Page 23

It was all there, just like Sasha told me. The only thing missing was revenge. But I was the bargaining chip. And now I was stuck with no idea of what to do. My brother’s life hung on the edge, hinging on two simple words: I do. And the worst part was, I didn’t know if I could go through with it.

I just kept thinking about Matias.

What would he think?

Would he even care?

Or was he too consumed with Chelsea, devoting himself to her and all her needs?

And then, another thought—perhaps the most important—Wes.

Did he know this whole time? Was that why things had been so weird between us? And if he did know, was he…happy about it? Or was he revolted at the thought of being stuck with me for the rest of his life?

And I…I was confused. Was it weird that my heart skipped when Sasha said I would be promised to Wes? Did that mean that I liked him?

I shook my head, feeling my stomach roil, and I just couldn’t choke it down. I leaned over to the side and dry heaved before finally spitting up bile and stomach acid into the grass. My stomach muscles clenched and released, rolling spasms consuming my body. After a minute, my muscles relaxed, the tension slowly releasing as exhaustion swept through me, sweat peppering my brow.

“Holy crap. You okay?”

“Huh?” I wiped my mouth with the back of my hand, turning to see who had shown up. Surprise and glee washed through me when I saw sleek black hair, alabaster skin, and delicate almond-shaped eyes. “Edith!” I started to shift to my feet, but she placed a hand on my shoulder, holding me in place.

“Whoa now. You just hurled up the nasty, so let’s not move around just yet.” She started to sit down and then thought better of it. “Why don’t we scoot down just a little…” My brows arched momentarily until I remembered I had just upchucked stomach acid next to myself.

I scooted over a few feet and watched as Edith’s long limbs, porcelain doll features, and exotic gorgeousness sat next to me. “When did you get in?” I asked, wrapping my arms around her in a hug.

“A few hours ago,” she pulled back. “It was all of five minutes after they had you guys on the chopper that I got reassigned. You know how it is…if you’re not training, you’re off doing crazy shit. No rest for the wicked,” she added with a wink.

I nodded in agreement. Life in the North was different from the rebel base. At the base, we were all together in one location, so we were always bumping into each other, sharing meals, and training together. But here, there were bases all over the damn place, so people were constantly being assigned, reassigned, shifted, and moved. It was actually pretty annoying.

“How’s Wes?”

I froze. What a loaded question. “He’s…fine.”

“Uh huh.” She arched a brow, casting a quick glance at the vomit puddle. “Really? So, you gonna tell me what happened? Or should I just assume I know what’s going on and start a bunch of rumors?”

I glanced at her, mouth opened to speak, but I didn’t even know where to start. I blew out a breath as I looked down at my hands, picking at my cuticles. But she was patient, and she sat quietly as I tried to wrap my head around everything that had just transpired over the last three hours. Taking a deep breath, I decided to just go for it. “I’m Wes’s promised.”

“What?” And then Edith started choking, coughing, slapping her chest. I quickly patted her back.

“Are you okay?”

She coughed, but nodded her head. “Yeah”—cough, cough, cough—“I’m fine”—cough, cough. After a moment, she inhaled deeply, her eyes glistening with tears as she tried to regain control of her breathing. “Sorry about that.”

“What was that?”

“Spit. As in, you just dumped the juiciest, effing news I’ve ever freaking heard, and I choked on my own spit. Holy crap…” she cleared her throat, tapping her chest a few more times. “You wanna tell me what the hell is going on?”

So I did. I told her everything. How my brother was in the tower, and how Sasha needed a bargaining chip to convince the North to help the Dissenters. And I explained that she discussed my hand in marriage with Charles Calvernon to seal the deal and garner their support.

“That’s BS!” she called out. “Sasha can’t do that. She doesn’t have any right to promise you to anyone. I can’t believe that.”

I threw my hands up in the air. “I don’t know, Edith. All I know is she told him I would marry Wes in exchange for all this other stuff.”

“Baloney. She’s making you think that you’re locked in, but you’re not.”

“What?”

“It doesn’t make any sense. How can she promise you when she doesn’t have any blood ties to you? She doesn’t have the right to promise you to anyone. You have a choice. This isn’t Telvia. You get to pick who you want to marry, or if you want to marry at all.”