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“Elara,” Rook said, his voice low, taut, “I didn’t -“

“Don’t touch me. Don’t come anywhere near me.”

He grabbed me by the arms, pulling me to him. “Stop this. I would never do that to you.”

“Why should I believe you?” I flailed against him weakly, overcome with the near-loss of my father and the pain in my cheek and the fucking devastating stab of betrayal as the thread between us pulled me closer to him. The fucking thread he’d created, that he’d somehow made to serve his master.

“Why would you believe him?” Rook hissed, his eyes wide, a look of helplessness encroaching on his face. “Elara,please, I care for you, I would never-”

“You nearly cost me my father!” I shoved him violently, and crawled away from him. “Just fuck off. Don’t talk to me. They warned me, they all warned me.” I laughed bitterly. “You heard my father.” I looked up at him, and shook my head even as his brow furrowed with visible pain. “Don’t come fucking near me.”

A guard approached and pulled me to my feet. “Come on now, to the healer with you.” He jostled me when I didn’t move fast enough.

“Hey,” Rook barked. “You be careful with her!”

“Or what?” The guard sneered, and pushed me towards the stands. “Come on then, princess, let’s get that mangy face of yours seen to.” He scoffed. “People keep calling you beautiful. You’re nothing but a fucking one-eared freak.” He shoved me forward as stars danced in my vision and I stumbled over my feet. “Keep it moving, bitch.”

There was an almighty clang, and I was knocked sideways as the guard was struck by something. I stumbled, falling to my hands and knees. There was blood on my hands. I looked over my shoulder to see Rook standing there, his ax in the ground in front of him. Between what had once been a whole guard. He was now split in two.

Rook’s eyes were fixed on me, his shoulders heaving.

“I didn’t.” He growled.

Guards rushed forward and seized Rook, tearing the bloody ax from his hands, and his eyes stayed on me the whole time, only breaking away when he was dragged out of the Pit.

Chapter20

Elara

Icursed the dreams that chased me from sleep as dawn broke through my window. My hands clawed into my pillow as the ache, the aching need for Rook broke away from me. It faded along with the feeling of his hands, his mouth, the thread that tethered my soul to his. Fuck it all to Nav. Fuck everything. Tears burned my eyes.

“Why?” I whispered, begging Lada for an answer. Lada, someone, anyone. I didn’t understand. I didn’t want to understand. I wanted it all to go away. I hugged myself under the white sheets, my hands brushing over every place that still burned with his touch, desperate to push it away.

Elara.

No. I squeezed my eyes shut, pushing him out of my mind. I didn’t want him there. I didn’t want him anywhere near me. I hoped they’d locked him up for killing that guard, maybe they’d fucking execute him.

The look on my father’s face as he’d seen Rook haunted me. He was terrified, as though he knew Rook wanted to do me harm. I pressed my face into the pillow as a sob escaped me. Fucking Nav, I was meant to save my father today, and I was crying in my bed over some fucking Night Demon instead. Rook had done his job well. Fuck him. Fuck Theron.

I sat up in the bed and angrily wiped my face with my hands. I wouldn’t let myself waver, I’d show them. I’d do it today. I was prepared. I held my hands out in front of me, telling them to stop shaking. I wasn't going to do this today, I wasn't going to be terrified and anxious. I would win.

The door to Drusilla’s chamber opened and she hurried into the room, tutting and fussing when she saw my tear-stained face. “Does it still hurt?” She asked, perching beside me on the bed, inspecting my cheek.

I shook my head. “No, it’s healed. I can’t feel it at all anymore.”

Drusilla took my hand and gave me a hopeful smile. “Now, my lamb, you’ll be alright. I know yesterday was rather frightening, but his majesty has given you a second chance. And you will win.”

“Yes, I will.” I sniffed a little, willing the tears to subside. “It was just a shock.” In so many ways.

Drusilla set about laying out my leathers. “Now, a good breakfast as per usual, and then we shall -“

“Do you know what happened to Rook?” The question tore from me before I could stop myself. It shouldn’t have mattered. I shouldn’t have cared. I knew that he was still alive, he was there in my head, filled with false anguish.

Drusilla stopped short and regarded me with surprise. “Rook? Oh, you mean because of the guard? Nothing happened, you don’t need to worry about him.”

“He killed a guard and nothing happened?”

“Of course not,” Drusilla replied absently, shrugging as she unstrapped the pauldron from my armor. “Why should it?”