“No... Flor has managed to convince the family that I am still Caden, that I have this power to travel through the Light Realms.”
“Endreas won’t believe it,” she said. “He’ll suspect the truth. And Lavana too. Anyone who’s seen an Elf move through the Shadow Realms will know what it looks like.”
His gaze turned away and a cold space formed between them.
“And you’ve broken the law,” she said. “We’ve both broken the law. I was defeated. You left the pit—”
“Do you think I give a damn about the law? Would you rather be dead?”
“No,” she said. “I’m sorry. Thank you.” Her fingers, bereft of her knives, lifted from the bed and touched his arm. “Thank you.”
He seemed to watch her from the corner of his eye, as though reluctant to look at her directly. “It’s not just you, Magda.”
“What do you mean?”
“I mean when you died. I could feel it.” He touched his chest. “That part of my heart that I’d given to you, I felt it dying. Except, it felt like the whole thing had been ripped out. I didn’t have a choice. I didn’t think. I just did it. I had to save you.”
“Kae—” She tried to grasp his arm, but he drew away, turning his gaze back to her.
“I need to tell you something,” he said. “I need you to know the truth.”
She pulled her hand back to her chest. “We don’t have to talk right now—”
“Yes, we do,” he said. “I should’ve said something sooner. I wanted to tell you... I shouldn’t have...” His Adam’s apple bobbed. “I love you, Magda.”
Her heart clenched. “Kaelan—”
“But that’s not what I need to tell you,” he said, looking not at her, but at the wall just above her. “I think you’ve known, even though you haven’t wanted to face it... for whatever reason.”
Had she known?
She guessed she probably had, though she had avoided it. She still wanted to put it off as nothing more than their instincts drawing them together, or the power of his heart working within her, working on both of them. Surely that had effects they weren’t aware of. She could come up with dozens of excuses for that look in his eyes, for the way she felt when he touched her, that had nothing to do with this elusive thing he called love.
“But there are plans being made,” he said. “Plans that involve all of us.”
She pushed through this new confusing pain he had created in her chest. “What plans?”
“Python and the Resistance,” he said. “They’re the ones who brought us here. But they’re going to want something in return.”
“A war.”
He nodded. “The fulfillment of the prophecy.”
“And you’re going to give it to them.”
“Yes.”
She sank deeper into the bed. “And you want... what? Me to tell you it’s all right?”
“No,” he said. “I know how you feel about it. And I know how you feel about him.”
“Please don’t make this about—”
“Itisabout him. I know you’re going to hate me for killing him, but you need to know that’s exactly what I intend to do.”
“Unless he kills you first.”
“Would you prefer that?” he said, finally meeting her eyes, glaring.
