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I’ve already made the choice, and yes, I’d choose her over and over again. Every single time.
She just doesn’t know it yet.
Her gaze drops to the sword attached to my belt. Underneath her leg, it’s sheathed, and just like when she asked me to kill her when we met, her fingers go to her neck.
“You shouldn’t have healed me.” She swallows hard. “Because now… what you have to do, Kai… You have to kill the person you love. You’re never going to recover from that. You’ll be emotionally traumatized forever.”
“Admitting defeat is such a rare talent,” Armand interrupts our moment. “I commend you both for your ability to concede your loss.”
This evil asshole.
I’ve had enough of his shit, and I need to be on my feet for the confrontation that’s about to happen. I might be losing this war with Armand, but I’m not going down without causing some serious chaos first.
Standing from the floor, I bring Ro up with me and set her at my side. Then I get in front of her protectively, making it obvious that I have no intention of harming a hair on her pretty head.
Surprise registers on Armand’s face, and he taps his amulet. “Really? So you’re choosing this?”
“What?” Ro tugs on my arm. “Kai, no.”
Ignoring her, I shrug. “I’m not sure.”
“What do you mean, you’re not sure? We have a bargain to complete. You kill the woman, or you get sucked into my gem.”
“Kai, don’t be foolish,” Ro protests again, but I go on as if she’s not part of this conversation.
“Ah, yes.” I feign cluelessness, pretending I’d forgotten the details of the deal, and I scratch my jaw. “And how long am I allowed to ponder this life-altering decision?”
“I—you—there is no time,” Armand stammers, realizing he never specified if I can consider my fate with care and calculation.
“No timelimit, you mean?”
I know I’ve gained the upper hand when the overlord’s nostrils flare with indignation. I’m sure the gem has its own rules, but Armand doesn’t seem certain about what they are. Maybe no one has ever thought to question it.
Well, we’re about to find out how impatient the gem is and what it will let me do in this indecisive limbo.
Just to make it real, I keep my thoughts in a neutral space where I volley between visions of attacking Armand and beheading Ro. It’s painful to imagine doing that to my Sunny, but I can suffer through the inner turmoil if it buys me just a few minutes.
I don’t even need that long. Give me sixty seconds.
Apprehensive, Armand shifts closer to Yugo as some of his fear shows. I can actually smell it—that distinct scent of stress sweat—and I don’t blame him.
He’s seen me in action. He’s watched me dismember, disembowel, and decapitate multiple people in the time it would take him to piss.
“Kai, please don’t do this,” Ro begs through gritted teeth. “We don’t even know what it’s like inside the gem. It could be endless suffering. And Valora is depending on you.”
She clasps her hands together under her chin as if she’s praying to me, and I want to picture her like this in the temple. Someday, she’ll get to be there, talking to her god. Maybe she’ll even talk to me. I hope so. I hope I can hear her, wherever I am.
I caress the side of her sweet face. Bending down, I press my lips to hers for our last kiss. I linger and let the finality of it sink into my aching heart because no matter what I choose, I’ll never get to have my mouth on hers again.
Gazing at her with all the gratefulness and affection I have for her, I say, “Your love is like a mirror for me. When I look at you, I see who I really am in your eyes, and for the first time since I got my scars, I like my reflection. I’m endlessly grateful for that.” I smile, lopsided facial muscles and all. “Now, please, for the love of fate, stand back. Things might get ugly.”
She knows me well enough to see when there’s no point in arguing, and tears fill her eyes. She clings to my shirt, but my resolve is steel, and I jerk away from her.
When I turn to the overlord and his husband, I take out my sword and my machete.
Nudging Yugo, Armand shuffles until they’re both partially hidden behind his big throne, but those twigs won’t protect him.
Snarling and showing a fang, he claims, “You won’t be able to get close enough to touch me. I have magic you can’t begin to comprehend.”
