Page 199 of Lethal King

“I don’t know. And I don’t care. I’m just glad you’re here with me. Now, can we leave together?”

With a grace I didn’t know he possessed, Drago reaches out his hand to me.

I let it hang in the air.

“And go where?” I ask, wiping away the last of my tears.

“To take control of your army,” Drago says, a stifled smile shining through his sadness.

“Already?”

Drago nods.

“Like I said, Tytus and I have been working in the background. Everything is ready, all we have to do is go to Leander and take it.”

My shriveled heart kicks.

Leander.

“Do I get to kill the bastard?” I sneer, my cheeks still rosy and stained with salty tears.

“Only if you don’t want to watch me do it myself,” Drago smirks, the sadness slowly fading.

I mull that offer over for a second.

“Let’s play it by ear.”

Drago laughs.

“Sounds like a plan,” he says. “Does this mean you’ll come with me?”

The hope in his voice is so sincere I can’t help but huff.

But there’s no resistance left in me. Not towards him.

With one last deep, shaky breath, I take his hand.

Drago’s skin is cold, but when I close my fingers around his palm, the pinprick of warmth inside of me grows… but only to a point. Something holds it back from getting too big.

“I’ll come,” I softly agree. “But if you try anything stupid, I won’t hesitate to end you.”

“I wouldn’t have it any other way,” Drago smiles. “That’s how I raised you, after all.”

He’s right.

When Drago turns to lead the way, our hands fall apart. I don’t immediately follow after him.

Instead, I peer back over my shoulder, towards the rock. It’s still empty.

I remember how I told Rian about Willow. I remember how good it felt to be vulnerable—if even only for a second.

The warmth inside of me grows a little more.

Then, the dread appears. It’s accompanied by a wave of doubt.

Willow fades from my mind, and I can only think of Rian.

What am I going to do with him?