NEVER GOING TO GET AWAY #2
When I die, will the blue light of my magic cover the crimson that pours from my body? Or will my lifeblood stain everything in sight?
My blood chills, but I force those thoughts away. I need to focus on this moment, on my sisters. I am doomed, but Marie and Violet are not. I can still save them, and in doing so, give meaning to my death.
“I stole magic from you,” I remind the king as if he could’ve forgotten Kadyn’s sacrifice. I certainly haven’t. “I took what was rightfully yours.”
The lie tastes bitter in the back of my mouth, but when the king stiffens, I know I’m on the right track.
“Don’t you want to get your revenge? Isn’t that what you said on the night of the ball?
That you’d make me pay for stealing your Harvest?
” I can still remember the way he snarled the words while gathering crimson magic in his palms. “What if you could exact your vengeance on your own time, away from here?”
Far from my sisters and the man I love. From our friends, and the rebels who took Gabe and me in when they could’ve killed us or turned us away.
A spark of interest flicks through the king’s eye, and the eagle above him caws. My sisters are weeping, but I force myself to ignore them and focus on the king.
I fucking hate this.
I hate that I’m offering myself up on a silver platter to the man who abused his own son, hate that I know my offer only intrigues him because it means he can hurt me more.
I hate this, but I stand my ground. I don’t run away, nor do I talk back to the evil royal. My newly inked hand is burning, and unease is flooding through me, but I don’t look at my bond mark. I bite my tongue, silently urging the king to consider my offer.
For my sisters, and for Gabriel, I will endure whatever fate the king has in store for me. I will suffer and bleed, filled with a sense of peace because the ones I love are alive.
When the king hurts me, I will remember the way Gabriel’s mouth felt on mine, the warmth that filled me when he told me how much he loved me. When the king makes me bleed, I will remember what it was like to be loved by my mate.
And when the time comes for me to join Amelia and the other Given, I will do so knowing that this was always intended to be my fate. I ran from my destiny and avoided it for a time, but it turns out what is predestined cannot be denied.
I have been fated to die since I drew my first breath, and the time for that has come.
Long, never-ending moments pass as the king considers my offer. I can see him turning it over in his mind, weighing his thirst for vengeance over his desire to Harvest my magic right now.
“Can you get us out of here quickly?” I ask, wanting to hurry this along.
Gabriel once told me the king is capable of far more than I could ever imagine. I’m counting on that now—counting on him taking me out of here before the situation can get worse.
“In the blink of an eye. I can summon a beast to carry us away.”
The dragon.
Somehow, I know that’s what he means . . . and I know I need to wrap this up. If Gabriel were to arrive and see his nightmare come to life, see me being carried away in the clutches of such a terrifying beast . . .
My heart wrenches, and I shudder.
I cannot let that happen. I need to save him from that pain. It will be my last act—the final gift I give him.
“I will do whatever you want,” I tell the king. There is a clearing between us, and even though there aren’t any walls, it feels like the forest is collapsing in on me. “Just . . . let them go.”
Please.
I don’t say the last word out loud—I don’t think it would make a difference—but I repeat it in my mind. Over and over and over again until it’s the only word I can hear.
It feels like an eternity passes before the king inclines his head. “A trade,” he says almost gleefully. “Their lives for your pain.”
And my death.
The last part remains unsaid, but we both know it’s part of the bargain.
A lump forms in my throat, but I force it away. “Yes.”
My pulse is unsteady, almost frantic. Who knows? Maybe I’ll have a heart attack before the king can kill me. Wouldn’t that be fucking ironic?
Although he’d probably use his magic to bring me back so he could deliver that killing blow himself.
Another endless moment passes, then he pulls the dagger away from Violet’s throat.
He waves his hand, and the ropes binding the girls’ hands disappear.
The twins turn in unison as if they are one person.
Silver lines their eyes as they look at me, and the sorrow and agony in them has my knees trembling.
“Go,” I beg them. “Live.”
Make this sacrifice worthwhile.
Marie is sobbing, her cheeks glistening as the gag muffles the sound of her grief, but Violet meets my gaze.
We will, her eyes seem to say.
The king moves a few feet away from the girls. Not far enough so that I can breathe, but enough to show that he’s willing to let them go.
As long as I cooperate.
I’m so sorry, Gabriel, I whisper down our bond. Even if he can’t hear me, I hope he knows how sorry I am. I will always love you.
I take a step towards the king, my Mark and my hand equally feeling like they’re about to burst into flames, but I disregard them. After all, my future will be nothing but pain.
Another step.
And another.
Here I am, willingly walking to my execution.
I keep my eyes trained on the king, because even though I’m going to my death, I will do it on my own terms.