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Rage flared in Zarrah’s chest, though it wasn’t for him. It was for herself. “I did trust you. So it’s no wonder you think me the fool.”
Silence.
She watched his throat move as he swallowed, his eyes narrowing with frustration or anger, she wasn’t sure which. Then he closed them.
Grab him,a voice screamed inside her head.Capture him! Kill him! Do something!
“You’ve no reason to believe me, Valcotta, but I had nothing to do with your capture beyond being the reason you were here in the first place.”
“Liar!” She gave her head a sharp shake, but it only caused pain to lance through her skull and nausea to swirl in her stomach.
“I warned you not to go. I told you to wait until nightfall. But you were too busy being horrified over my family name to see reason.”
“Your father murdered my mother,” she snarled. “Laughed as he cut off her head and had his men stake up her corpse. Laughed as he put her head in my lap and left me for dead!” And instead of striking a blow against him by killing his son, she’d fallen into bed with him.
He recoiled. “Myfather killed your mother? I—”
“You’re the same as him. All the Veliants are.” She coughed on the blood dripping down the back of her throat. “You’re monsters, just like him.”
He flinched, then shook his head. “I’m nothing like him.”
“Says the man who just ordered someone whipped to death.”
“To protect you!”
“Do you really expect me to believe that?” She spit blood on the floor in front of him. “The spies said you were a womanizer and a drunk, but they also said you were very clever. Don’t think for a moment I’ll fall for more of your trickery. I see who you are now.”
His grip on the bars tightened, his knuckles blanching, and her eyes went to them, remembering what it had felt like to be touched by those hands. It had felt so real. Had felt so right. How could she have felt that way about someone so heartless? So cruel? “You’ll have to content yourself with my death,” she whispered, her eyes burning. “For I won’t allow you to use me against my people.”
Then her knees buckled and Zarrah collapsed, feeling his hands catch her around the waist as he said, “Goddamn your honor!”
Honor was all she had left, tarnished though it was.
He lowered her to the ground, then Zarrah felt his hand curve around her cheek, lifting her face to look at him. “I’m not allowing you to die just because you had the misfortune of crossing paths with me, Valcotta.” His throat moved as he swallowed. “Zarrah.”
Her chest tightened, and she pulled away from him, slumping against the stone floor, her body cold. “Kill me. Or leave me. Or if you must stay, know your words fall upon ears now wise to your deception.”
Silence stretched between them, broken by a loud bang and the shout of, “Keris!”
He glanced down the hall, then leaned forward. “If you give up now, you’ll never have vengeance. My father wins.”
Zarrah squeezed her eyes shut, seeing Silas Veliant’s face. Hearing him laugh and laugh and laugh as her mother’s blood rained down upon her.
“Fight to live,” Keris said, “and you willlive to fight.”
Live to fight.
Otis appeared, his face splattered with blood that she could only guess was from the man he’d whipped to death. “Have you lost your mind, Keris? Do you have any idea how dangerous she is?”
His voice was light as he said, “So everyone keeps telling me.” Keris rose. “But thus far I’ve been rather disappointed. All she’s done is faint. What did the physician say?”
“That she’s concussed and will either die tonight or live to meet her end in Vencia.”
“Let’s pray for the latter,” Keris answered. “Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m somewhat short of sleep and in need of a nap. Make arrangements to transport her north by road—the Valcottans are thick upon the seas, and they’ll be after us as soon as they learn we have their general.”
“It will be done,” his brother answered, but he remained where he was as Keris strode off, humming a tune.
The princeling watched his brother go, then turned back to her, the blood splattering his face at odds with the words written to him in those love letters. As was the hate in his eyes. “You and yours are a scourge upon this earth,” he hissed. “You took those I loved most and slaughtered them. Don’t think there won’t be a reckoning.”
