“I don’t know how to kill an immortal,” I hiss.
“Then we find out.”
“Before Darkfall,” I say. “Because I am not going into that temple.”
“They want you to go through the ceremony? To get magic?” Her eyes widen.
“Yes, but we both know I won’t survive,” I remind her.
“Alright. There has to be a way. The empress died. That means the emperor can, too. We’ll figure it out.”
Brevan walks toward us and I elbow Katherine. She presses her lips into a tight line, and I fix what I hope is a pleasant, non-suspicious expression on my face. When he arrives, he bends at the waist in a formal bow. “Princess, may I have this dance?”
Katherine pushes me toward him. “Go.”
I take his hand and let him lead me onto the dance floor. Flutters fill my chest, but I tell myself it’s nothing. Just proximity to an enemy. The same as Caiden or the Emperor.
But he isn’t the same. It doesn’t feel the same. And he might not have killed my brothers.
I look up at the enforcer as he leads me in the movements. He isn’t as graceful as the emperor or Caiden, but he knows the steps.
He’s a head taller than me, and he’s broader than I realized. I knew he was tall and well-built but being this close to him highlights the size difference between us.
When he spins me, I falter, but he catches me and resumes the dance flawlessly. “Thanks.”
“It’s nice to see someone who makes my dancing look good.” He chuckles and I can’t help but laugh with him.
His hand on my back feels steady and strong. Despite everything I’ve been through, and his reputation, I know he’d never harm me. Which makes no sense. I have no business feeling anything other than loathing for Brevan.
I’ve hated him since we met. More so since I found out who he is. Lee told me the enforcer was responsible for my brothers’ deaths. That he killed them personally. But if he wasn’t in Pendralia, how could he have?
That doesn’t make him a saint, though. Even if he isn’t the one who killed them, he already has so much innocent blood on his hands. He’s just as guilty as the rest of them.
“The emperor told me you were away for two years,” I say.
His eyes find mine. “Yes.”
“Aren’t you bored just standing outside my door after two years of burning down villages?” The question is a reminder to myself about who he really is.
“I know you don’t think highly of me, but you really aren’t in a place to judge, Princess,” he answers.
“I don’t kill innocent people for fun,” I say.
“Neither do I,” he replies.
“But you order your men to kill people. And we both know most of them are innocent,” I counter.
“Yes.” His jaw tenses and I get the sense that he’s holding back. Like he wants to say more.
“Why?”
He lifts a brow. “Why?”
“You could tell him no.”
“Like you did when your father demanded you marry a stranger?”
“I don’t have your skills. I wouldn’t last on my own. I can’t fight. Can’t defend myself. Can’t work as a mercenary or hunt. I wouldn’t make it more than a few weeks before I’d be dead. Or worse.”
