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Chapter 42 – Constantine
“I’m afraid my sisteris like the wind; no force can change her direction until she chooses.” The metaphor rolled mechanically off my tongue. What a fucking disaster. Mercifully, my sutures hadn’t opened. The room around us was a mess. Talia looked wild, and she was breathing like it pained her. It was all I could do not to rage at my sister for hurting her. The knife had been so close—
“You look like you need to sit down,” I clipped out.
Talia shook her head, scrubbing her hands over her face. “Speak for yourself.”
“Come on, let’s get out of here.” Weakness was fast consuming my body as the surge of adrenaline ebbed away. This injury was taking a toll on me, unlike anything I’d ever experienced.
Talia smoothed a hand over her dress, then half turned to the mirror to bark out a laugh. Blood beaded on her cheeks where my sister had scratched the skin open. Gingerly, she reached up to touch the scratches, thumbing away the crimson drops.
“Give me a moment. I need to make myself presentable,” she said quietly.
There was no hiding the shake in her voice. My chest constricted to hear it. I moved closer, fighting the urge to hobble through the wounds that weren’t yet healed. I stopped behind her, meeting her gaze in the mirror. Talia didn’t wince when I ran a finger down the side of her face, stopping where the blade had scored the skin of her throat. Her eyes fluttered close.
“I meant what I said—that no harm would come to you under my roof,” I growled softly.
A sad smile drew up at the corners of her mouth. “Even though you knew I was sent to kill you?”
“Even so.” I brought my mouth to the shell of her ear. “But we’ll sort that all out later. Let’s get out of here.”
Talia sighed. “Don’t hate your sister. Please, Constantine. Loyalty is so hard to find and so precious. Don’t lose it.”
“Iryna will never bend—it is not in her nature. She’ll break before that happens.”
“Then we’ll finish our work quickly and prove there’s nothing to fear.” Talia turned her head to blink up at me. That sweet mouth was so close. “I’m sorry. I never meant it to come to this with your sister.”
A muscle feathered in my jaw. “There’s nothing we can do now. Fate has set her course.”
“And we’re all ships at the mystic’s mercy?” She scoffed, turning to glare at herself in the mirror. “Screw that.”
So hopeful. So driven to set the world to rights. I almost believed in her.
“Let me take you home, my queen.” My heart was heavy. Distance would allow me to better process this new mess.
I ran my hand over the curve of Talia’s arm. Only because we didn’t break our stare in the mirror did I notice the twitch in her eye as I brushed over the muscle of her upper arm. Talia was hurt there too.
“Give me a moment to freshen up?” Talia asked again, the words clearly a struggle.
“Take all the time you need.”
