“I see many things. Outcomes always shift.” A distant horn shatters our moment. It's the call to formation.“Wars are won by those who listen before they react, Selene. Listen first. Promise me you will not harm the one who slays me.” He reaches up, grabs my chin, and forces my head to nod.
His eyes linger longer than his boots do.
I still feel Everett’s eyes watching me. Judging me when I carved the arrow meant for Titus.
Everett saw the night I tried to kill Titus. He saw the moment when Titus wanted to choose Sable over me. All because I didn’t follow Everett’s order. I turned Titus against me.
Why is it so important that Titus trusts me?
“Wait!” I shriek. I leap off the bed, stumbling on the broken vines. I rush to Titus. He turns in time to catch me.
Wham!
Our chests collide, my thin dress presses into the warmth of his leather. Hard meets soft. Fury clashes with confusion.
Forgiveness smothers vengeance.
His rough hands grip me protectively before he gently lowers me to the dirty floor.
I grab his face, my fingers pressing into his beard; the coarse hair is rough beneath my fingertips. “Under no condition should you reveal your time-weaving ability to Sable.”
His jaw clenches; the movement has the tips of my fingers pressing into his jaw, trying to grab hold of his bones to keep him safe.
Safe.
Here I am, trying to keep my brother’s killer safe.
My eyes stretch into chasms of dread and fear. Titus looks deep into them, seeing every nightmare inside my mind.
So many questions need to be answered. So, so many.
His throat rolls. A chill slides over his skin like bladed shoes gliding over ice. It’s graceful, cold, alluring, and a little scary. His time-weaving magic is about to break.
I look at Sable, who now has the arrow raised toward the bed. The bed I should be in! I step back. “I need you to trust me, Titus.” I take another step.
“You tried to kill me last night.”
I step back again until my thighs hit my mattress. I need to be in the same position when the bubble pops, or Sable will suspect time was frozen. She can not know Titus has Everett’s magic!
“I did.”
He studies at Sable. “Something tells me I should trust her instead.”
“You know what is worse than death, Titus?” The mattress dips as I sink. “Being used,” I answer.
His pupils dilate, right as a bead of sweat falls off his brow. “Sable will use you. She will take and take until you’re just bones. Even then, she will crack them open and take what’s hidden inside. She will drain you dry, leaving nothing behind. That’s what she does. Think and be fast. Once she knows you can time-weave, everything, and I mean everything you hold dear will be her leverage.”
“And it’s not already yours?”
“I wanted an eye for an eye, Titus. You killed Everett; tell me, do you have any siblings you love? You would do the same.”
“Is Sable not your sibling?”
“Not one I love. There is a difference.”
“How can I trust you? You wanted my life. Fury like that does not fade. It’s resilient and full of tricks.”
“A piece of my brother is inside you. I’d give my life to protect him… that includes you now.”
