Page 36 of Revenant

“Only when it comes to you,” I deadpan.

“You have two options, little wraith. Cut your palm yourself, or I’ll do it for you. This isn’t up for debate.”

“If you think I’m going to participate in whatever psychotic—”

Eryx slices the blade across my cheek in the blink of an eye, cutting my words off in shock. The sting barely registers, and the blood already begins to fall from the wound. Eryx holds the candle up to my face, ready to catch the drop he needs to solidify his plans.

I swing my hand up on instinct, ready to knock the candle from his hand, but his other lashes out as if he was expecting it, gripping my wrist and holding my arm down.

He must get what he wants because the flame grows bright, scaling up the side of my face. The heat touches my skin, and I pull back from the contact, not because it burned, but because the sensation is foreign. My body tingles from top to bottom, feeling…lighter, as if all the baggage I’ve been carrying has finally been lifted from my shoulders.

He takes a step back from me, and my hand flies to where the wound should be. But all I’m met with is smooth, unblemished skin.

“Now, that wasn’t so hard, was it? You would benefit from more compliance.”

Words evade me as I watch Eryx slip out of the room, retreating through a tunnel as if he didn’t just detonate my entire reality. My gaze drifts to the girl on the floor, the one that didn’t stand a chance. Who doesn’t have any light behind her eyes—discarded as though she’s nothing more than a piece of garbage that deserves to lie out on display.

Pryce moves toward me, as though my shaking hands and uneven breathing summoned him across the room. Perhaps he thinks my disheveled presence beckons him for consoling—for saving. He’s already slipping into damage control, eyes softening, shoulders lowering, attempting to look…safe. Trying to look like the person I thought he was. I can see it in his eyes, the fear that I’m about to bolt or lash out without giving him a chance to explain. But what’s left? Eryx said it all.

At least Eryx never pretended to be someone he’s not.

“Tesoro, it’s not what you think—”

“You knew?” That’s the truth. Coming here was never about me or my future. This school didn’t choose me—it chose my lineage.

Out of everyone in this place, Pryce was someone I started to trust. Not completely, but enough that I feel foolish for even considering it. They played me for a fool. They knew exactly who I was when I arrived, and their plan was to what? Use me for this ominous “favor?”

“It’s not that simple—”

“It is to me. From where I’m standing, you lied, Pryce. To my face, multiple times. It doesn’t get much simpler than that. I thought…” My words trail off as I stare at him. Study him. The way his light gray eyes plead for me to listen, how his brown strands are disheveled from the amount of times he’s ran his hand through them. And I desperately try to understand how I could’ve been so wrong about his character. Because he didn’t just lie to me about myself, he also lied about who he is. What he is.

He reaches his hand out, a featherlike brush against my arm that I instinctively recoil from. “Don’t touch me,” I snap.

Out of nowhere, Elias steps in, an odd look of concern on his face. “Hey, maybe let’s take this somewhere else.” He looks between the both of us, before leaning closer, the breath of his words skating over the shell of my ear. “Maybe get you some real clothes?”

“How about you fuck off, E. This doesn’t concern you.” Pryce’s voice is lethal, a version of him I haven’t seen before. But his next words are aimed at me, soft and gentle and full of something I can only describe as remorse. “Alicent, I—”

“Actually, Elias.” I step between them, giving Pryce my back. “I think that’s a great idea.” I’ve never been this close to Elias, and suddenly I feel small, nearly having to tilt my head all the way back to meet his gaze. Warmth spreads over my cheeks under his stare, but I push it away. What the hell is wrong with me? I literally just watched his brother feed on another girl.

It should terrify me.

I’m not sure if it’s the adrenaline, or shock…fuck maybe I’m just numb, still tripping from whatever drug they probably gave us to make this all so damn believable. “Would it be completely out of line to ask you to walk me back to my room?”

Elias’s shock is anything but subtle; his features softening in a way I haven’t had the pleasure of witnessing until now. But that may have something to do with the stray tear skating down my cheek. He reaches out as if compelled, his eyebrows pinching together almost as if he’s unsure of himself. Elias’s thumb grazes my flesh, swiping away any evidence that I was unraveling.

Pryce clears his throat behind me, his persistent stare burning holes in the back of my skull. “Can we please just talk—”

“So you can lie to me some more? What happened the night of the bonfire? Huh?” I fire back, turning around with a vengeance to face him, the hurt fueling the fire burning in my stomach. “I think I’ve had enough of your vague explanations to last a lifetime.”

A sudden draft snakes through the room, freezing everything in its path as if someone opened a door to a walk-in freezer. No matter how tightly I pull Koen’s shirt, it’s no use.

Against my will, my teeth start chattering. Elias places a hand gently against the small of my back, the connection making me jump on instinct. “Like I said, let’s get you some real clothes.” He doesn’t take it personally—at least I don’t think he does. He points to the same door Koen and Bastian escaped through.

Pryce stands in front of us, determined to get his point across. “This wasn’t how I thought it would play out. I didn’t intend—”

“You didn’t intend to drop this on me like a fucking bomb?” I seethe, interrupting him without a care. I’m done listening. His lips pull into a thin line, and the silence allows me to notice the girls staring at us like we’re their own personal reality TV show. “You knew from the minute I stepped foot on this campus, and thought yeah, it’s probably best for her to find out half naked in a basement that her entire life isn’t what she thought. Eryx made it crystal clear that none of you owed me anything, but I won’t make the mistake of trusting you so easily next time.”

I leave him at that, following Elias out the door. But it’s not until it’s closed that I realize what I’ve just done.