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“Surprisingly, I am. I can’t believe I’m actually saying this, but I trust him to take care of her.”
“How can you be so sure?”
“You weren’t scared of him,” Kai replies, like that explains everything.
“Yeah, because I had to stand up for Zaylee.”
He shakes his head. “No. You have instincts, and something in your gut told you he wasn’t someone to be frightened of.”
“Well, we don’t know him. We only talked to him for a few minutes.”
“And in that short time, he convinced me that he’s fully invested in Zaylee’s protection. Do you doubt that he’d literally move mountains for her?”
Well. Okay. I think he would.
In theory, Madden probably could move mountains. He’s already built Zaylee an impenetrable shrine.
“He’s still on my shit list,” I grump spitefully.
“Whatever this ‘list of shit’ is, he’ll be on mine as well.”
If I weren’t utterly devastated, I’d smile at the fact that Kai doesn’t understand the human term.
We fly over the arch leading into the city.
In the distance, I can already see that Madden is repairing the temple. The belltower has straightened out, and the hole in the ceiling is being filled.
I wish someone could do something about the void inside me. It’s a painful darkness, drenched guilt and longing, and I don’t know if that will ever go away. A piece of me has been irreparably shattered with this challenge.
“I can’t recite the poem.” My words come out choppy as I try not to sob. “I can’t say those stupid fucking words because if I do, it’ll just drive the point home that I’ve abandoned my own flesh and blood.”
“You won’t have to.” Gently gripping my chin, Kai emanates tenderness from his eyes. “I owe you one anyway. I’ll do it when we get to the maze, okay?”
Nodding, I rest my head on his shoulder as he literally carries me and my grief.
To some, it might seem like this challenge was easy. We didn’t get badly injured. There was no fight to the death, and it’s not hard to guess which test this is.
But that doesn’t make it better for me.
I’m not proud. I’m not relieved. There’s no sense of victory.
I’m just sad, and that’s how Armand wants it.
It does make me wonder, though… if I feel this bad now, how much worse will it get in round three?
If I know anything about Armand, he’s going to save the best for last.
Kai
Ishould be happy about winning the second challenge, but I can’t when the woman I love is devastated.
As we stand in the broken courtyard of this fucked up maze, Ro’s shoulders are slumped. Her gaze is glued to the ground, and unshed tears shimmer in her eyes.
It makes my heart heavy to see her this way.
Cupping her beautiful face, I press a kiss to her forehead, letting my lips linger there. She grabs my wrists and clings to me like I’m her lifeline.
“Fly me away from here,” she requests shakily. “Far away. I just want to go to a place that’s safe, where Armand can’t find us.”
