Chapter 25 The Tangled Truth
The tangled truth
ZARA
The skin on my face burns red and raw from the tears I’ve cried. My chest aches, my throat hoarse from screaming into the void. I’ve thrashed and fought against everything and nothing, my entire body trembling as Kade’s words sink deeper into my soul.
I can’t believe it.
I don’t want to believe it.
I won’t be able to do anything but believe it.
There’s not a single doubt in my mind that Kade told me the truth, or at least what he believes it to be.
I know it. I felt it. The cursed ebon chain that connects us tightened its hold on me as he spoke, ensuring I understood the brutality of his honesty.
Every word struck like a dagger, carving away at the fragile threads of denial I clung to.
My coven betrayed me, even before I broke the sigil .
They planned to trade me for power, for position.
I was leverage and nothing more, a pawn in a game I didn’t even know I was playing.
“Kitten?”
Kade’s voice rises softly, catching me by surprise.
He’s been a silent presence, steady and unyielding, giving me space but withholding kindness.
He hasn’t offered one ounce more support than the absolute minimum required.
I hate that he’s let me process this on my own, that he’s offered only enough to get me through.
It feels calculated, and it’s a potent reminder of who holds the power here.
“What?” I manage, my voice cracked and brittle.
“Did you wish to talk?”
I shake my head and pull away, needing distance.
My legs carry me to one of the grand windows lining his chambers.
The glass stretches from floor to ceiling, flawless and cold, a stark contrast to the chaos inside me.
Through it, the rooftops of the outpost appear uneven and rickety, a sharp juxtaposition to the room’s oppressive luxury.
My eyes roam over the jagged skyline, searching for something stable in a world that’s crumbling beneath me.
The room is a masterpiece of understated opulence.
Dark mahogany shelves line the walls, crammed with books whose spines gleam under the flickering light of enchanted sconces.
A thick rug sprawls across the stone floor, its intricate patterns woven in crimson and gold, softening the edges of the otherwise austere space.
The faint scent of aged parchment and cedar lingers in the air, mingling with the sharper tang of Kade’s magic—a metallic bite that sets my teeth on edge.
Even the furniture speaks of power: a massive desk carved with arcane symbols, an armchair draped in velvet as dark as midnight, a bed large enough to swallow me whole.
I wrap my arms around myself, trying to shield against the room’s oppressive weight.
“We can look for Malric tomorrow,” Kade says after a moment.
I nod, my throat too tight to respond. The sun dips below the horizon, dragging the last of the light with it.
Shadows gather in the corners, creeping across the room like living things.
We stand in silence as the night cloaks us, the darkness inside me matching the void outside.
I’m isolated, cut off from the world I thought I knew.
The only person left is Kade—and I don’t know if I can trust him.
The ebon chain tugs at me, its pull insistent and undeniable. It’s muddying everything, twisting my emotions until I can’t tell what’s real. I don’t know if what I feel for Kade is genuine or just a figment of the bond. It’s a leash, binding me to him in ways I never agreed to.
I want it gone.
I want to be free of this chain.
I want to know if our connection is more than a cruel trick of magic.
“Zara?”
I turn at the sharper edge in Kade’s voice. He’s watching me, his head tilted slightly, his dark eyes unreadable. Frustration simmers beneath his calm exterior, mingling with an emotion I can’t quite place. I hate how easily he sees through me, how his gaze seems to strip me bare.
“What is it that you need?” he asks.
I lean against the window, letting the cool glass press into my back.
“Home,” I whisper, the word slipping out before I can stop it.
“That is with me, Zara.” Kade’s expression hardens, though his voice remains infuriatingly calm. “You won’t be safe anywhere else. Even if we break the blood weave, you’ll be hunted. Any other warlock would exploit your power.”
A bitter laugh escapes me. “And you won’t?”
“I’ll give you a choice,” he says, stepping closer. His movements are measured, predatory. “We can make this bearable for you. This doesn’t have to be the nightmare you’re so determined to see it become.”
His knuckles brush down my arm, the touch as light as a whisper. I want to pull away but don’t.
“I can give you anything you want,” he murmurs.
“You’ve said that before,” I reply, my tone scathing. His lack of reaction only fuels my anger.
