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“Who killed him?” My eyes shifted to Cobra.
My brother had an opaque emptiness in his eyes. “Father.”
I released a heavy sigh. “Of course he did.”
“I tried to stop it,” Cobra said. “But I only helped Father…”
“What will you say to Clara?” Viper asked.
“No fucking idea,” he said.
“What now?” I asked.
“We lost good people,” Viper said. “We’ll need to burn the dead. Recover from the battle. Then we’ll travel to Evanguard and pursue the truce the new queen has promised. We need to secure it quickly before Father decides to launch an attack instead. Now that Aurelias has been taken from him, he has even more fuel for his rage.”
“Sounds like a plan,” I said. “Good luck.”
Cobra narrowed his eyes. “You’re coming.”
“I’m not going anywhere while Larisa remains indisposed.”
“We’ll wait,” Viper said. “She’s one of us.”
I looked at one brother then the other.
“Literally,” Cobra said with a slight grin.
2
LARISA
I dreamed of black clouds and dark flames. Smoke and soot. A horrifying grin. My stomach tightened, and I felt sick. I felt pain that was excruciating, but not excruciating enough to stir me from this heavy slumber.
I had no sense of time, only darkness. Sweat was all over my body. I was aware of the way the sheets clung to my skin like sand to wet feet.
My eyes finally opened to the ceiling.
It was dark, and it took several seconds to understand where I was. To my left, Fang slept in a circle, at the very edge of the bed so as not to disturb me. My head tilted the other way—and locked on eyes that were a mix of green and brown. I stilled at the intensity of that stare. Then I felt that intensity, felt the paramount relief of a man who’d nearly lost everything. With my eyes locked on his, everything rushed back.
Ellasara bested me in the battle—and pierced me through my armor and skin. I didn’t remember what happened after that, other than collapsing on my back against the stone. My hand immediately went to my wound, feeling the wet gauze that protected it.
Kingsnake moved to the edge of the bed to come closer to me. “Sweetheart.” For the first time, I didn’t need to feel his emotions to understand every thought that passed through his mind. I could see it written clearly across his face. His eyes were hard with emotion, wet with unspent tears, full of a love he’d previously tried to hide.
I sat up and expected to feel pain in my abdomen, but I felt nothing at all.
His hands cupped my face, and he kissed me on the forehead, his lips lingering as they cherished my cold skin. We stayed that way for a breath before he pulled away to look me straight in the eye. “How do you feel?”
“A lot better than I expected…”
His hands left my face.
“What happened to Ellasara?”
“I killed her.” There was no hesitation in his words. They shot right out like a ball from a cannon. There was no emotion to accompany what he said. He felt nothing. Nothing at all. “Sliced her head from her shoulders—like a fucking cockroach.”
I remembered the smug look on her face, the horrible things she said to me. She played dirty to get me to drop my guard. I fought her the best I could, but her skills outweighed mine. “Fang, are you okay?” My hand rested on the back of his neck.
I’m sssorry I failed you.
