Chapter 26 Jace
JACE
Idrop into the hot sand, my heart throbbing in my ears.
It’s been a long time since I’ve pushed myself like this. The heat doesn’t make for the best running conditions, but I was in dire need of a distraction.
Laughter has my head snapping toward the tent up the beach.
She’s awake.
But I make no move to go to her.
I don’t know if it’s shame I feel or regret, but hearing her screams yesterday, watching her thrash against Zadyn as her flesh melted off—it’s fucked with me.
Badly.
I can’t go near her. I can’t look at her face. I can’t even breathe without feeling so many things all at once.
I don’t do emotions. I don’t do tears. I don’t do…love. And yet the love I feel for this little witch is so big I feel like I’m walking around with a ticking time bomb in my chest, ready to burst at any given moment.
I know I’m not entitled to her, and I know I don’t deserve her, but we belong to each other. It isn’t a feeling, it’s a fact. Like saying the sky is blue or the grass is green or Kylian is going to fucking die at my hands.
I hear Kai’s voice coming from inside the tent and another round of laughter breaks out.
I’ve never lumped him in with the rest of his vermin kin. Even when we were boys, it was clear that he was the black sheep—the outcast.
I was probably seventeen or eighteen years old when Kai and a newly crowned Kylian arrived at the castle for Ilspeth and Derek’s wedding.
Kai was a few years younger than me, Kylian a few years older.
Derek suggested Kai join me for training.
I wasn’t his biggest fan because of who his family was, but I was cordial.
Kylian spotted us and insisted on sparring with his brother. It quickly became clear that by sparring he meant beating him unconscious until he had three broken ribs, a bruised tailbone, and needed five stitches on his head.
I intervened on Kai’s behalf once I realized that this was no brotherly competition. This was a cocky young king drunk on his own power.
If Sorscha hadn’t appeared when she did and distracted us, either Kylian or I would be dead.
She and I brought Kai to the healer together. He was in such bad shape, he missed the wedding altogether.
That was the day we became friends.
It makes me sick to see that Kylian’s old habits still rage as hard as ever. He’ll never admit it, but Kai is a threat. He just doesn’t know it yet.
Grains of sand cling to my back as I sit up and wipe the sweat from my eyes. I push to my feet and start running again, simply to avoid cuddling up with Serena, Zadyn, and Kai.
There’s no room for me in there.
And that’s fine. I prefer being alone.