A Promise so Bold and Broken (Compelling Fates Saga, #2)

by Sophia St. Germain

And that meant the people she loved were in more danger than she’d realized. Not just from the rebellion… But from an entire other realm. And Loche…

All her magic did was destroy and hurt and betray.

“Lessia.” Merrick took a step toward her. “The gods gifted it to you for a reason. You do not need to be frightened of it. It’s not evil or good. It’s nothing but a power to be molded by its wielder. A power to be used carefully, yes. But not to be suppressed or forgotten about.”

They choose a person’s gift for a reason, and I’d be lying if I said I didn’t question mine for a long time. Truth be told, I still question it—but I wield it, Lessia. I decide what it is and what it isn’t.”

“She doesn’t need to get better,” he snarled softly. “If she decides to break apart this whole ship to deal with what happened, I’ll help her. If she wants to kick your lying ass into the depths of the sea, I’ll take your legs. If she decides to rip the world to shreds for what it’s done to her, I’ll cheer her on. And if you were a true friend… you would as well.”

Lessia tightened her grip on the daggers. She was done not fighting back. Look at what good it had done her the past months. If she was to die… it wouldn’t be because she surrendered.

“Please, stop hitting me.” Merrick’s face came into view, and his eyes hardened as he growled, “Stop fucking dying, then.”

You’re quite broken, aren’t you, little Faeling?

“That was a long time ago, Merrick.” Raine shook his head. “I haven’t seen you for years, and today you come to my sanctuary, bringing two angry humans and a Faeling who is so broken she might fall apart right here. For what? To ask me to fight for the realm that destroyed everything I loved?”

Merrick nodded, a muscle in his jaw flexing. “A long time ago. He’s not been the same since.” He let out a sigh. “But who would be? Finding the soul that mirrors yours, only to lose them… I expect it’s worse than never finding them at all.”

“There are no wrong paths! Dark ones, sure. I nearly drove myself mad thinking about the choices that led to Solana’s death. But if I hadn’t chosen them, I wouldn’t have met her in the first place.”

“While a vile name, the Death Whisperer rings true. Those whispers you hear? It’s your mind opening up to the other side. It’s the souls of those who passed before you speaking while they prepare to bring you over—to claim you as one of their own.”

He wasn’t evil. And if he wasn’t… Perhaps neither was she.

“Siphon Twins?” Venko asked. Lessia shot him a grateful look. The nickname sounded vaguely familiar, but she knew little about the warriors Merrick had fought beside. Only that the four of them were absolutely lethal.

“Are you trying to get me undressed?” she taunted, ignoring the small voice in her mind warning her that she’d just decided not to agitate him more. A vein throbbed by his temple. “If I were, you’d already be splayed out on the sand beneath me, begging me to join you.”

“You do not carry that darkness. You may bear a name, but that name does not define you. You may share his blood, but that blood does not dictate who you are. And I promise you”—his eyes bore into hers as he stressed each word—“I. Promise. You. I won’t let anyone hurt you. Rioner, Loche, the rebels, the Oakgards’ Fae, or any of these fucking people won’t come near you. Ever again.”

She might not have killed Frelina. But her mother had died because of the worry she’d brought into her life. And… She’d died not knowing Lessia existed.

“The Rantzier rule will end, its people disband, by the hands of the reluctant ally—the ally that should have stood by their side, that should have fought with them, that should have protected them. It’s the one loved by Fae and human, the one you may not slay for the war that fragile death would bring, who will finally bring the Rantziers to their knees.”

It was Merrick. It was trust. It was assurance. It was friendship. It was…

“You… you’re asking if you can pet me?” Merrick asked, and she knew she should have been worried about his low tone, but still, no sense of apprehension rippled across her skin. “It’s just your hair looks so soft and shiny, and I thought it would be nice to pet,” she tried to explain.

But Merrick only shot her a final glance that chilled her blood. Not from fear… No. From the pain simmering in his black eyes.

She’d kissed Merrick! Worse, she’d liked kissing Merrick. And perhaps worst of all—he’d kissed her back.

“I don’t. And I doubt your sister does either. She’s angry because she loves you so much. It’s… it’s easy to turn to rage when love stabs a dagger right through your heart.”

Good people also do bad things, but it’s how you handle yourself after that matters.

It had been decided. She’d do whatever she could for Ellow and Vastala. And if she died… Then at least she could move on to whatever came after this life with her head held high—right into her mother’s waiting arms.

“You wouldn’t have to fight for me. I… I can’t say it would be easy, given what we’re facing, but I’d make sure this—us—would be the one place you can rest, where you’re always safe, where you never have to put on a mask to conceal your true feelings.”

