She blinked up at him. ‘I believe you. I know you’re capable of all kinds of horrible acts.’
His face remained impassive, his grip bruising. ‘If you have something to say, say it.’
She leaned in. ‘You murdered my brother. You weakened the tunnels, knowing whoever was inside would never make it out. Then you hung him on the wall and pretended it was the fault of the hard-working men who sacrificed sleep to dig those tunnels under darkness. As if they don’t have enough guilt, enough trauma to live with.’
His grip eased a little. ‘So he showed up and painted me as the monster. Clever.’
‘You knew where all the shafts were located. You knew I was standing right above one that day, that someone I loved was likely inside.’
‘Yes, I knew. And you’re lucky I didn’t drag you off to the tower when you lied about what you were doing there.’
‘No, instead you kept me around to enjoy the show.’
His eyes searched hers. ‘I didn’t even know you. You were just a merchant standing in the forest, covering up a crime.’
‘Did you see him go in?’
‘What?’
‘Kingsley. Did you see him go in?’
He shook his head. ‘No. The only thing I saw was you ready to fall down from hunger. I took pity on you.’
She tried to pull her arm free again, but his hand only tightened like a clamp around it.
‘You want an honest conversation,’ he said. ‘Well, there it is. I felt sorry for you.’
‘Let me go,’ she said, struggling.
‘We’re not done.’
She shoved his chest with her free hand. ‘Wearedone.’ A tear escaped, blending with the rain. ‘We’refinished.’
‘I was doing my job.’
Her blazing eyes met his. ‘You should have told me the truth about that day. It would have changed everything. I would never have come here with you.’
He took hold of her other arm so she would stop pushing him. ‘I’m adefender.You’re a merchant. There are rules.’
Shapur’s words came back to her.‘A merchant and a defender is a moral disaster.’
She stilled, her heart squeezing so tightly she doubted its ability to continue beating. ‘I trusted you. I knew I shouldn’t have, but I did it anyway.’
‘Youcantrust me.’
She shook her head. ‘I can’t—and it’s not even your fault.’
He looked down at his hands, as if noticing for the first time what he was doing to her. He let go. ‘Come back to the house, and I’ll tell you anything you want to know.’
‘This is the problem. You’re not allowed to tell me anything. Your father shouldn’t have told me anything. This is what he was trying to explain to me. If we keep this up, you’ll always have to choose between me and the oath you took when you became a defender. Every choice will cost you.’
He glanced in the direction of the gate. ‘So now you’re just going to walk away and pretend the past few days never happened?’
She licked rain off her lips and lifted her shoulders in a shrug. ‘That was always the plan.’
He moved closer, keeping his voice low. ‘What if I want to make a different plan?’
Rain splattered Blake’s face. ‘Then I would tell you to look to your parents and decide if that’s really the life you want for us.’ Her expression softened. ‘Please. I want to go home.’
