“You mean nothing to me.” He bared his teeth like a beast. “You’re just a tool. A knife I’ve honed to be used at this very moment.”
“No.” I swallowed hard, fighting his words, my reaction, begging stress not to black me out. “I know what you’re doing, and I don’t blame you—”
“Iblame me,” he cut me off with a roar. “I fucking despise everything about myself and this place. You’re here because ofme. You’re trapped because of me. And if you don’t do what I say, I’ll kill you.”
“You can’t keep threatening me with something we both know isn’t true!” I stomped my foot like a child, splashing droplets from a gathering puddle. “You can’t kill me. We both know that. If you could, you would’ve done it already!”
“I’ll happily kill you right now if you don’t stab me.”
“Do it then. Because I’m certainly not.”
His eyes narrowed with fury even as the silver disc beeped and sent him swaying. “Do it. I’m running out of time. Stab me. Slit my throat before—”
“Stop it.” Tears ran down my cheeks. “Just tell me what the hell you’re up to and—”
“Kill me. Don’t and your only chance—”
“I don’tneeda chance.”
“—to stay alive will be gone.”
“Enough!” I kept struggling but he was too strong, too committed. “I know what you’re doing. You’re deliberately trying to antagonise me enough to hurt you.”
“Is it working?” he grunted, fighting to hold me close. His blood loss gave me some advantage but not nearly enough. “Do you hate me?”
“No, it isn’t working. It’s just pissing me off!”
“Goddammit, Rook. Youwilldo this for me.” Dragging me into his embrace, he changed tactics. His chest heaved against mine. His heart was wild and thunderous behind the metal pacemaker. “I’ve been waiting for this day for twenty years. I’ve plotted and planned, all while knowing it would be useless on my own. But with your help...it might work.” His voice roughened with ancient misery. “Ineedyou to do this for me. They’ve ensured I can’t do it myself, so I need you to obey me. I need you to put aside your own fear, stop fucking arguing with me, and drive that dagger straight into my chest.”
“Y-You’re mental.” I tried to look into his eyes, but he kept me trapped against him. “Absolutely nuts—”
“Stab me,” he commanded, snarling through any sentence I tried to hurl. “Let them see the blood they covet so much bleeding out all over this sickening garden.”
“You’re not just mental, you’re a lunatic.” My stomach knotted with thorns. “What about what you just said? About making them pay? About getting free? What about your revenge?”
“There can’t be revenge unless you kill me.”
“Do you hear yourself? How does that even make sense?!”
In the distance, the iron gate swung open.
Our heads snapped in that direction as four men on motorbikes sped toward us, engines snarling, grass spewing behind them as they churned up the manicured lawn.
Lucien’s entire body stiffened; his black eyes alight with rage. “Fuck’s sake. We’re running out of time.” Shoving me away, any signs of the suicidal man vanished as he faced the incoming traffic.
“Youwillstab me,” he muttered coldly. “I’ll make sure of it.”
“Tell me what you’re planning and I might be able to—”
“It’s too late.” His eyes locked on mine. “Justtrustme. Trust that I know what I’m doing.”
Trust him.
Trust.
Such a huge request, and yet surprisingly...Ididtrust him.
He’d slowly earned my trust each time he’d come for me when I was in danger and healed me when I was in pain. He’d stolen all my doubt the moment he’d stolen my heart.
