That’s the cost of disagreeing with Galen. My people and I are objects. Whenever Galen wants a clean slate, or a new war, he can swat us off the game board.
If only peace weren’t like water, ebbing and flowing. I wish it were as concrete as war.
That’s okay. I can swim.
Maybe that’s what Everett thought runes could deliver—not peace or war, something like clay, harder to mold and rip apart under the right conditions.
“Breathe, that’s it. You can conquer this.” I slap my face. “See? Now you have a blush on your pale cheeks. You look alive. Ready to fight.”
I clutch the dress to my chest, fingers gouging like needles.
“Fight, Selene. Fight!” My whisper is a vow.
I feel claustrophobic in my closet.
That’s okay; let this castle hug you too tight. You’re not scared of anything. Not tight spaces or unsolved riddles. Nothing and no one!
The last pep talk I gave myself was before I walked down the aisle to marry a man I had never seen. Head high, back straight. I did my duty. Every duty a woman was meant to. I turned my mind into a shell, a place to crawl into. They could take my body, but I’d be damned if they plundered my mind. It was my last refuge. I would fight to the death in order to control it.
I glare at the door. Beyond it, Mary, Titus, and his new guard wait for me to emerge, dressed and ready to confront Galen.
Confront. Constantly confronting. Never comforting.
I am not designed to offer or receive comfort. I am a weapon. Forged from fire and cold plunges. I don’t need soft landings. “Compose yourself now!” I command myself.
My world is water. Always shifting.
“Don’t worry about breaking. You’re already shattered.” Racks of rich fabrics blur in front of me as I turn around. Soft and seductive designs. You can wrap me in pretty bows. Inside, I’m all sharp angles and rotting flesh. “So your brother lied. That’s normal.”
Harshly, I undress, ripping the fabric then leaving it discarded on the floor. I grab a dress, one I selected, and allow it to drop over my curves. “The man you wanted to kill must now keep you safe.”
My fingers glide down my hips, smoothing out the fabric. It pools like liquid around my feet.
“You’re used to changing tides. You will swim, Selene. You will not let Everett’s death be for nothing!” I grab my hair like I do my sword, sweeping it off my shoulders.“You can do this. You must.” I select my shoes and exit.
Titus meets my masked eyes.
He knows I just had a pep talk.
He sees my weakness.
Unlike an adversary, his eyes look like bandages, not daggers. He studies me, trying to see how he can mend me.
Some broken things shouldn’t be fixed.
Some things are better left in ruin, Titus. That is a lesson you’ll have to learn the hard way.
Chapter
Fifteen
Titus
Selene didn’t wear the dress. I didn’t expect her to.
Galen is waiting to see if she will.If she does, that signals an apology.
Some concessions are signed with a dagger.
