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“I appreciate the elevation to deity, but my name will do.”
“Delicious,” he whispers, his lips skimming the plane of my stomach. “You are absolutely delicious. I never should have waited this long to get my mouth on you.”
“You already
have me.”
“You have everything I have to give.”
“You’re almost there. Fuck, you feel so damn good around me. I’m never going to get enough of this, enough of you.” “I love you.”
“I fucking love your hair. If you ever want to bring me to my knees or win an argument, just let it down. I’ll get the point.”
“Wanting you will be the death of me.
“Please, do quit while you’re behind, Aetos,” Xaden seethes. “You want the truth? She’s a fuck of a lot safer with me beyond the wards than she is with you within them. We both know it.”
The look in his eyes is similar to the one in Sgaeyl’s, and it dawns on me why she chose him. They’re both ruthless, both willing to annihilate whatever stands between them and what they want.
He swallows hard and leans in to whisper, “I’ll miss you, Violet.” Then he pivots on his heel and heads for Cath.
He knows. He knows. He knows.
I can’t help but note both of the important men are walking away from me right now, in opposite directions, and given the one I’ve chosen to follow, my life is about to change forever.
He laughs, making his way up to the tense muscles of my thighs. “Trust me, my motives aren’t altruistic, Violence. I’ll take any excuse I can get to put my hands on you.”
“Not sure I’ll ever be finished.” He rises, every plane of his body caressing mine on the way up. “I’m way too fucking greedy when it comes to you.”
His eyes darken. “I’m going to keep you,” he promises, just like he did last night. Or was it this morning? “You’re mine, Violet.” I lift my chin. “Only if you’re mine.” “I’ve been yours for longer than you could ever imagine.”
He accused King Tauri, and all who came before him, of a conspiracy so vast, so unspeakable, that it does not bear repeating by this historian.
Like Vi's dad said...it onky takes one generation to change history.
“I watched my own father executed trying to help these people. I couldn’t risk you, too.”
“Everything between us is real, Violence.”
I never lied when I said I can’t live without you, Violence.” He backs away slowly, his lips curving in a sad smile. “And defenseless women have never been my type, remember?”
“One generation to change the text. One generation chooses to teach that text. The next grows, and the lie becomes history.”
Liam steps forward so he stands at my side. “We watched as our parents were executed because they had the courage to do the right thing. I’d like to think my death would be just as honorable.”
My chest tightens. Their parents died to expose the truth while mine sacrificed my brother to keep this heinous secret.
“I knew you’d make the right choice,” Sgaeyl says, glancing toward where Xaden approaches with Liam, their footsteps dangerously close to the cliffside at my left. “He did, too. Even if he doesn’t like you putting yourself in danger, he knew you would.”
My lips part, remembering Melgren saying he liked to lay eyes on Xaden once a year. “Any other secrets you’re keeping from me?” “Yes.” He cups my neck and leans into my space. “Stay alive, and I promise I’ll tell you whatever you want to know.” The simple confession makes my heart clench. As angry as I am, I can’t imagine a world without him in it. “I need you to survive this, even if I hate that I still love you.” “I can live with that.”
You’ve saved my life and now it’s my turn. No matter what
you think of me for keeping secrets, we’re friends, Violet.”
“Good. That’s good.” He forces a weak smile, and that dimple makes a faint appearance before his expression falters. “And I know you feel betrayed, but Xaden needs you. And I don’t just mean alive, Violet. He needs you. Please hear him out.”
“Thank you, Liam. Thank you for being my shadow. Thank you for being my friend.” He blurs in my vision as the tears come faster. “It’s been. My honor.” Liam’s chest rattles as his lungs struggle.
“Deigh,” Liam pleads in a strangled whisper, turning his head toward Xaden. “I know, brother.” Xaden’s jaw flexes and our gazes lock above Liam as tears overflow my eyes. “I know.” He leans forward and lifts Liam into his arms, then stands, carrying him. “I’ll take you.”
Xaden’s head bows, and my breath freezes in my lungs as shadows momentarily whip out around him, like a blast of menace and sorrow. Seconds later, his soundless, soul-rending scream fills my head with such force that my heart shatters like glass against a stone floor. I don’t need to ask. Liam is gone.
He yanks me close and kisses my forehead. “There is no me without you,” he says against my skin.
And Xaden… No matter how strong he is, Xaden won’t be able to hold them forever. His arms already shake with the effort of controlling so much power. He’ll be the first to die if I’m not exactly what he called me under that tree all those months ago. Violence.
Because right now, standing near the dead body of my friend and his dragon—all I want is to show these assholes exactly how violent I can be.
But it was the third brother, who commanded the sky to surrender its greatest power, who finally vanquished his jealous sibling at a great and terrible price. —“The Origin,” The Fables of the Barren
Pain flares in my side, hot and sharp, and I fall back in disbelief when I find one of her daggers protruding low in my side, just beneath the edge of the dragon-scale armor. Tairn roars and Andarna shrieks. “Violet!” Xaden screams.
“Such untapped power. No wonder we were called here. You could command the sky to surrender all its power, and I bet you don’t know
what to do with it, do you?
“I will bet my life on you as I have from the first day,”
I can command the sky to surrender all its power, but I’m going to need every ounce of yours to do it.”
My arms shake as I lift them again. “This is the only way I can save them. I can save Sgaeyl. You just have to decide to live, Tairn. Even if I don’t.” “I will not watch another rider die because they do not know their own limitations. One more strike could be your last. I feel your waning strength.” “I know exactly what I’m capable of,”
Damn, sometimes I forget just how beautifully lethal he is.
I think I might die today.
“I’ll take care of you. Just…just live. Please live.”
“Live up to your nickname and fight this, Violence,” Xaden whispers against my ear.
“You have to fight, Vi,” Xaden whispers against my forehead as we move. “You can hate me all you want when you wake up. You can scream, hit, throw your fucking daggers at me for all I care, but you have to live. You can’t make me fall for you and then die. None of this is worth it without you.” He sounds so sincere that I almost believe him.
You’re all cowards. —The last words of Fen Riorson (redacted)
Liam. Guilt pairs with soul-sucking grief, and I can barely inhale around the pain in my chest. I’d ordered my foster brother to keep her safe, and that order got him killed. His death is on me.
“I should have done a lot of things differently.” What I shouldn’t have done was fought my feelings for her. I should have grabbed on to her after that first kiss the way I wanted and kept her at my side, should have let her all the way in.
She can’t die, and not just because there’s a chance I won’t survive. She can’t die because I know I can’t live without her even if I do.
Somewhere between the shock of our attraction at the top of that turret to realizing she risked her own life by giving up a boot for someone
