Page 155 of The Queen’s Shadow

“It’s true, Kasha. He tore Midasara apart looking for you.”

He leaned in closer, daring to rest his arm on the lip of the pit behind her shoulders.

“And I would do it again.” He growled. “I’m only sorry I couldn’t get to you faster.”

She stared at him, and I could see her trying to force back her fear. Finally, she nodded, dropping her gaze and curling her knees into her chest.

“Okay.” She said, and I smiled.

“I’ll be back as soon as I can.” I patted her shoulder before hopping out of the pit and heading for the stairs that led to the West Wing.

“Why don’t you try a strawberry next?” I heard Rycon say as I jogged up the steps, and the endless flame of rage that seemed to burn within me roared back to life.

It was getting harder and harder for me to keep myself in check. I could barely keep my aura under control and seeing how hurt Kasha was, had pushed me dangerously close to my breaking point. All I could think was, if this is how hurt Kasha was, what was that bitch putting Amon through? If we didn’t find Amon soon, I wasn’t sure I would be able to keep repressing the daemon that prowled in my chest.

It wanted blood and I didn’t know how much longer I could deny it.

Rycon

Iwatched Kasha pick apart a strawberry before forcing herself to take a tiny bite. She was acting as if I were making her eat fucking nightshade or something. I watched her suffer through each bite in silence, trying to make sense of the whirlwind of competing emotions that were rampaging through me.

On the one hand, I was elated. Soaring with happiness. She was here, next to me, alive and safe and eating a strawberry! Fuck yeah!

On the other hand, she was about ten pounds too light, her eyes were hollow and haunted, and every time I moved, she cowered, as if she expected me to hit her, or do gods knew what else.

Every time she flinched away from me, it felt like I had been shot. The thought of her being afraid of me felt inherently wrong. Like it shouldn’t even be possible.

I had to keep reminding myself that I had already killed all the males who had done this to her, because every time she cringed, I wanted to murder them all over again.

We sat in silence after Raven left, and I watched her pick at her food. She tried to give up a few times, but I would growl softly, and she would shoot me an annoyed look, before picking up her fork again.

After she had successfully consumed a handful of blueberries, two and a half strawberries and an entire breakfast sausage, I allowed her to put down her fork.

I resolved that we would aim for a little more food at lunch. Baby steps.

My arm still rested on the lip of the pit across her shoulders, and she hadn’t moved away from me at all, which I was counting as a win. However, she still hugged her knees tight to her chest and refused to look at me. She just stared straight ahead, as if she were lost in some sort of nightmare that she couldn’t pull herself out of.

“Hey,” I said, finally touching her shoulder lightly with the hand that wasn’t draped behind her. She jumped slightly and met my gaze. I searched her eyes, looking for the fierce, spitfire of a daemon she had been before they had taken her. I didn’t find her. I just found an endless brandy sea of pain.

I wanted her to talk to me. I wanted her to tell me what had happened to her, and I wanted to take the burden of her trauma away. I wanted to do whatever it took to make the load she was carrying lighter. I just didn’t know how to do it.

I hesitated for a moment, then decided I was just going to go for it. I had never been one to beat around the bush, I sure as shit wasn’t going to start now.

“Do you want to talk about what happened?” I asked her, and she pursed her lips, before sighing.

“You know what happened.” She said softly. “You saw, when you came in.”

I nodded, grinding my teeth together so hard I felt I might crack a fucking molar.

“Yeah.” I said. “I saw.”

“They told me no one was coming for me.” She whispered. “They said you were all dead.”

The invisible gun that kept shooting me in the chest, fired again, and I had to keep myself from outwardly reacting to her words. I reached out to touch her chin, but she flinched away. I dropped my hand, pretending that my heart wasn’t breaking into a million pieces every time she shied away from me.

However, I refused to force myself on her. If she wasn’t ready for me to touch her then I wouldn’t, no matter how much my instincts were screaming at me to mark her with my scent. To claim her as mine.

“Look at me.” I growled, instead of turning her to face me as I had originally intended. She did, and her eyes were filled with tears again. “Don’t tell me you believed them?” I asked.