
“Daisy?” I ask, shocked to see my sister in the throne room. I’m even more shocked to see her flying, using her wings. She’s one of the few faes I know who can fly, but she so rarely does. It’s dangerous to fly in public. The chances of someone seeing you, of attacking you, are incredible.
She smiles, nodding politely at me. She gracefully floats into the room and is followed by a horde – an absolute horde – of creatures. Big and small, ugly and beautiful, they surround her.
“Vampires?” Edward whispers.
“And angels,” I point out. “And wizards and witches and humans. There are some hunters, too. Why is everyone here?”
“To unite the kingdom,” Daisy says. She turns to Edward. “We heard you were having some trouble.”
