The words sliced deeper than glass ever could. I had imagined this moment a thousand times. Still, it stung.
Heat rolled under my skin, begging to be free, to become.
They finally see us,it said.Now let me show them why they should fear us.
I didn’t kill him because of the curse. I did it for Elva. It wasmychoice. But maybe that was a lie.
Maybe that’s who Gemma’s tears had been for after all.
It was part of the villainy, to make me think the voice was mine.Thatwas the corruption, to make me think it was ever mine at all.
Killian didn’t move, but he wanted to. The conflict in his eyes was quiet but stirring. He’d seen the venom in my veins and kept it sealed.
Why? I didn’t know.
Obrann noticed as he returned to the dais, dismissing him with a wave, ending the internal fight before it began.
Killian bowed, stepping away from the throne, but not before his eyes glanced at me with a flash of warning.We’re not finished.
Sorry, Angel. Pretty sure I’ve only got a few moments of life left.
It was Elva who stopped him in his tracks, though not purposely. She was still laying back on her chair, eyes fluttering, trying to stay awake. He lingered by her side, gaze pinned, though she never looked back. Not even when he studied her like he already knew every secret she kept.
Obrann rubbed his jaw, intention darkening his expression. And for a fleeting breath, when I realized Killian hadn’t sunk his claws into Gemma’s mind, I almost believed she’d been spared.
“Guards,” Obrann murmured. “If you’d be so kind as to bring Ms. Hale forward.”
Callum blanched, shifting forward, shackles biting as his hands rose in protest. But the guards were faster. They shoved Gemma hard, and she stumbled, collapsing only feet from the dais.
“Do you admit to conspiring with the rebels against the throne of Luamis?” Obrann asked her, hastily, ready for this all be done with.
At this point, he no longer cared about truth. Only blood.
Though hers would be the cleanest out of us all.
Gemma lifted her chin, her voice carrying without falter. “I do.”
My breath hitched.What the fuck?Gemma. No.
No—
Callum collapsed to his knees, head shaking in a desperate plea. He knew what she was doing, knew what she was sacrificing...
Her calm did not waver as she said, “I have served you many years, Your Majesty. Every time I healed you or one of your wretched courts, I never once regretted it. I wanted you alive and perfectly healthy.” Her mouth tipped at one corner. “So that fate might deliver you every horror you’ve earned.”
A small, wordless tremor of denial pulled through me as I balanced on my knees toward her. I needed to reach her, to get to her before she said anything else she couldn’t take back.
Obrann clicked his tongue, a sound like a breaking heart as he strolled forward, only a few steps. “A pity. You were a remarkable healer. But a lousy rebel.” Three more steps as he closed in. “We’ve known about you for years. Fed you lies dressed as secrets. Every strategy you clutched was sabotage.”He stopped in front of her, his smile all teeth. “You haven’t led your little fantasy troop to freedom, only to ruin.”
Gemma’s face faltered and for a heartbeat, she looked struck. But I didn’t buy it. He wouldn’t have waited years if he trulyknew.
Callum was telling her the same in her mind, I could feel it, because a beat later her frown was gone.
“Gemma Hale.” Obrann inhaled, greedy, as though tasting the moment. “You are hereby sentenced to death for high treason against your king, the crown, and the kingdom of Luamis.”
“NO—” The sound ripped from me.
My body rose from my knees, ready to sprint to her, only to be ripped back again, shackles biting, a guard’s grip crushing my arms. I kicked, wild, knocking over the goblet still at my feet. The wine, poison or not, splashed across the marble.
