Fearless (The Powerless Trilogy, #3)

by Lauren Roberts

I will be your Enforcer. Your rival. Your secret waiting beneath the willow.”

“Oh, my pretty Pae.” His words are a murmur against my lips. “For once, it is I who will be your undoing.”

I would beg him to be just that. Would give anything to live out the rest of my days under this willow and in his arms.

I memorize every shadow of his face, every shade of this vivi...

she is the first thing my gaze lands on.

something tears at the part of me that betrays him. The part of my heart that beats for his betrothed behind his back.

The Kitt I saw mere minutes ago was a glimpse of the boy I grew up with, the boy I loved before I’d even understood the meaning of the word. And I wish so badly to hold on to that familiar version of him, rip the crown from his head before it seeps into the body beneath.

Paedyn is the kink in our relationship that we can’t quite iron out.

Our brotherly bond falters in the face of her.

As a traitor, she was paraded through this crowd, spit on by the mouths that now scowl at her.

She was humiliated on these very streets, degraded by Elites who loathed her the moment they discovered she was not one of them.

They see nothing but what she was—a traitor—and what she will always be—an Ordinary.

He has always been so loved by this kingdom.

it’s Paedyn who I study, helpless to keep from staring at her.

here I sit, unable to stop it. Unable to do anything but watch them slowly become each other’s forever. They wave. They smile. They look every bit the happy couple.

the look of relief she wears at my mere presence proves to be reward enough.

“This kingdom has been without Ordinaries for over three decades. From the looks of it, they will need much longer than that to adjust.”

Her purpose is freedom for those like her, not the saving of a hateful kingdom.

“I wasn’t a queen who could change this kingdom with the snap of her fingers. I was an Ordinary. I am an Ordinary. And I showed you a piece of myself that day. Before Calum’s council, I showed you that the people in those slums are your people too.”

I hope they see me now. Every smile, every wave, every sacrifice I’ve made for them.

I see the apology hidden in the gaze he keeps pinned on mine, see the promise we share.

My clumsy fingers were the cause of many slashes across my skin.

He is the king, after all. But I am no queen. Not yet.

These were my people long before I was told to rule over them.

they saw hope for one of them to become something more. And I have become so much more.

“I’m sorry,” I whisper, tears stinging my eyes. “I’m so sorry. You’re… you’re going to be okay.”

He doesn’t cry out, doesn’t beg for life. He only stares, preparing to meet his bloody end.

Those eyes are like honey. So similar to her sweet gaze. Suddenly, it’s Adena dying before me all over again. And a...

just like I had with Adena, I tell this boy that he is going to be fine. I spew lies, spin a happy ending into existence even as tears slip from my burning eyes.

when he takes his final breath—gaze trained on the sky—it’s as though I’m back in that Pit, cradling her dead body.

Loot is in shambles. My home is in shambles. And so is my heart.

Cruelty molded him into a king, where kindness would have only crippled him.

there is little in this life that Edric loves more than power—and he is heading right for it.

Love and paranoia are quite fond of each other, habitually mingling into a suffocating protection.

For all they know, I died shortly after giving birth to Kitt.”

Omg she didnt??????

They all die in the end, as the weak always do.

His father always hated when he showed any sign of weakness—and Iris is exactly that.

Iris has a passion for beauty, and despite her confinement to the castle, she has never missed an opportunity to sparkle in even the dullest of halls.

when Iris cries out in pain, and a dampness spreads the covers beneath her, the end is very near for Edric Azer. At least, for that dwindling bit of warmth within him.

there is nothing left but a slow, simmering rage as I sit silently in this study.

I’m not sure I could put it into words at the moment. He has helped change everything, helped turn my father’s hope into a reality.

thank you. For everything.” I return his nod with another small smile. “I just wanted you to hear me say it out loud.”

I want nothing more than to be held by him, enveloped in the comfort of his arms. He is a weakness I am not supposed to indulge in. Not in this life, at least.

yet, he looks at me with a relieved sort of adoration, ensuring I’m all right with a lingering swipe of his gaze.

“The people don’t want Paedyn as their queen.”

“A piece of Kitt died that day, did it not?” Gesturing in the direction of the west tower, he adds solemnly, “Along with the king’s wife, now sick with grief.”

I feel a twinge of shame for bestowing death upon the king. Not for his sake, but for those around him.

ignorance was their bliss. Some admired the late king’s persistence in ridding Ilya of Ordinaries rather than saving it from collapsing.”

“Paedyn must prove herself to all of Ilya. Prove she is strong enough to rule, even as an Ordinary. That is the only way we believe they will accept her.”

“The people want to send you back into your own Trials.”

the fuckkkkk?