“Feelings?” she asks.
“Unhappy ones.”
“But…” Once again, she glances at the rubble that remains of the orchard and then at the debris that has spilled through cottage door and windows. “Hmm.”
I’m not sure what her humming sound means.
She considers me with a deep crease in her brow, and I suddenly feel like a specimen. Or perhaps a spectacle.
I guess I’m about to make myself more of one.
A reckless and possibly immensely stupid spectacle.
I scoop up my boots from beside the door where I left them earlier and shove them onto my feet.
Emil is now located only two steps behind me, and I exhale my doubts as I reach for him.
He stiffens when my hand wraps around his arm.
“Come with me or don’t,” I say again, tugging him firmly toward the door.
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
Emil’s eyes are wide, but he doesn’t fight me.
Why would he?
We step into the fresh morning air and his murmur sounds at my shoulder. “As you like, my Veda.”
“Stop calling me ‘your Veda’.”
He tips his head slightly. “Then choose a different name.”
I nearly miss a step.
Choosing a name is easier said than done.
I choseVeda—Conqueror—based on a deep-seated rage when my vengeance seemed simple. I would cut off the head of the man who murdered my father, imprisoned my mother, and stole my birthright.
But now?
I am no fucking conqueror. I’ve failed at every turn. Even destroying the book feels like it’s caused me more pain, more uncertainty, than it was worth.
My father is still alive. The Nostra Empire is still out of my reach. And my enemy stands at my right hand.
The airwhooshesout of my chest. “Iwillchoose a new name when I’m ready. In the meantime, call me yourenemy.” I tip myhead back to look Emil in the eye. “At least there can be some honesty between us.”
His expression is shadowed, but he responds with a soft, “As you like.”
Then, my pack surges forward. We’ve made it three steps from the cottage and the wary looks they cast Emil aren’t lost on me.
My brother reaches me first. “Veda,why?”
I’ve been asking myself the same thing.
That I’m acting on instinct doesn’t seem like a good enough reason, but I try to explain. “Because nobody should stay here when I step through that door.”
I gesture to the exit, then at our surroundings. “This environment is deceptive and volatile. I can’t trust that Emil will remain caged when I leave. Better to keep him where we can see him.”
