Chapter 99 Serena
SERENA
Jace goes deathly still.
His head angles toward me, one degree at a time.
“What did you just say?”
“He’s my mate,” I choke, crashing to the ground.
Jace stares at me, frozen, disbelief written all over his face. “No, he’s not, he’s—”
I witness the exact moment my words sink in. I see the change register in his eyes as they tighten and go cold. His hand goes slack, and Kylian crumples to the floor, gasping for air.
“That can’t be true.”
My shoulders sag as I shake my head. Jace sets his jaw, his knuckles turning white around the dagger’s hilt.
It’s hard to breathe, the air around us tight and thin, constricting further with each agonizing second that ticks by.
Does Jace even realize he’s the one causing it?
My eyes fill with tears as he comes to stand over me, chest heaving.
“Tell me that this is some sort of sick joke.”
A cracked sob bubbles from my lips. “I wish I could.”
I reach for his hands like a beggar. And he rips them away—a dark angel with no mercy.
“I don’t believe it. I refuse.”
“Serena.” Zadyn says my name with a tenderness I don’t deserve. I can barely meet his gaze.
“I’m sorry, Zadyn. It just—I’m so sorry.”
I had prayed against all odds that it wasn’t true. What I had been suspecting for weeks now. But what happened when Jace raised that blade to Kylian is undeniable. It was in that moment that I saw the truth of everyone’s words. It clicked.
And I am so ashamed.
Kylian himself appears too stunned to remember that he’s just been rendered powerless, staring at me as if seeing me for the first time. Like we’re strangers. Like he hasn’t threatened everyone I love, threatened me.
He doesn’t seem afraid. But I’m guessing that’s because he knows that even though he can’t defend himself with magic, I will. Because of our bond.
Jace lifts his hand and drops his dagger at my feet. It clatters against the tile, the sound shrill and grating. With one last loathing glance, he storms away.