Before he can answer, Vera spits, “You fucking bastard. The audacity! You come to us, offering an alliance, pretending that we have a common enemy, when you’re the reason why we’re here in the first place!”
I’m stunned for a moment. Jax swallows. The only visible sigh that he’s feeling anxious.
“Vera, I had no choice,” he says, each word carefully calculated.
Vera’s nostrils flare. “Really? We always have a choice. You had a choice not to murder Kitajo. You had a choice not to be a Caligos puppet! ”
I can’t believe what I’m hearing.
I stare at Jax, speechless.
Him? He’s the one who assassinated the late Ezkai General?
Jax inhales a sharp breath and lifts his chin. For a heartbeat, he doesn’t speak. His silence is answer enough. Yet Vera is not satisfied.
A bitter laugh bubbles out of Vera. “All the pockets are empty of new lies, huh?”
There is so much pain inside her. Her voice cracks at the end, and it pierces right through my chest.
“Is that true?” I ask. “I thought it was Caligos who assassinated him.”
“I was the one who poisoned Kitajo’s drink that night at the Golden Dragon. He’s dead because of me,” Jax says, slowly. “Caligos are the ones who ordered it. You must understand, Vera. I had—I had no other choice. Daegel Talbot owns me, and when he ordered me to assassinate the General, I had no choice but to obey.”
I close my eyes for a moment.
Of course Daegel’s the one who ordered the assassination of Kitajo Hiromasa.
Makes complete sense considering what he shared with me about his destiny being determined before he was even born.
Vera spits. “You did what was convenient. You chose to serve your master’s fucked-up plans like a fucking coward! You chose to take away a great man’s life, at the wish of some arrogantspoiled asshole, without even thinking what your actions might mean to people. To the whole country! And then you come to us and lie about wanting to help ensure the Talbots don’t win?”
“It’s not as black-and-white as that.” Jax rises to his feet. “My life is in Daegel’s hands. I’m at his full mercy. I had no other choice. Believe me, I didn’t want to do it. And if I could, I would take it back.”
Vera shakes her head. She covers her mouth with her hand and turns away from us. When she sobs, my heart breaks for her.
“You said you want Daegel dead,” I say. “You said you are here to help us, because he has something of yours. Was anything you said true? Were you the one who sold us out during this rescue mission?”
“No! I never said anything to a soul about Savage King, believe me.” Jax sighs and runs his hands through his hair. “Listen, I made a wrong choice once. I was working at Madame Mercy’s place as an in-house dealer, taking freelance jobs on the side. Daegel approached me as a client, with a job that looked easy enough. I didn’t know his family or him back then. I was new to Ekios. I didn’t know what Caligos were. I thought he was just a rogue criminal like I am, and so, I took this job. It turns out, he fucked me over, it was a scam to get me in debt with Caligos. That mistake made me a slave. A slave to him, and his family.”
I frown. “So, what? You were fucking stupid. No fucking wonder. Honestly, Jax. What is it of yours that he has?”
“My freedom,” Jax says. “He has my life and my freedom on a fucking contract. Which changes at his whims. He told me I’d be free after the assassination, then he changed it to after I get you to drop out of the trials. I have absolutely no control over what orders he gives me. I serve him, and his family. If I don’t execute, I die. Caligos laws are ruthless.”
“Are you saying that you’re a fucking Caligos?” I almost scream at him.
“No!” Jax shakes his head, his eyes wide. “I’m not. I’m simply their pawn.”
Vera whirls to face us again. “It doesn’t fucking matter! You are the reason why we are here. You are the reason why Kitajo is dead, and we are here trying to fucking help Phoenix win so that evil family doesn’t take the damn power! Do you understand what you did?”
“Yes, I fucking do,” Jax says, pleading. “I had long enough to ponder my actions. And that’s why I chose to help you! That’s why I stay at your side, to ensure Daegel and his family don’t do more damage!”
Vera sneers. “Sure. Sure. Play the fucking hero now. You benefit if Phoenix wins because it means Daegel has to die! And if he’s dead, your contract is null, isn’t it? You’ll be free.”
A muscle in Jax’s jaw ticks. “That might be the reason why I started on this journey. But it’s not the only reason anymore.”
“You’re so full of shit,” Vera says, shaking her head.
“Daegel doesn’t want to hurt me. I don’t need your protection,” I say.