“I realize you are hurting,” he sighs. “I can’t begin to imagine how hard it must be to re-evaluate your entire life and come to terms with a betrayal like the one you’ve discovered.
It must be excruciating to know you grieved for witches who’d sold you like you meant nothing.
But none of this changes the reality of your position, nor does it give you the right to dismiss what I offer as irrelevant and immaterial. ”
I bite my lip to stop it from trembling, hating the weakness I can’t hide. Kade’s eyes narrow slightly, irritation flickering across his face.
“Stop fighting me, Zara.”
I toss my head, defiance flaring despite the ache in my chest.
“Consider what we can become together. Consider how powerful we will be and what we could achieve.” His fingers run down my face and I don’t pull away.
“We are not so different, you and I. We both want power and we’ll do anything for it.
We’re ruthless, cunning, calculated. Our magic is stronger together than apart.
” He leans in and places a gentle kiss on my cheek, and for a second time, I don’t pull away.
“Am I really so disgusting that you can’t even stand the thought of me? ”
I turn back to the window, my heart clenching as his words settle over me. My thoughts whirl, chaotic and unsteady, as I struggle to make sense of what I’m feeling. I wish I wasn’t here. I wish this wasn’t happening. But it is, and I can’t change it.
Kade’s right about one thing: the ebon chain makes him inescapable. It makes him inevitable. It makes him almost irresistible. But it also makes him useful. I can use him to get what I want, whatever that may be. When I finally decide what it is that I actually want now.
“I need time,” I say, my voice barely audible.
Kade’s eyes darken. “You don’t have it.”
“So much for giving me anything I want,” I snap, turning back to him.
He steps forward, and I feel the weight of his presence like a physical thing. His magic brushes against mine, probing, testing the edges of my resistance.
“Kitten, you’re a powerful witch who threatened the entire warlock way of life. You broke a sigil that no one else could, and now you’re in an outpost where rules are scarce and ethics scarcer. You ought to be taking any offer of help. Mine is generous. Fucking generous.”
“Why?” The question slips out before I can stop it.
Kade stiffens, his jaw tightening. “Why what, Zara?”
“Why is it so generous?” I tilt my head, mimicking his earlier stance.
His irritation ripples through the ebon chain, sharp and bitter.
“Why are you giving me a choice? You said you didn’t want to.
You’re a member of the Senior Council. So why give me a choice?
Why push me to make one when you’ve already got what you want? ”
For a moment, the tension in the room is unbearable. Kade’s shoulders rise and fall with a deep, measured breath. He’s working hard to rein himself in, and for some reason, that strikes a chord in me. When he finally speaks, his voice is low and raw, laced with emotion.
“Because I don’t want to be your enemy,” he finally says, his voice low, measured, and laced with something raw that sends a chill up my spine.
“Because you deserve to have a choice, even if it’s one you don’t think you need.
And because if I don’t give you that choice, Zara, I’ll lose the chance to see what we could become together.
Not as master and slave. Not as captor and captive.
As something closer to equals, whatever that may mean. ”
He steps closer, towering over me. The heat of him is a tangible thing, the magnetic pull of the ebon chain dragging me toward him. His dark eyes lock onto mine, and for a moment, I forget how to breathe.
“You’re the only witch who’s ever made me doubt myself,” he says, his voice soft but unyielding. “And that shocks me as much as it fascinates me.”
My heart stumbles over his words, and I look away, back to the night sky. The stars seem dimmer now, their light swallowed by the shadows pressing in on all sides. I’m adrift, caught between two worlds, with Kade as my only anchor, and I don’t know if I can trust him to hold me.
And yet, I can’t deny the truth: he’s inescapable. Inevitable. And perhaps, just perhaps, the only one who truly understands who I am.
Kade’s words hang in the air, heavy and unrelenting.
I turn back to the window, needing to look anywhere but at him.
The glass is cool against my palm as I press my hand to it, seeking some grounding in its steadiness.
Outside, the jagged rooftops are veiled in darkness, and distant lanterns flicker like dying fireflies.
The world feels far away, unreachable. Safe.
Unlike him.
“I don’t know what we could become,” I admit, my voice barely audible, “and I’m not sure I want to find out.”
Kade doesn’t respond immediately. I can feel the weight of his gaze on my back, sharp and assessing. When he finally speaks, his tone is measured, like he’s treading carefully over uneven ground.