The screen displayed security footage from the lobby cameras, followed by the outside of the elevators and once more in the hallway of my parents’ suite. In each frame, it showed me carrying an unconscious Hazel with Chrome walking beside me.
I worked to keep my face neutral and shrugged, brushing it off. “Yeah, Hazel had consumed some food laced with a minuscule amount of redfern, and she fell ill. So I called Chrome to help me carry her home.”
“If that were true, why wouldn’t you bring her to the healers?” she pressed, the weight of her questions beginning to snuff out the oxygen in the room.
“Because she was fine. There was no need to concern anyone after I removed her magnetic bracelet. Her body could purge the poison at that point.” I shrugged.
“You didn’t think it was concerning someone was targeting Kinetics with redfern?” Amethyst narrowed her eyes.
Fuck, we hadn’t really put much thought into our story. It had been just enough to cover if any guards had stopped us upon arrival at the palace.
I lifted another shoulder. “Not really. It happens more often than you’d think. She was fine and recovered quickly.”
Amethyst sat back in her chair, lacing her arms over her chest, with an unamused expression. “I’m really disappointed in you, Slate.” She shook her head in dismay. “I thought we agreed that family is most important.”
I squinted my brows in confusion. “Please excuse any disrespect, but I believe I’m misunderstanding where you’re going with this.”
“I hate to do this,” Amethyst said, followed by a distressed sigh. “But I’m afraid I’m going to have to escort you to the Inquisitor for further questioning, seeing as I believe you’re lying.”
Chapter 31
Chrome
Acavernous void caged me.
Cold. So fucking cold. If I had a body, surely, I’d be shaking. I’d never felt anything like it before. Not even when I was punished in the prisons.
Am I in hell?
No…that would surely be much worse. This had to be purgatory, a place in between where nothing existed. Guess whoever was in charge didn’t know what to do with me and my questionable morals.
“He’s still unconscious,” a male voice said. Familiar. Too familiar.
No.Fuck. Me.
“Well, wake him up. I don’t care what you do,” the king strained to say through clenched teeth, clearly quite pissed. “Make sure he stays depleted. Completely drained.”
Unless I’d hallucinated the entire thing, there was no way I could’ve survived. But I knew it had been real. If I discoveredthat Valik had returned to save me at the last fucking moment again…
I just wanted to die in peace.
“Yes, sir,” Grim said, all too joyful about the prospect, inducing nausea at his voice—a harsh reminder I was not dead. I assumed you didn’t get sick when in spirit form.
Excruciating pain speared my side. A punch to my waist, followed by a blade impaling my organs, forced a choked gasp from my throat. My eyes flew open, only to come face-to-face with my personal demon.
Grim’s satisfied smirk twisted his pockmarked face. “Welcome back, Son.”
“I’m…” I wheezed, “not…your son.” More like his whore.
“How does it feel?” Forest asked from the opposite side of the cell. “To nearly escape your fate, only to live and face the consequences of your treasonous actions? How lucky for us.” Even through the vibrating anger in his tone, he couldn’t hide the smugness. He’d yet to come into my view, but I knew he stood close enough.
“You’re…the traitor,” I managed. Before I’d fallen unconscious from the Endarkened, I could barely move my limbs. Despite being drained, I was, thankfully, no longer at that point. Gripping the dagger’s hilt protruding from my waist, I snatched it out. Warm liquid gushed over my hand. I didn’t care.
Death didn’t scare me. I’d been begging for it for years.
“Quite the accusation, young one,” the king said. “What evidence do you have to corroborate that claim?”
My nostrils flared as I grit my teeth together through the pain. I wouldn’t tell him about the picture.
