“Would you now? Let me guess. For her?” he taunted.
I snarled, daring him to say her name. Daring him to speak of Lyriana in my presence.
He shook his head, and laughed. “That’s it, isn’t it? It’s always for her.”
My hands flexed at my sides, at least, as much as they could. “Yes,” I seethed. “It is. And you better fucking remember that! Because everything I said still stands. I meant every word when I swore to you that if you hurt her, if you harmed one hair on her head, there would be nowhere safe for you.”
“And nowhere I can hide?” he asked mockingly, repeating my words from a month ago. So, he had remembered that, too—good. But right now, he was trying to goad me, I could see it in his eyes, feel it in the storm of his aura. His anger. His hatred.
He shook his head, his eyes narrowed. “All of these threats you make for her are useless. You seem to forget in that small feeble mind of yours thatyou’rethe one in danger.” He scoffed, “And yet, here you are. Helpless. Bound. And soon, you’ll be stripped. Your threats mean nothing. Your words mean nothing. And your legacy will mean nothing. Because I will find her, trust me. And when I do, there will be hell waiting for her. She will do my will, and Kane’s, and so much more. She will have no choice. She’ll be in his bed and anywhere else I fucking want her. She already signed her life away. To me.”
“No. She’ll find a way,” I said. “And you’ll lose. She’s stronger than you. Stronger than you know.” I smiled, my lips wide like a madman’s. “She’s stronger than me. And she’ll be the end of you, if I can’t be the one.”
His eyes narrowed further, but his chin twitched—one of his agitated tells. I was getting to him.
I straightened. “You’re afraid,” I said. His aura shifted, the change unmistakable. “Aren’t you?” I laughed hysterically. “I’m about to be taken to the wolves, stripped of my clothing, of my power, of everything—all in front of the whole GodsdamnedEmpire. I’ll be executed on your orders,” I yelled. “Dead within the hour,” I choked out. “And yet, you—you— are more afraid than I am.”
His nostrils flared, his neck reddening. “What makes you so sure? Hmmm?”
“You bent the knee,” I spat. “You submitted to Avery fucking Kormac.” I shook my head, feeling farther than Lethea with what I expected to be my last moments. A countdown to the end, a countdown that was almost over. But this was worth the time I had left. I stepped forward, the small amount my chains would afford me. Barely inches from the wall, and nowhere near the bars. But it was enough.
“You didn’t give me up all these years because you cared about me.” My voice cracked, and for a second, I hated myself for it. Hated myself for knowing what this man was. Knowing he was far worse than any akadim or demon of the ancient world. He was far more sinister. Because, at the very least, the other monsters presented themselves as such. They were honest in their monstrousness. They wore no masks. They were naked.
But this man? The one who raised me, who claimed the title of father—he was different.
Because in some small corner of my soul, something deep inside me still craved his love, still wanted him to love me back. To be proud of me. To care about me. And he didn’t. He never did. I watched him kill my mother right in front of my eyes. I wanted to stab a knife through his throat and cut him limb from limb. And I still wanted him to hug me, and comfort me. Even now. I wanted him to tell me it would be all right. That dying would be easy. That it wouldn’t hurt. Or Gods, tell me that he’d made a mistake, that he spoke to the Emperor, and he was going to break me out. He was going to save me. Let me go.
He wasn’t going to do that. It was clear now: he never cared. If I was being honest with myself, it was clear a long fucking time ago.
But hearts are fickle things. And hope sometimes takes too long to die.
“You may not care about me,” I gritted my teeth. “Or love me. I know that. But I’m still your son. I’m still your fucking son!” I roared.
He paled, but kept his mouth shut.
I shook my head. “That might not mean anything to you. I know it doesn’t. But it means something to the rest of the world. To the Empire. And you look pathetic! You look weak handing over your own blood! You’re doing this now,” I said, “because you’re losing. Because you lost your bid for the Throne. You’ll never be Emperor! And I swear to you, after this, you won’t remain Imperator much longer either. My death will be your downfall.”
“Shut your Godsdamned mouth,” he said, but he still didn’t come any closer. “You know nothing! Foresight and vision were never part of your skillset. You were always so cocky, so sure of yourself when you had no reason to be.”
“I had reason,” I said.
The shouts outside were growing louder now, more frenzied. Calling for action, for violence. For blood.
My blood.
I closed my eyes, my body starting to shake involuntarily. It will be over soon. It will be over soon.
But when I looked at my father again, he actually looked sick. Regret? Guilt? A change of heart?
No. He’d never change. He was incapable. It was just as well. I had to accept that he was who he was. But I was also going to make sure that in my final moments, he knew exactly who I was. I was going to make sure he didn’t forget what I’d promised. Iwanted him to remember every day for the rest of his life, that the oath I’d made, that the threat I’d sworn, would still stand. That it would be enforced long after I was gone. My death would not stop justice from finding him.
My heart pounded then, a sudden warmth growing inside me, shooting out through my limbs. And just like that, I had a final burst of energy, of strength. The chains around me rattled, the nails in the walls coming loose. Not enough to break. Not enough to free me. But enough to cause fear in my father.
It was like the moment I’d made my decision, the moment I’d chosen to spend my last moments here on earth doing this, protecting Lyr, protecting my love, my partner, mymekara, something had taken over me, was helping me, supporting me. The same thing I’d felt when I first swore my oath against him.
Ancient power. The strength of a God. A kind of kashonim that went beyond this realm.
Auriel. My past life. My soul.