“That was fucking Vincere. But it was worse. I still can’t feel my magic.” Must be Kerym’s gravelly voice, she thought. “Why would Rioner have gifted Vincere to Ellow? It’s the one thing that keeps us subdued.”

And that sense of falling gripped her again. But it wasn’t frightening, No, it was a fall she wanted. A choice. A decision. A surrender.

“Don’t be.” Kerym shot her a smile that didn’t reach his eyes. “It’s how I met my mate. She liked to anger the Rantziers as well. All the way to the bitter end.”

A deep breath rumbled through him as he lay his head atop hers, and that sense—that sense of home—came over her. Even in this small, dark, and terrifying place.

“Mark me. Hurt me. I truly don’t care. But you should know…” Merrick licked a drop of blood off his full lips. “I will come for you. And once I do—it’ll be worse than your darkest nightmares. I’ll show you exactly why they call me the Death Whisperer.”

“It’s the same one,” he said softly. You and me. That’s what he’d said when she’d panicked. When only his touch could bring her back from the darkness. She nodded, and his half smile widened into a full one. It wasn’t the snake mark—the mark they’d shared with countless others who’d gone against King Rioner… It was their mark. And regardless of how ugly it was or what it said about them… it was theirs. Merrick’s and Lessia’s.

“Do not touch her.” Ice dripped from Merrick’s voice as he pushed the regent back a step. “You lost that privilege that night. Get back before I kill you.”

“The curse isn’t about Loche,” Merrick said in a monotone.

“The one that’s loved by Fae and human.” Lessia’s eyes met those gray ones again, and she must have only blankly stared at him because Loche repeated himself. “The one destined to take down Rioner is the reluctant ally, the one loved by Fae and human.”

Take. Them. Away. Take my feelings away. Take every memory of us. You are hereby banished from Ellow. The memory came crashing down on her. That pain… that pain in his eyes hadn’t been because of her betrayal. It had been because of what he had to do to himself.

And for some reason, whenever Merrick was anywhere near her now, she couldn’t focus on a single other thing than the tingling feeling racing up and down her spine and the damned fluttering that started in her gut as soon as his eyes bore into hers.

Swallowing, Lessia set her sights on the empty chair beside Kerym, but as she neared, the Fae violently shook his head at her, eyes flicking toward Merrick. “Absolutely not. I don’t plan on getting killed today. You go over there.”

And when I die… it will be for the people who elected me—for the world I promised them. If the decisions I made caused me to fail… then death seems like a fitting punishment.”

“Hurting?” Lessia’s brows furrowed. “Who is hurting?” “Merrick, of course!” Raine stalked up to her, forcing her to bend her neck to continue meeting his furious hazel eyes. “This will be the one and only time I break a promise to him.” Lessia’s mind spun as she stared up at one of the deadliest Fae in their realm. And when he leaned in and snarled “Merrick is your fucking mate,” she had to grip the chair not to let her knees give out.

“It would have killed a lesser Fae. But Merrick is strong. Stronger than most. And you hadn’t started sealing the bond then… It’s different now, so I had to tell you.”

“He wanted to ‘fight fair.’ Win your heart without using the bond, so you made the decision, not fate. But that’s not how the bond works… you are affected as well—it’s not one-sided! So after you bit him…”

“I don’t want you because of the stupid bond!” she screamed. “I want you because you make me feel alive! Because you believe in me when I don’t believe in myself. Because you try to make dumb jokes to make me happy. Because you make me fires to keep the darkness at bay. Because you hide your smile when I’ve made you proud in training. Because when I fucking stab you, you lecture me about missing your heart!” She shoved him back again. “You knew there was something deeper, something even stronger, pulling us together! And you fucking reject me when I kiss you! What is wrong with you!”

“Do you want me to tell you I wanted to fuck you senseless on that table tonight—regardless of who was watching—when you walked in wearing my shirt?”

A rough breath left him before he cursed “Fuck it” and ripped the jacket to shreds.

“Do you want me to tell you I’ve loved you since you stood up to Rioner and me on that cliff?”

“Do you want me to tell you I’ve fallen more in love with you every day, watching you fucking fight for your life?”

“Do you want me to tell you no one—mate or not—has loved anyone the way I love you? That I would laugh as the world fell apart as long as you stood by my side? That even if I could only have one fucking night—one night pretending you’re mine—I’d take it?”

“I am taking my fucking time with you.” He lowered to nip at her lip, still holding on to her hands. “I’ve waited a damned eternity for this. Please don’t deny me.”

It was so simple. But so true. So clear that it was him and her. Merrick and Elessia. Two broken souls healing into one.