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“Then why not make sure Nothing was dead, too?” Jakub asks, staring at me. “Father was there when Leon pulled her from the fire. He would’ve seen her eyes.”
“It was dark,” Leon says, glancing over at me. “Christy was in so much pain her pupils were blown wide. He didn’t see. I didn’t even see the differing colours.”
“Regardless, my father never left any loose ends. You pulled her from the fire, you rescued her against his wishes. He would’ve killed her for that alone.”
He’s right, no matter how much I hate to admit that, Jakub’s right. I should be dead. I’m not. Seems to be a recurring theme. I would laugh if it wasn’t so horrifying.
“Leon?” Konrad questions.
“He told me to leave her,” Leon explains. “He saw Christy’s injuries and believed she would die anyway.Ithought she would die. Her injuries were unsurvivable.”
“And yet here she stands,” Konrad remarks, a dash of awe passing over his face as he looks at me. I start to tremble, reading more into that look than what appears on the surface. He wants to see how many times I can die and come back. He’s sick.
Jakub shakes his head. “No. You know father. He would’ve madecertainthat she was dead.”
“We heard sirens. Help was approaching...” Leon says, swiping a hand over his face. “I left her barely breathing, she wasdying…”
“But?” Jakub persists.
“But I told him she was already dead.”
“And he believed you?” Konrad asks, shaking his head.
“He had no choice because by that time the fire engines were driving up the lane, and he couldn’t go back to check. We cut across the fields behind their house to escape them. He never mentioned Christy again so I assumed shehaddied. Which is why, when Christy revealed her back to us I was so confused. I didn’t know for certain Christy was the girl I pulled from the fire, but the coincidences were too hard to ignore. She wassupposedto be dead. ”
“Exactly,” Renard says, focussing on me, “According to the obituary, you had died that night, too. Malik didn’t know who Christy’s father was and the lengths he would go to hide his daughter. And hide you he did. Malik believed he had wiped out any threat.”
“Only he didn’t look hard enough. If he had he would’ve found out who Christy was related to, and that she was Grim’s half-sister and the same girl who survived the damn fire,” Jakub says, approaching me. “So what do we do with this information?”
“Back the fuck off!” Leon grinds out, standing between us, and raising the gun once again.
“Stop!” Renard shouts, the effort leaving him doubled over and wheezing for breath. “You’re missing... the… point.”
“What point?” Jakub snaps.
“Your father didn’t believe Nessawould end the Brov family line because she would murder you, he believed she would end the cycle of violence, hatred and abuse he perpetuated because she wouldkill thatpartof you. He believed in the legend of The Weeping Tree.”
“Wait? What has the legend got to do with any of this?”
“You haven’t told her?” Konrad asks.
Leon shakes his head. “The opportunity never arose.”
“Tell me what?” I persist.
“When you died, The Weeping Tree bled,” Leon says, gun still raised at his brothers.
“No.” I shake my head not wanting to believe him despite that same feeling ofknowingprickling my skin.
“Yes,” Leon confirms, his voice filled with wonder and regret. “The cross you were strapped to was built from two branches from The Weeping Tree. You died. The Weeping Tree bled.”
“I—” I begin, lost for words.
“Malik thought Nessa would be the one to die beneath the boughs of the tree,” Renard continues. “That she would be the one to come back to life, that her kindness would infect you and in turn what you’ve built here would no longer exist.Thatis why he murdered her.”
“He truly believed that?” Konrad asks, scrubbing a hand over his face.
“Yes. He truly believed that,” Renard confirms, glancing at me. “Only it wasn’t Nessa the old woman was talking about, it was Christy. I knew that the moment you brought her back to the castle.”
