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"Apparently, I did." She laughs. "I did get myself stabbed."
"That is not funny, Elva."
She grins, the motion languid and sleepy, still so unlike herself. "It's kind of funny."
I scoff, a small smile pulling at the corner of my mouth against my will. "You're so fucking lucky you're too hurt for me to punish you for that."
Her smile grows, a fire lighting behind her eyes. "There's always later."
If I've learned anything, it's that there is, in fact, not always later. But she's relentlessly hopeful. She was inches from death not ten minutes ago, and now she's convinced we have all the time in the world.
"Did you kill him?" she asks quietly.
"Not yet," I shrug. "I was trying, and failing, to get information out of him and the Syrens first."
"I'll do it," she tells me, catching me completely off-guard.
"You'll get the information? Or you'll kill him?" I joke.
"First one."
"Elva, my sweet. I know you're probably feeling quite immortal right now, having just come back from the brink of death, but—"
She laughs again, this time wicked and dark, the way I feel before a satisfying kill. Even with the lack of color in her face, she's so lively and beautiful right now that I ache to smother her mouth with my own, to feel her and remind us both just how alive we are.
"Kai," she says my name. "Please. I can do this. It certainly won't be my first interrogation."
I'm tempted to refuse her and keep her here where I know she's safest. But she's sure this is something she can do, so who would I be to refuse her? I settle on a compromise in my own mind. "Rest, then—" She begins to argue, and I hold up a palm to stop her. "Rest. Then, when you've recovered, we will go. Your body would barely be able to hold you upright right now, so you have to recover. Someone is going to bring you something to eat and a lot of water. First thing tomorrow, I will take you to do whatever form of interrogation you see fit. The only thing I ask in return is that you accept that afterward, they're all going to die. No one comes into my castle and harms my— my guests and lives."
She purses her lips, unhappy with the deal, anxious to begin her questioning now, but even she knows she's in no position to argue. "Fine."
"Thank you."
"But you have to let me do it my way," she adds.
"I can think of nothing better," I admit, curious what on earth she could mean by her way. Does she think she'll charm Shan and the Syrens into remembering something? Or is my Elva secretly an expert on torture methods? I'd very much like to see the second option in action.
She relents, closing her eyes and drifting back to sleep while I wait for servants to bring food and water. While I wait, I send a guard to release all the people waiting in the ballroom to discover their fate.
The castle empties rapidly, everyone unwilling to remain in a place where their lives hinge on one very mortal girl. Tirriel and Colm retire to their own rooms, furious at the detainment, but Maren chooses to remain in hers, patiently awaiting news.
There's no longer any denying to anyone that this girl is important to me. If anything, this has put an even bigger target on her back. Going home now won't guarantee her safety anymore. Anyone could attack her there, knowing it'll send me into a killing spree that will inevitably end with someone finally ending me and my reign.
I rest my head on the bed again, closing my eyes and letting my exhaustion take hold as I consider my very limited options.
Twenty Four
Elva
I wake again, feeling more myself and infinitely more vengeful.
Kairon is sound asleep, softly snoring and cradling one of my hands in his. It didn't even occur to me earlier that I was taking over his bed, but seeing him seated in the chair beside me with just his head resting on the bed makes my stomach do flips.
He could have kept me anywhere, even just on the other side of the wall in my own bed, with countless guards and the healer watching me. And yet, all he wants is to be by my side. A lump grows in my throat, thinking of all the things we almost didn't get a chance to say.
The apology was sitting on his tongue when we danced yesterday, so close I could almost hear it already. But when it came down to it, he couldn't bring himself to say those words, and I nearly left this world without hearing them.
Anger, heartache, and relief all war within me as I adjust to being awake again, listening as Kairon's quiet snores fill the room. I want to yell at him for the things he said. I even want to slap him. I want to fight with him and let out every single thing he made me feel when he made those horrible comments.
