AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Meallan twisted, raising his meager wooden weapon high.
Alisdair severed his hand at the wrist.
“Ahhhhh!”
“—to feed this to you,” Alisdair finished. Snatching up his hand, he shoved it in Meallan’s bellowing mouth—choking him on his own fingers.
Bronze flashed in the moonlight. Alisdair buried the sword in his abdomen, cutting his muffled cries short. Meallan thudded to the ground—the shortest coup in Lumenfell history over in a blink.
My husband dropped down beside me. “Princess.” He touched the side of my head, his fingers coming away tacky with blood. A furious growl rumbled his chest. “I’m sorry,” he said, apologizing to me for the first time ever. “I should’ve... been f-faster.”
Somehow, I smiled. “You were fast enough. Let’s get you—”
He collapsed.
“Alisdair!” Scrambling up, I fell next to him—a cry trapping behind my teeth.
He looked terrible. A frightening mass of blood, torn skin, and gore. I didn’t know how he’d found the strength or magic to summon a sword, let alone use it. He looked like it was long past the time he should’ve entered the Meadows of Meya.
Alisdair coughed and blood spurted from his lips. “I always knew... you’d be the death of me, woman.” He chuckled a laughthat was more a gasping wheeze. “Leave it to you to... do it cleverly.”
“Stop your nonsense,” I sobbed. I gently cradled his head, placing him on my lap. My tears dripped down his cheeks—shedding the tears he couldn’t. “You’re not going to die. You can’t because...” I moved down, laying my palm over his scar. “Because I love you.”
“C— C—” He reached for me, straining to speak.
His hand flopped down at his side. Alisdair’s final words to me disappeared with the light behind his eyes.
Chapter Thirteen
It took half the night—screaming and pulling Alisdair behind me—before Foalan heard me over the howling wind. He, Eadaoin, Aeris, Bradach, and a contingent of guards rushed out to meet us. Aeris screamed at the sight of him. Eadaoin threw up.
Bradach grabbed his brother and took to the skies, flying him straight to the healers.
I raced all the way up to our bedchamber, and was thrown out the door by the head healer.
“We need space, time, and everyone,” she barked at me. “Get all the healers. Now!”
For hours I hovered out in the hall—pacing, crying, and shaking off everyone who tried to help or comfort me.
It made no sense. I began the night with every intention of killing him and running back home to Lyrica. Nothing had changed with that plan until he said—
“So? What does any of that matter? She is my wife. She can murder me a thousand times, but no matter what she does, it is my honor to die for her, and my pleasure to kill for her.”
“How could he say that, the frustrating, changeable beast!” I pounded my head, wishing I could bang his words out of my skull. Of course he had to go and say something so confusing, so ridiculous, so stupid, and so wonderful. He had to hopelessly jumble my mind until I said something equally stupid and told him I loved him.
I groaned, sinking down to the floor. I loved him. I loved Alisdair Shadowsoul, and I realized it in time to betray him in the worst possible way, and then get him savagely maimed.
What if he doesn’t make it through the night? What if this is how it ends? Me left alone to rule a cursed kingdom and wage a borrowed war. What if I never get the chance to make that irritating fool realize that he loves me too?
“My lady?”
I shot up, hurriedly wiping my face. Healer Soulstitcher stepped out of our bedchamber.
“Is he okay?” I asked. “Is he... Is he still—?”
“He’s alive,” she broke in. “But barely. We closed his wounds, and stopped the bleeding, but he lost a lot of blood. My lord has never carried coudarian crystals on him. Honestly, it’s always been a mystery to us from where he draws his power.” She shook her head. “Whatever that source was, he’s not drawing from it now. He may as well be a human.”
“What does that mean?”
