Page 32 of Claim Me

A hunter with deadly aim.

Except for the day I shot Fallon. I was instructed to shoot to kill, yet I hit her shoulder instead. Some part of me couldn’t take down the curvy little blonde witch. It was as though my soul took charge of my aim and forced me to falter.

I told her it was on purpose.

It was a lie.

One of the few I’ve ever told.

The truth was that fate altered my hand and the bullet sailed off course.

Fallon survived.

And some part of me fell into her trap, one I’ve been trying to escape from since.

She’s an enchantress of some sort. A hypnotic genius.A black widow.

I’m convinced she has the phantoms under a spell, her death magic clearly a drug for their ghostly halves. But that doesn’t explain my obsession with the girl. Nor does it explain Kaspian’s innate softness toward her.

He could house her anywhere he wanted to in this palace yet chose to keep her next to his rooms for the last year.

Just as I chose to visit her quietly every night.

Lurking on her balcony like some sort of guardian angel.

Or perhaps I’m simply the angel of death, the one marked to take her to her grave.

If her soul fractures and she unleashes that deadly power, I’ll be forced to act. And this time I won’t miss. Because our lives will be at stake. Our House. Ourhome.

I won’t have a choice.

I’ll snuff the vibrant energy from her lively spirit and escort her to the cemetery near the place where I first shot her. And then I’ll lay her to rest there for eternity.

Please don’t make me do it, sweet canary,I think as I drift over to Fallon’s balcony.Tell fate to fuck off, and take charge of your future.

I press my palm to the glass door of her rooms.

Be strong. Not for me, but for you.

I release a long breath, my head hanging low. There’s nothing any of us can do for her. She needs to face this on her own. And she’s already moving in the right direction by wanting to attend the execution.

She’ll never know how proud I am of that decision, mostly because I’ll never tell her.

She’s not mine to cherish or to protect.

She’s simply a mark I failed to assassinate. And that perplexes me.

Someday I’ll figure her out.

Or perhaps I won’t.

Perhaps I’ll kill her instead.

Time, I think, musing over the word I heard Kaspian repeat.Yes, time, indeed, will tell us our fates.

I lower my hand from the glass.

Good night, little canary,I think at the beauty inside.Dream of a future. A second chance. Drown yourself in hope. And give yourself a reason to survive.