Chapter 38
“You spotted her?” I yell as I walk into the throne room. “Were you going to tell me you spotted her?”
Kieran stands up from his throne and meets me in the middle of the room.
“I had to hear it from Henry by accident as he talked to another guard about keeping me in the palace until you can track her down.” I lower my voice when he gets closer to me. “Why didn’t you tell me? I thought we were past keeping anything about Avira a secret.”
“I was just about to come tell you the new update, I promise. You can ask anyone in this room and they will tell you the truth,” he replies. “Elias came to me just now with another update. That’s why I couldn’t come to you in time to tell you.”
“I trust you,” I tell him. “I just… next time have a guard come and get me. I want to be part of this since I have to kill her.”
“Sweets.”
I shake my head. “No. I know you want to keep me out of things, so I’m not stressing and worried all the time, but being on the outside, not knowing anything, is far worse.
My mind is constantly on her. I don’t have a moment where she doesn’t cross my mind.
Is she going to come and get me right now or will she show up when I finally forget about her? ”
I take a deep breath in and slowly let it out, trying to calm myself down. We are in front of people and we both agreed that we wouldn’t get into any arguments with people around.
“Next time I’ll have a guard come and get you if it’s something serious,” he finally says.
“For anything, not just something serious.” I give him a pointed look. “Promise me.”
He sighs. “I promise.”
“We are a team and you leaving me out of things doesn’t make me feel like we are a team. It makes me feel like I am inferior to you,” I say.
“Adeline, that was not my intention.”
“I know it wasn’t, but we promised to communicate with each other and I needed you to know this.”
“Thank you for telling me and I’m sorry that I made you feel that way,” he says.
Kieran pulls me into his embrace, and I allow myself to relax.
“Is there anything else you want to tell me?” he asks.
“Can you give me the dagger so I can keep it on me at all times?” I ask, looking up at him.
Kieran gives me an unsure look.
“Please,” I say softly. “What if she appears in front of me and I have time to kill her? If I don’t have the dagger, then I may die.”
Kieran growls. “You are not going to die.”
“I know I’m not going to.” Lie. “But I want to be prepared just in case something happens. Please?”
“Do you know how to use it?” he asks.
“Yes, I do. I’ve cooked before.”
He gives me a knowing look. “Cooking and killing someone is very different.”
“I’ve envisioned stabbing someone while I was cutting meat or vegetables,” I mutter. “I know it’s different. And I know that I have to aim for a vital part, my father made sure I knew what they were.”
Kieran runs his hands down the back of my head. “I don’t want to give it to you, but I will.”
“Thank you.”
I pull away from Kieran, and the dagger magically appears in his hand.
“We will get you a sleeve to put it in so you don’t harm yourself when you are carrying it,” Kieran tells me. “Now, how about we go enjoy some lunch.”
“Do you think this will work?” I ask as my palms get sweaty the more we walk in the forest.
“Yes, I think it will,” Kieran replies. “This was the last known place they saw her and I have no doubt she is still near.”
“But what if she doesn’t come because you are with me?” I can’t help but ask.
“She will come, don’t worry.”
I look around, but the forest is empty… quiet.
“I don’t think she’s coming,” I mumble. “Maybe we should just go back to the palace.”
I want to be anywhere but here. I need to be anywhere but here.
“You’re going to be okay. I’m not going to allow anything to happen to you,” Kieran says as we stop walking.
My hand holds the dagger as my eyes sweep across the forest, trying to find out where Avira is.
“Kier—”
The words fall from my lips as Avira stands right in front of us both.
“I thought you would never show up,” she says as she cocks her head to the side. “Do you know how many times I tried to get the guard’s attention?”
Before I can utter a word, Fae males surround Avira, grabbing her arms and placing some metal cuffs around her wrists.
“You won’t be able to cast any spells while these are on you,” Kieran announces.
“This seems too easy,” I mumble to myself.
“We cast some spells earlier that didn’t allow her to leave the forest,” Kieran tells me. “We knew she was in here, but not where. Avira has never been the brightest witch, have you?”
“She was always the dumb one.” Elias chuckles. “Lazy.”
“So don’t worry,” Kieran says.
I don’t know if I can do this, I mumble through the bond. I know I need to kill her but seeing her now… I don’t know if I can do it.
Then let’s do it together. We’ll both hold the dagger, my hand over yours. You can look away, he replies and then grabs my hand.
“Any last words?” Kieran asks.
“I should have killed you all in the beginning,” she spat. “I should have killed every single one of you with my bare hands.”
“Sadly, you weren’t smart enough to think ahead. Did you ever think the day would come when the spell was broken?” Kieran taunts her.
“No.”
“I hope wherever you go when you die is painful,” Kieran says.
Before Avira can say anything, Kieran lifts my hand in the air and plunges it into her heart. I stare in horror as blood pools out of the wound when Kieran yanks the knife out of her.
I continue to stare at her as the guards let her go and her body falls to the ground. I killed her.
I killed Avira.
Tears pool in my eyes, and I drop the dagger, looking at my hand.
“Shh, you’re okay,” Kieran whispers as he pulls me into his embrace. “Everything is going to be okay.”