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I nodded. “I can agree to that.”
“Good.” Kaleb crossed and uncrossed his arms repeatedly. It was like he wasn’t sure what to do with them, or rather, what to do with this new agreement between the two of us—what to do with the fact that we were going to kill the king.
To be honest, I wasn’t exactly sure what to do with it either.
For the next little while, we fell into our private thoughts—with me on the bed and Kaleb leaning against the wall.
I didn’t consider myself a murderer, nor did I know how I was going to do it.
All I knew was that the destruction of innocent lives needed to end, and there was only one way I could see that happening: by cutting off the proverbial head of the snake and hoping that the body would fall after—the body being those who followed the king.
Kaleb jerked his head up, his tone urgent. “I have to go.”
My heart thundered wildly. “Is it something to do with Von?”
“No.” He shook his head. “I have to collect a soul.”
Collecta soul?
Thatwas going to take some getting used to.
Curiously, I asked, “How do you know?”
“I can feel them when they are close to passing,” he answered as he crossed the floor towards me. He gave me a quick hug. “I’ll return as soon as I can. Keep your head down until then. Okay?”
I offered him a closed-lip grin. “Me? Keep my head down?”
“Sage, please,” he groaned.
“Fine, fine, I’ll try to keep to myself.”
. . .I was a filthy liar.
“Good,” Kaleb replied, before he started towards the balcony doors. When he reached them, he opened one and spoke over his shoulder. “And Sage?”
“Hmm?”
Cast in moonlight, his lips curved into a mischievous grin. “For the love of the gods and for the sake of us all—take a bath. You smell worse than a drunk who pissed himself and passed out in an onion patch.”
Before I could reply or throw something at him, there came a flash of blinding, vivid light—so bright, it rivaled the stars. I sheltered my eyes.
When I uncovered them, Kaleb was gone.
A caw sounded, in place of goodbye.
To my surprise, the door that led to the rest of the castle was not locked. I could tell as soon as my thumb pressed on the latch andno resistance was met. I opened the door just enough to peer out into the wide hallway.
Candle sconces and paintings alternated with one another. The lit sconces bathed the hallway in a soft, honey glow, illuminating the stretch of crimson rugs that lined the floor, that same color echoed in the banners that hung from the ceiling.
Metal screeched as a guard stepped in front of the door and the king’s royal emblem, etched on the chest plate, was planted in my line of view.
“Do you need something?” the guard asked abrasively, his voice about as gentle as sandpaper on a bare ass.
I nearly told him as much, but instead, I placated my tone with kindness and said, “I would like to have a wash.”
He grumbled. “At this hour?”
“Yes,” I confirmed, thinking he’d move a little faster if he caught a whiff of me through the crack in the door. My Curse might be shackled by the iron collar, but that didn’t mean I was without power—all I had to do was lift one arm andPow!Right in the sniffer.
