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“But you hid all of this from us.”
“Would your father have heard me out?” I question.
“You were a child. He would have—”
“Never let me close enough to the princess to actually protect her. This way, I was just an orphan. Someone he found and raised.”
“And you choose now to come clean to me? The night we’re supposed to be leaving?”
“Yes. Because I know what the Tenebris are capable of, Alex.”
“I supposed you’re going to tell me you’re one of them next.” He shakes his head, and when I remain silent, his gaze turns back to me. “You’re not, are you?”
“The Tenebris come from Nemoregno,” I tell him. “So the answer to that question is yes.”
“Fort. We don’t have a choice. We have to meet with them if a peaceful resolution is going to be reached.”
“That’s what I’m trying to tell you, Alex. There will be no peace. Not without war. And trust me when I tell you that this is a war you will not win.”
The insult is clear on his face. “Navalis can take Nemoregno.”
“These are not mere men you fight, Alex. They have been bred like prized stock to be faster, stronger, and larger than normal men.”
“There is no option here.”
I shake my head angrily. “Then you’re going to die. Everyone is going to die.” A fist tightens around my chest. Because if they’re coming, I know who they’re coming for. And she is the only light in my bleak fucking life.
Even now I can feel the taste of her lips on mine. The feel of her body perfectly molded against me. A kiss that changed everything for me even if I know deep down it can’t mean anything real.
“We won’t,” Alex replies.
“You can’t possibly know that.”
“I do,” he replies. “Because honor is on our side. And had you believed in me then, maybe I’d be alive now.”
I stare at him, my stomach plummeting as the moment shifts from memory to nightmare. His gaze darkens, turning near black, his expression contorting to twisted rage.
“What?” I ask.
“You let me die,” he says. “You let them all die. Because you refused to tell the truth.” The room around us changes, the color of the walls fading as the fire grows higher. Brighter. Alex’s face turns gaunt, his eyes slipping into his skull as the flesh around them turns to a grotesque green.
My stomach churns, and I stumble back, falling over the chair.
“You killed me!” he roars. “And now Carleah will suffer the same fate! You alone are responsible for the fall of Navalis, and the decimation of the Rossingol line!”
* * *
I shoot up from bed, breathing ragged. My heart is slamming against my ribs at such speed I’m sure it’s going to break straight through my chest.
“Fort?” Carleah’s hands are on my back. I drop my head down and try to regulate my breathing. She kneels at my side, her hand going to my chest. I cover it with mine and hold on, letting the warmth of her touch vibrate through and thaw the ice in my soul.
Emotion claws at my throat, and tears well in my eyes.
My biggest regret is letting Alex march into that fight. Even as I know there had been no keeping him out of it. But as long as I live, his death will weigh on me. They all will. And now I’m helping Carleah march straight into a fight I’m not sure we’ll win.
“My love,” she whispers. “What is it?”
I lift my face to look at her, not at all trying to hide my tears. Not anymore.
