“For the first time ever, Mother looked uncertain, and I thought maybe she actually did care about me. That maybe in her twisted mind, everything she did was to make me stronger, to groom me to rule.” I turn halfway, finally facing Griffin again. “I did immeasurable harm just by being the Kingmaker and caving to Mother when she wanted to get people’s truths out of me. I murdered Thaddeus. I got Eleni killed. Without Eleni, I thought—”
Griffin shakes his head. “You didnotget Eleni killed.”
I scoff. “I’ll believe that when the Underworld freezes over and Centaurs fly.”
“Don’t hate yourself for giving your own mother a second chance. You wanted to see good in her.”
“I was stupid, Griffin. There is no good in her.”
“None of this is your fault.”
“Argh!” I snarl. “If you can’t admit I’m a terrible person, I’ll never believe another word you say!”
He laughs.Laughs!
“Sorry,” he mutters gruffly, capturing my hand once more. “What you did, or ratherdidn’tdo, proves something you shouldn’t have so much trouble believing,” Griffin says.
I debate twisting my hand out of his again. In the end, I leave it where it is. “What?” I reluctantly ask.
“You’re the exact opposite of your mother.”
I snort.
“You know I’m right.”
“You’re never right.” Which is a colossal lie. “You can’t even rhyme.”
His low chuckle warms something in my chest.
“He’s right,” Flynn says.
“He’s right,” Kato agrees.
“He’s right.”
Carver, too?I sigh. “You’re all delusional. And I didn’t let Andromeda live just because of some idiotic hope that she’d change and the first fifteen years of my life could be blood under the bridge.” I take a deep breath.Now for the hard part.“It’s possible that killing her will end the world.”
Griffin’s face goes utterly blank. “What?”
“The Chaos Wizard… He, uh, said something. Before I left.”
His eyebrows dive together. “What?” Griffin repeats, his voice sharpening.
“A prophecy.” I shift nervously. “One of those fun, fate-of-the-world kinds.”
Staring at me, Griffin goes disturbingly still. My heart slams a hard beat against my ribs.
Carver sits up straighter. “That sounds dire.”
“It is dire.” Glancing around the campfire, I see all eyes on me.
“What did the wizard say?” Griffin asks.
I feel short of breath, and I have to rip the words from my throat. “He said I’m going to destroy the realms. That I’m the Harbinger of the end.”
Griffin still doesn’t move, and a painful ache spreads across my chest. He’s shutting down. What he felt for me is frosting over on this chill wind, and I’ll never get him back.
And why would I?I’m the diametric opposite of everything he stands for. Everything he wants.
