Page 93 of Revealing Fate

Santhe’s jaw clenched. “They wouldn’t. The prophecy says⁠—”

“You think they give a damn about the prophecy? Fuck, San.” Kal grimaced. “Half the people outside the capital denounce it because Asteros fits it about their throats like a noose. They’re all choking on scripture. We know the godscripts have multiple translations, and that Asteros just picked the one that served them best. But many still associate the prophecy with the Faithful Cursed. With Asteros and oppression.”

“We still can’t trust her,” Santhe insisted. “Have you even considered her upbringing? You think a lifetime of indoctrination can be undone in a matter of weeks? What, because you believe she cares for you?”

Kal’s voice did not waver. “She is not our enemy.”

“Oh, fucking gods, Kal, did you bed her? Are you even thinking with the right head?”

Kal’s chest vibrated with menace. “You do not get to ask me that.”

Santhe threw up her hands. “Adder,” she urged, turning to Kal’s closest friend. “Please. Make him see reason.”

Adder studied Kal. When he spoke, his voice was careful. “What happens when she returns, mate?”

Kal had to clench his fists to keep from shifting. His tone was low, dangerous. “She’s not going back.”

Adder was undeterred. “Does she know that?”

An image of Kitty’s pleading gaze flashed in Kal’s memory. After the hunters had been dealt with, she’d practically begged him to take her back to Asteros. Then, he’d thought her a missing Fate. Thought her desire to return stemmed from a sense of duty to prevent more hunters from coming after their missing slave. But she’d known Domitan’s assailants weren’t searching for a Fated Mother. They would never stop seeking her. Not when the Prima was the cornerstone of the kingdom, of their faith.

And what about Kitty? Was she still determined to become a martyr for the Faithful Cursed? Had he ever considered what she wanted? Had he offered her the chance to explain? Fucking divine.

Adder sighed. “Kal…”

Resolution steeled him. “No.” Kal turned to Santhe. “I understand the concern, but it’s wasted. Her being here changes nothing. Our plans remain the same.”

“And what about her plans, Kal?”

He ground his molars. “I will not allow Asteros to claim her.”

“Then you’re a greater fool than I thought possible,” Santhe replied, stalking past him. “They already have.”

Santhe left. A lingering discordance filled the room in her absence.

Kal sank back into his chair, an ache blossoming behind his right eye. So much for enlisting help. Where Santhe had gone, he didn’t know. Then again, he didn’t much care. As pissed as she was, she’d keep Kitty’s secret. He was confident in that much. Because it wasn’t just Kitty’s secret anymore; it was his. And whatever Santhe’s faults, she would not betray him.

“You have anything to drink?”

Kal nodded to the kitchen behind him without looking at Adder and rubbed his throbbing temple. Adder disappeared from view. When he returned, he carried two mugs and a half-empty bottle.

“What’s the plan here, mate?”

Would that he had one. He wished someone else would come forward with a damned course of action instead of endlessly looking to him for solutions he didn’t have. “Same as I told Santhe. I don’t have a fucking clue.”

His burdens suddenly seemed too heavy. The sense of direction he’d maintained since his parents died now appeared uncertain. He knew his goals hadn’t changed. But the conviction with which he’d planned to achieve them was unexpectedly wavering. The truth was, Kitty’s presence altered nothing. But his unanticipated feelings for her? They changed everything.

“You remember when we found Ophelia?” Adder asked, startling Kal out of his masochistic reverie.

“How could I forget?”

“This dirty little street urchin had been spying on us for weeks, eyeing our shiny new blades any time we went into the city, until finally she got the nerve to steal one.”

Kal smirked, nostalgia surfacing. “She gave you a glorious bruise.”

“Took my favorite knife, the little shit,” Adder recalled. “Vanished like the mist. I dragged you back into the city to help me hunt her for six days before I found her.”

“I found her,” Kal corrected.