His eyes land on my hip. “Your leg is out of your socket. You cannot walk.”
“Even more of a reason to do it, for I will most likely be dead in a day.”
“No.” Kassandra stands, emotion flickering in her eyes. “I will not allow this.”
“Why not?” Maxian asks. “What use do you have for a servant who can’t even listen?”
Kassandra opens her mouth, closes it, clears her throat.
“She’s mine,” she says.
“This kingdom is mine,” he snaps. “And you are just a temporary heir.”
She shakes her head. “Eli has declared that Dominik will never walk again. Even if he recovers, House Illusion has written that he will never hold a council position except for advisor, for he cannot have children. I am the Illusion heir. I will be the head of House.”
Pride—this time, not for myself—floods through me.
The king watches her. “You wish for Avery to stay?”
“I do.”
Maxian faces the executioner. “Send her on the Walk.”
My body slumps, exhausted.
“Keep her hip out of its socket,” the king instructs.
“A moment alone?” Kass asks.
“One moment, and then I’m ripping you away.”
My lady nods, and Maxian even gives us the courtesy of stepping off, although he can still hear. Kassandra rushes to my side.
“Youfool.What were you thinking?”
“I wasn’t,” I say.
“How did you even get into this?”
I glance down at her hands, which clasp me. On her finger glints my golden moth ring. I lean my head back.
“So they’re safe.”
Kass looks over her shoulder at Maxian. The air between us shimmers—an Illusion. “He will think we are arguing.”
“Are we not?”
“Lila is safe and free. So are Benji and Briar. They are under Illusion’s and Healing’s protection.”
I meet her eye. “Benji?”
“His debts are fully paid off,” she says. “His balance hit zero last night.”
I laugh, tears rolling down my cheeks. Oh, how I would have loved to see his last tattoo disappear. How I would’ve held him as we cried and giggled because the sensationtickles. I cup the sound of his laugh in my mind and memorize it. Yesterday was the last time I will ever hear it. It hurts to never see him without debt, but that is legacy. Jeremee gave Benji another chance at life, and my inheritance to him: hope. It is all and everything I can give.
Kassandra reads my expression, and her face knits with concern.
“Yes,” she says. “Everyone is safe. Everyone but you.”
