I want to look at Thane to confirm this is true, but my body won’t let me. I’m too afraid the disappointment will sink in, the heartache. The pain. Theanger.
He knew. All this time, he knew.
He never intended to help me. He used me.
You wear your heart on your sleeve, Quinlocke, and that’ll get you killed one day.
“You’re lying,” I whisper, directing my anger at Maliek.
“Oh, believe me, I tell no lies.” Maliek is gloating now. “He got you to trust him, all so you could win him that beautiful tome there…and you fell for his bullshit.”
This time, when I look at Thane, he’s angry. His eyes are lit a bright gold, and his teeth are bared. The other assassins inch closer, but he doesn’t bother giving them attention. He’s only looking at Maliek.
But I want him to look at me.
Ineedhim to look at me.
I manage to maneuver myself out of Maliek’s grasp, and one of the assassins rushes my way. Maliek holds up a hand to stop him. “No, no. Let’s see how this plays out,” he says with humor in his tone.
I run to Thane and take his face in my hands. His eyes are sad—no. Defeated. I’ve never seen Thane Valkor defeated. A rawness accumulates in my throat as I hold back my tears.
“Tell me he’s lying, Thane!” I beg, holding his face tighter.
He’s quiet for a few seconds, which increases my dread. Then he says, “We still have time to figure it out, Zaira. That tome is powerful. I’m sure there is a spell in it that I can use to break your sister’s curse—”
My hands fall as I stare at him, feeling a heaviness settle on my chest now.
“See?” Maliek bellows. “He’susingyou, little mortal. Just like he uses everyone! He lies and manipulates because that is what he’s best at! All he needed was someone desperate enough to come here. He gave you false hope! Listen to him! He’s still trying.”
I look from Maliek’s shit-eating grin to Thane’s now-unreadable gaze.
Confusion shakes me to my core as I take another step back. My brain is telling me one thing, yet my heart screams another. I want to believe Thane can find a spell in the tome, but what if he’s wrong? What if there’s nothing he can do?
I’ll have no stones. No spells. Nothing. Analla will be dead based on yet another possibility—only this time it’ll hurt twice as much because I trusted him.
My breathing quickens, and eventually I wheeze as my tears fall.
I can’t lose my sister.
I can’t.
Thane rushes to me and tries holding me by my shoulders, but I shake my head and back away.
“No,” I say through labored breaths. “Please—don’t touch me.”
He gives me a baffled stare as I do my best to control my breath and fight off the panic swirling inside me. Gods, how could I be so stupid?
“Zaira, I’m sorry,” he pleads. “I told you this shouldn’t have gotten as deep as it did between us—”
“But it did, and youliedto me, Thane! For days, you’ve been lying to me! I’ve sacrificed so much just to come to this island! You got what you wanted, but now my sister is going to die. Don’t you understand that?”
His head shakes quickly. “I won’t let that happen, Zaira. We have the tome—I can figure something out. I can still help you save her.”
Maliek chuckles behind me, and I want to slap him, but I’m too pissed at the man in front of me. The man I had so much faith in. The man I thought could change.
Thane comes closer, taking my hand in his. “You can still trust me. I can help you.”
I keep my gaze on him a few seconds longer, doing my best to fight the anguish. Then I close my eyes and breathe as evenly as possible. As hurt and devastated as I am, I can’t let this end here. Not like this. I have to find another way to save Analla, and if I can’t, I at least have to get back to her.
