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Kael stared at me in confusion. “What do you mean?”
“I’m leaving this city and taking you with me. We can’t stay here any longer. I’m tired of living in fear. This is our chance to start anew, to have a different life. Together.”
Kael shook her head slowly, and my stomach dropped.
“I can’t go with you.”
“Why? There’s nothing here for us. Do you want to keep scratching out an existence in the mines, spreading whispers, and hoping that one day your rebellion will win? Because it won’t. There’s no way we can beat back the tide of Varzorn’s ambition.” I held her hand, gazing into her eyes. “But you and I? We can disappear. Go to Eprios or anywhere the empire hasn’t reached. I can keep you safe.”
“What about your sword?” Kael asked softly, her gaze searching mine. “And Rhazien and the emperor? They’re just going to let you go?”
I smiled sadly, taking her hands in mine again. “I don’t care about my sword anymore. Striker can have it. If I’m lucky, he’ll stick it in Rhazien’s black heart.” I laughed. “It’s what I’ve always wanted to do with it.”
“Theron—“
“All I want is you.”
Kael shifted uneasily as she stared at me, trying to gauge if I meant what I said or not.
“What is there here for you? Please come with me.” My voice was urgent now, desperate to make her understand the urgency of this situation. But she seemed rooted in place, her gaze distant as if she were looking at something far away. I swallowed, fear hollowing my stomach. “I—I love you.”
Her eyes shot open in alarm, and she scuttled backward on the bed to the headboard.
“What? No.”
I recoiled as if she had slapped me. Her rejection hurt more than any physical wound I’d ever endured. “What do you mean, ‘No’?”
Kael shook her head, her eyes burning into mine. “You don’t love me. You’re just desperate to escape your family. You don’t even know me.”
“That’s not true,” I protested, a lump forming in my throat. “I know you better than anyone else. I know that you’re strong and brave. That you have a soft heart hidden under that stony exterior.”
Kael’s expression was still contorted in fear. “That doesn’t mean you love me.”
“I do,” I insisted, a surge of fury mingling with my heartache. “I love you, Kael. And I know you feel something for me, too.”
“No. I don’t.” She shouted, her eyes wild. “Because none of this is real. Ihateyou.“ Her mouth twisted into an ugly expression, one I was too familiar with. Anger and hurt rose in me.
“You hate me?” I growled. “You didn’t hate me when you were screaming my name as I fucked you.”
She glared at me. “As if I had a choice. Your magic and that stupid piercing took that from me. That’s all you sharp-eared bastards do is take and take and take.” She was shouting by the last word. “I wouldneverwant you. You’re a monster.”
It felt like she’d punched me in the gut, her words cutting deep. I stepped back, stunned and reeling from the force of her accusation. Never had I thought that she would believe I was capable of using my magic on her. An unbearable weight descended upon my chest, squeezing the air from my lungs. How could she think so little of me?
”Ineverused magic to make you want me,“ I said, fighting to keep my voice steady.
She scoffed and looked away. “Right,” she muttered sarcastically, her disbelief clear in her tone.
I moved closer to her, desperate to have her understand what I was trying to say. “Sihaya, look at me,“ I growled, gripping her chin and forcing her to meet my eyes.
She reluctantly met my gaze, pure hate filling those green depths. My heart constricted painfully as realization dawned on me. It had been real for me, but not for her. Shame and anger threatened to choke me.
I leaned close to her, our lips almost touching. “Ineverset any intention in that stone. Every single time I made your cunt wet, every time it squeezed my cock as you came, was all you. “
Chapter 29
Kael
“You’relying.”
