Page 17

Kiara

It isn’t the enemy you should fear when you go into battle, but yourself. You never know what you’re capable of until death hands you a weapon.

Maliah, Goddess of Revenge and Redemption

I peeled open my eyes at the same time I patted for my dagger.

My body was bruised and ached with every breath, and my feeble attempt to retrieve my weapon failed. I dropped my arm to my side with a weak sigh. I was lying on my back, staring at the cloudy, black sky above, the moon all but invisible. Everything hurt.

Familiar hands stroked my cheeks, my hair, my shoulders. “Jake?” I rasped, his blurry face coming into focus. “What happened?”

I had willingly given myself over to the beast within, and while I remembered the initial rush of its shadows, the rest…wasn’t quite as clear.

A strangled gasping noise filled the too-quiet air. I got to my feet just as movement caught my eye. Someone lay on the ground behind Jake, the Fox hovering over them as she rubbed some sort of salve onto their chest, a half-empty jar in her hand.

“Who is that?”

Fear became hands that snaked around my throat and squeezed. I wasn’t sure I wanted the answer.

“Kiara, listen…” Jake began, but I was already rushing to the injured man’s side, moving around the Fox as she worked.

There’d been two hooded figures on that hill, and I’d thrust my power out at them without thought, allowing my shadows to encircle their necks before I even saw their faces. But now, standing above the injured man, there was no doubt as to his identity.

“Liam?” My knees gave out , and I slumped to the ground. He couldn’t be here , on the run from the king. I had to be hallucinating. But then my gloved hands went to his face and cupped his rosy cheeks, and I knew this was all too real.

His wide-eyed stare held mine, and a knowing look passed between us as he uttered my name. The skin around his neck held a darker color to it, even in the dim. I gently grazed the sensitive area , and he hissed through his teeth.

I thought I understood what regret was, but this was a whole new wave of fresh torture. He’d only venture from home for one reason: me . We were each other’s rock, our bond a steadfast constant that refused to bend even under the most extreme pressure.

I owed him my life—my sanity—in all the ways that counted.

Salt exploded on my tongue as tears glided down my face and to my lips. Suddenly, the magic I’d coveted minutes ago turned into a cursed plague.

My body shook as the Fox worked, her lean fingers massaging clear salve onto his chest. My brother’s breathing was ragged, but he fought to inhale the medicine.

“Breathe in deep, boy,” she instructed. “This better work. It certainly cost me enough.” She raised her brow at me. “You’ll be reimbursing me, obviously.”

“I’m so sorry,” I murmured to Liam, ignoring the thief’s quip. Gripping his limp hand in mine, I pressed it to my chest, to where my scar ached. Or maybe it was my heart. That felt like it ached , too.

“You d-didn’t know.” Liam managed a weak smile. “I’ll be fine. I a-always am.”

It didn’t matter if he would be fine. The act I committed couldn’t be erased.

Why is he even here? I screamed inside my head, furious at him. More furious at myself.

The Fox commanded him to breathe in deeply, and I mimicked the action, smelling mint and salt and some other scent in the air. My brother wheezed as he obeyed her instructions, and I froze, watching every rise and fall of his chest.

“And drink this.” The Fox uncorked a crystal vial filled with an opaque blue liquid. She shoved it into his face, pressing it to his lips and forcing it down. He sputtered but swallowed it all.

“Come on, Liam,” I coaxed, not sure what I was even asking of him.

Liam had come for me. My brother who couldn’t fight or defend himself. My sweet brother whose heart was worth a million of mine. I couldn’t bear it. I didn’t feel worthy.

“Wait,” the Fox whispered. “Look.”

To my relief , Liam’s wheezing eased, the hoarseness of his exhales growing quieter. I waited for anxious minutes, those ticking seconds feeling like hours as I studied his chest.

Liam, ever the stubborn boy I knew him to be, immediately tried to haul himself up into a sitting position. When he swayed, I grasped his bicep, making sure he didn’t fall back to the earth and smack his head open.

“Not how I expected my b-beloved sister to greet me,” Liam mumbled. “Though I can’t say I’m surprised. You always did act f-first and think later.”

I let out a noise somewhere between a sob and a strangled laugh and embraced him, making sure I didn’t squeeze him to death all over again.

“You really have changed, Ki, haven’t you?” he whispered into my hair.

I snorted and drew back to study him. His breathing had improved. I’d have to buy a thousand of those vials. Whatever had been contained inside just saved his life.

After I had nearly taken it.

“Gods, why did you have to come find me? I could’ve killed you!” I wiped at my eyes—I couldn’t seem to stop crying these days.

“I couldn’t let you have all the fun.” Liam grinned, gradually hoisting himself to his feet. I lifted with him while he studied me, shaking his head at whatever he found. “I almost didn’t believe Jude when he told me of what happened out there in the Mist, but damn. You’re terrifying.”

Jude.

“What do you mean?” I asked, voice quaking. He couldn’t possibly have said—

A throat cleared from behind me, and the hairs on the nape of my neck rose.

I felt him before I saw him.

The air became charged like it did right before a storm. My heart skipped several beats as my chest warmed, chasing away the debilitating fear that had annihilated me seconds before. Only one person could ever coax such a reaction, and even with my back turned, my body knew his as well as it knew itself.

“Jude’s talked about nothing but you during the last two days. Really, it’s been a nightmare.” Liam rolled his eyes, but they twinkled.

Those words affected me more than I let on—that Jude ached for me as much as I had him. It was time to turn, time to face him, and while every inch of me desired nothing more, I couldn’t forget how he’d left me in the Mist. Afraid I’d use the Godslayer on myself.

He’d had a right to worry, but now that I’d been without him, now that I’d seen him broken and alone, I was too selfish to leave. Even if I doomed my realm.

The moment I both yearned for and dreaded had arrived, and it felt as if fate itself slowed down to watch.