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I leaned forward and screamed into his face.
“This is all your fault. Liam's death is all your fault. We should have stayed in the castle. You shouldn’t have come to save me. You left him to die.” I slapped Elijah across the face, hard. “You fled like a coward.”
Elijah’s head jerked to the side with the impact, my handprint across his cheek.
After the initial shock wore off, Elijah looked at me with so much worry, grief, and utter devastation that I faltered. This proud man’s confidence was cracking, and I had struck the blow.
I instantly regretted my words and couldn’t believe I had hit him. I knew I wasn’t being reasonable. Irrationality drove me, and I couldn’t reach my calm center, no matter how hard I tried. The words weren’t true, and I definitely shouldn’t have slapped him, but I wouldn’t apologize any more than he ever would.
“Fuck this.” Elijah’s face turned to stone. “You’re right about some things. I should have left you in that castle. Idefinitelyshould have chosen Liam over you. And I did flee. But I had no choice, you horrible girl. We were all dead if we stayed, and I couldn’t allow Liam to sacrifice himself and have you die anyway.” His hands were clenched so hard they were turning white. “It’s you that is the coward. He did that. To. Save. You. And you would kill yourself rushing back out there anyway? It would mean Liam died for nothing.” Elijah paused, jaw tightening. “I couldn’t let you disrespect my brother like that.”
He closed his eyes and took a deep breath before looking at me again. When they opened, his eyes were a hollow abyss, sucking me into a place where only he existed. A place without my pain and grief and endless misery, where I felt safe and protected, even if not entirely welcome. A place I didn’t want to escape from.
Elijah stared back.
“He honored you with the greatest respect he could offer. He died valiantly, sacrificing himself so you could go out there and live.”
Elijah’s words pulled my focus, and the world rushed back. The insanity that had slowly overpowered me poured back in, plunging me back into that dark place.
“Are you saying that this ismy fault?” I shoved him.
“No, Kaia. Goddess.” He racked his hands over his face. “That's not what I meant at all. There was nothing either of us could have done to stop this.”
I glared at him with every ounce of loathing I could gather. “I hate you,” I seethed.
He nodded at me.
“You can hate me all you want. Shit, I am not fond of you either. But I will get you out of this castle, even if it kills me. E.Z. and Griff are ensuring the tunnel is clear ahead. Griffin has made another door. No one will know about it. They won’t know where to look for us. But Kaia,” Elijah angled his face closer to mine, “we can’t be sure it’ll be safe when we exit. We’re a long way from the closest door in these tunnels, and we’re not going to a likely exit point, but the guards are clearly aware of our escape. I need you to be alert and focused so we can get out of here as quickly as possible. I need you to be able to run if something happens when we get outside.”
Out of nowhere, he unbuttoned his white uniform shirt and whipped it off, leaving him in only a thin undershirt.
I gaped. “What are you doing?”
“You can’t run with your feet in that condition. I said I need you to run. You never listen.” He looked down to where I had stomped bloody footprints all around me. “Plus, you’ll lead them right to us if anyone follows.”
I hadn’t even felt the pain.
He took a knife from his belt and cut the shirt right down the middle. Then, he kneeled before me and took the liberty to secure the scraps of his shirt. He cradled one ankle at a time, raising it to wrap my foot and tie it at the top.
I would have insisted on doing it myself if I wasn't so shocked. As it was, I just watched Elijah in stunned silence. I couldn’t remember the last time he touched me with kindness— and this felt like kindness.
“I should have done this before. I apologize for that.” His eyes flicked to mine before lowering my foot and wrapping the other.
I could tell he was apologizing for more than my feet but correctly assumed I wouldn’t accept anything else. That meant more than any apology I had received before. I knew this wasn’t easy for him.
We didn't talk any more after that. What Elijah had said was true. Liam did sacrifice himself for me. Letting his death be in vain would be the worst way to honor his sacrifice. I would let Elijah and his friends help me escape, and then I would go my separate way. I would leave this place, lose myself in some random village, and live a different life. Any other life. I wouldn’t stay with that man. I couldn’t; he made me the worst version of myself.
When Elijah was done, he rose and ignited a small flame in his hand, casting it to float down the hallway, guiding us. He grabbed my hand and pulled me deeper into the tunnel at a brisk pace. I allowed him, even though the contact burned me. I couldn’t afford to be separated from him right now.
I wasn’t trusting Elijah or accepting his protection; I just didn’t care what happened and figured nothing could be worse than what I'd already endured.
Chapter8
Kaia
At a quick pace, it didn't take long to reach E.Z. and Griffin. A makeshift door had been constructed into the wall at their side.
“Any trouble?” Elijah asked as they rushed towards us.
