Page 142 of Eternal Ruin

Finally, they could be rid of Samson and get everything back to normal. But most of all, they could find where GK was. Kidan could no longer wait until she mastered the house to find him. She’d face him as he was and deal with the consequences. All this time she had been a coward, afraid of facing what she’d done to him, searching for a way out. But no more.

“No.”

Kidan shook her head. “I know you hate this but it’s a good plan.”

“A good plan doesn’t leave me utterly defenseless.”

He stared at the silver pin fixed to his sleeve, the dark eclipsing mountains smudged with blood. Kidan didn’t blame him. Of course he didn’t trust her. Probably thought she would betray him again. She needed to tell him how she felt. No more hiding.

Fighting the urge to stay quiet, she spoke earnestly. “Every time I think of getting rid of you, I get this tightness in my chest. It’s sharp, like a bite. It makes me physically ill.”

His gaze went to her chest where her hand was, so she continued. “That’s how I know I’m loyal to someone. When I can’t breathe at the thought of their death.”

Susenyos was quiet, watching her. It gave her the confidence to speak the truth with her feet planted on earth, where there was no mercy if she shattered.

“You wanted my loyalty, well, here it is. I’m offering it to you, Yos, broken as it is. Dangerous as it is. Not everyone understands it or wants it. I don’t even know why you do. So listen to me clearly when I tell you this, I will not let you die. I will not let Samson hurt you. I will not let that happen. But this is the only way we get everything we want.”

Kidan was breathing roughly, her shoulders moving up and down.

The leaves rustled with her words. There was a shift in his expression, but caution appeared to root him to the spot.

“I have my limits, Kidan. I’m tired of having you as a hidden enemy.”

“I’m not your enemy. I will never be your enemy again.”

Susenyos’s spinning irises studied her for a long moment, then flicked to his friends in the distance. Iniko wore a careful expression. Taj was smiling broadly, eyes twinkling.

Susenyos ran a hand down his face and muttered in Amharic, before looking to the sky.

“If this fails, I’ll die as the worst thing I can imagine,” he said, his front twists swinging to his neck. “But if it works, I’ll get everything I’ve ever wanted.” He shook his head, meeting her eyes. Kidan’s heart quickened. Susenyos flicked a glanced to Iniko then looked back. “Let’s dance with the blades and hope we don’t bleed.”

49.

KIDAN

Five weeks remained before the House Council vote would conclude and Uxlay was suspended in a state of limbo. The original excitement had settled into restlessness, as more houses made their positions known. Ajtaf, Faris, Qaros, Makary, and Delarus had voted against Kidan.

Slen had declared to marry someone from the Blue Stone Order, likely to secure votes from the pretentious Luroz House. Goro House leaned toward Adane House if the gift of banana-leaf baked bread from their master was any indication. Kidan already had the Dirt Diggers vote.

Which meant only one house remained undecided—Umil.

And Kidan knew how to win over Yusef.

At the next Dirt Diggers meeting, Kidan studied the house masters as they bickered like children. Rita’s Bar was empty for a Friday night. Their corner booth was dimly lit with string lights, creating shadows on the house masters’ faces. But Kidan’s eyes were pinned on the door.

“I heard the 13th are swaying Goro House over to them,” Mikhail Temo expressed, rubbing his brow.

“No, Nari is loyal to Adane House.” Osa Rojit drank from her glass. “I say we worry about the Qaros girl. Perhaps we get rid of her. Declaring to marry into Blue Stone Order was strategic.”

Adjoa nodded slowly, frowning a little. “Yes, we may not have a choice. If we remove her as the public face, Luroz House could be bought.”

“What?” Kidan said sharply. “No.”

Were they talking about killing Slen?

Adjoa’s dark eyes hardened. “You do want to win votes, don’t you?”

“Not this way,” she pushed back firmly. “None of you will harm Slen, okay?”