I knew he’d come. After all, he can see snippets of the future. My turn is lightning—a flash of fury with screaming eyes. His broad shoulders, covered in battle-scarred armor, absorb my stare rather than deflect it.
He can afford a new armor, but he’s the type that wears a pair of boots till the soles are riddled with holes.
His golden skin has lost its luster. He’s got more dirt than freckles staining his cheeks. Under all this war-stress is still my older brother, the handsome fae prince who should be married, plotting safety in the palace walls with our father, not fighting in battle.
That’s why I love him. He risks it all for others.
That’s also the part I abhor.
I lost him decades ago. It’s my fault. I should have told an elder about his foresight. His sanity might have been preserved if they’d helped.
The inhalation of my lungs may fracture my lower ribs. “You’re in love with a nightmare you refuse to wake up from. Stop meddling,” I say softly.
“That is my path.” His unblinking eyes study me, never letting me go. It pulls at my heart, makes me feel incrediblyloved, a rare item on a shelf adored and admired, trapped behind glass.
“Leave it. Walk on a new one.” The feathers on my arrows—in my quiver on my back—rest against my shoulder. They blur in the corner of my eye. Ready to be set loose in battle.
“All roads must end, Selene.” His chin lifts, not in pride but in resignation.“I’d rather decide the ending.”
“You continue to drag me back, making promises, but I wake up alone. Let. Me. Go.”
“It’s not your time.”
“If we can choose paths, I pick this one.” I stab my longbow into the ground.
Callused hands cup my face.“You’re not listening to me,” he murmurs.
“I’m going to fight.” I peer at his chin, unable to meet his eyes.
“I know. I’ve seen it, but today is not that day.” Slowly, he unbuckles my helmet and places it back on the stand.
“Why?” My lip trembles.
He holds my jaw, pressing firmly so my lips still.“Do not cry for death. Weep for life; it’s far more precious, sister.”
“You’ve taught me how to fight; you’ve always supported me, told me not to cower, but in the middle of a battle, you force me to remain behind.”
“I saw this day, and it changed everything. You snuck out and never returned. You died by friendly fire because you were not in the war room. You didn’t know we had archers hidden in the west, directly where you ran to fight the vampires.”
I shake off the chill that covers my skin.“Then let me die with honor. Let me fight by your side.”
His jaw is stone.
I throw my hands up.“I’m nothing more than a piece Father moves on his chessboard. An item you move.”
My words are a blow that turns his face sharp. The sounds beyond the tent are silent. He’s trapped us in time.“You and I are going to die,” he whispers.
I shove down a gulp. For years, he trusted me. Then it became too much for me to bear. I chose myself over him. At the time, it was the only way I could survive without descending into madness.
I regret it every day. I walk this world blind to his plots.
“Tell me something I don’t know. Everyone must die.” I brush off this statement. What should I do? Sit and cry? I’m not that type of girl.“We’re standing in the middle of a war camp. Let today be that day. I can’t live like this any longer, Everett. Healing fae who are forced to go back out and fight. What are we fighting for?”
He takes my hands.“When we die, it’s going to be purposeful.”
“Oh, thank the gods for that,” I scoff as I step back.
Everett pins me with his stare.“You stopped believing in the gods, Selene.”
