I don’t speak. Not right away. Because something in her expression—patient, waiting—tells me there’s more. And I need to hear it.
“Tell me,” I say instead. “Everything.”
She nods, just once. And then... she begins.
CHAPTER SEVENTY-THREE
ELYSSARA
I tell him everything.
The cuff. The fallen monarchy. My bloodline. My mother.
The gods’ betrayal. Nyrielle. The god-magic relics. Thalmyr. Daphinia. Maldrak.
Every breath the crown dragged from me. Every truth it unearthed.
Everything.
The words unspool from my mouth, flowing freely as I consolidate everything the crown thrust upon me.
I don’t know what terrifies me more—reliving the horrors of the visions or the cold, dark fury that comes over Kael as he listens.
Night has fallen around us, darkness seeping in through the knots and hollows of the tree Kael’s room is cradled in. My stomach growls in hunger, and tiredness aches through my bones.
Kael leans back against the pillows, pulling me into his chest—tucking me into the crook of his arm like I belong there.
He brushes a kiss into my hair, but his voice—low and dark—still cuts through the quiet.
“They’ll all die.”
Despite the exhaustion that gnaws at me, my hatred, vengeance,and fury flood my senses, “Every fucking one of them.” My voice is gritty and raw.
“I love it when you’re violent, El,” Kael says, voice gravelly and rough. “You’re not the kind of woman who hides behind pretty dresses and propriety. You’re the kind of woman who leaves a mark on the world with her blade, her mind,andher heart.”
His words cleave through the fragile casing around my heart.
Not because they’re cruel.
But because they’re true.
I can’t speak, tears threaten to spill down my cheeks, and my throat goes thick with emotion.
I’ve spent so long dulling my edges.
Biting back my rage.
Playing small so I wouldn’t scare the people around me.
Saving the real me for the dark streets of Virellin—and putting on a pretty, palatable mask in the harsh light of day.
But Kael doesn’t flinch at the fire in me.
He leans into it.
Like he findshomein my darkness.
He sees the fractured parts of me—and holds them together.
