Chapter 12
I had a front-row seat for the drama. Well, maybe not front-row, but close enough.
I’d been tucked away in my usual hiding spot behind the dungeon ever since I felt Scar’s resolve to confront Shayde, finally. Most of the back wall was carved into the stone mountain, but near the center, a narrow gap existed—just big enough if you climbed onto the roof and shimmied down.
This was where I came when I was bored. Hearing the prisoners’ pleas and complaints through the crack in the foundation always gave me a little perspective.
My life sucked, but theirs sucked worse.
Shayde’s confession confirmed what I already suspected about what happened on that mountain. Scarlet hadn’t fully channeled through the marekem to reach me, but her emotions were heightened enough that she didn’t need to.
From the moment she woke, one feeling consumed her. It was tangled with confusion, apprehension, and a whole cocktail of emotions, but at its core, it was unmistakable.
Betrayal.
Shayde Wylder stabbed her in the back, twisted the blade, and then had the audacity to act like he didn’t have a choice in the matter.
He was the one holding the fucking knife.
And I would be the one to do him the pleasure of stabbing him from the front. The last face he would see before his life faded away would be Scarlet’s, and he would endure every bit of pain he caused her, over and over, until his last breath.
My sister slammed the door behind her so hard that the wall I was leaning against shook.
You go, girl.
I started to climb my way out, but Shayde’s voice stopped me in my tracks. His question was quiet, almost hesitant.
“Have you told her, Rhodes?”
Rhodes’s silence revealed his answer. I lowered myself back into position, angling my head to catch every word. But the Wylder brothers remained quiet. Curiosity got the better of me, and I dared to peek through the crack.
Shayde sighed heavily, his shoulders sinking as he leaned against the bars, head bowed.
Then he mumbled under his breath, “You have to tell her. If you care even a bit about her—”
Rhodes slammed his hands against the bars with a force that rattled them.
His growl was low, seething. “Don’t you dare lecture me about caring for her, brother.
” His voice dripped with venom. “You are the reason for all of this.” He threw his arms wide, his expression pure lethality.
“You led her into a burning building—knowing damn well it was your hand that wielded the flames.”
“I know, Rhodes!” Shayde’s voice cracked, raw with something dangerously close to desperation. “I know! I was—and still am—a coward. But you and I both know your time is running out. If you want to keep her, you have to tell her the truth.”
Rhodes stood rigid, his chest rising and falling in sharp, unsteady breaths. His fists clenched so tightly his knuckles went white, nostrils flaring with barely contained fury.
Shayde pressed on. “Take it from someone who lost her, brother. You saw how she reacted when she found out I’m a mage. How do you think she’s going to react when she learns you are the very thing she just condemned me for?”