“She loved him too,” I said.
Kerrington shook his head, his unkempt red hair flopping over one eye. “She betrayed him, just as you did.”
“Roisin never betrayed him. You see the necklace she’s wearing? It was a gift from Alrec. And the gold slippers on her feet? Another gift. Even the dress,” I said, not knowing if it was true. “She wears them because she loved him too, and she wants to keep his memory alive just like you do. He loved her more than he loved anyone else. And he would never forgive you if you hurt her.” That much I could say with complete confidence. “Your quarrel is not with Roisin. It’s with me.”
The blade in Kerrington’s hand trembled. “My quarreliswith you,” he mumbled, shoving her aside. Roisin stumbled over her skirts, falling to the ground with a cry when her hands met shards of glass.
Before I could reach her, Kerrington lunged with his blade. Pain exploded in my chest. His bloodshot green eyes narrowed, and he whispered, “And it ends now.”
I stumbled back, the hilt of a dagger stuck between my ribs and red blossoming over my white shirt. Roisin screamed, but I was already falling, my head slamming against unforgiving tiles and vicious glass. Blackness burst at the edge of my vision. I heard the sounds of a skirmish, but I couldn’t move to see who had won. I tried to breathe past the pain, but it felt as if I was swallowing water. Drowning on dry land.
The most beautiful woman I’d ever seen leaned over me, her silver hair haloed by sunlight. “Stay with me,” she begged. “I will never forgive you if you leave.”
My biggest regret was that I would never get to tell her how much I loved her.
Death’s icy fingers encircled my throat, dragging me into nothingness.
One final thought crossed my mind before my eyes closed forever:
At least I’m not alone.
23
ROISIN
A jagged woundthe size of my hand gushed blood from the base of Caiman’s ribs. Heat swelled along my neck as my magic insisted on healing the superficial wounds inflicted by Kerrington’s blade.
“Stay with me,” I pleaded, pressing my hands to Caiman’s abdomen. “I will never forgive you if you leave.”
Kerrington’s limp body lay in a pool of his own blood. Broderick’s sword clattered to the ground when he fell to my side, begging me to save the king. I closed my eyes, trying to drown out the sound of Caiman’s gurgling breaths, but my stubborn magic refused to go to him.
Come on.Come on!Please. Please.COME ON.
I’d been so miserable without him, missing his presence every moment of every day. But I’d needed time to work through everything. My grief. His betrayal. My guilt. I’d taken too long. And if I couldn’t get my magic to work, I wouldn’t be able to save him—
Warmth spread from my chest, down my arms to where Caiman’s blood soaked my fingers and . . .
Blocked.
My eyes flew open to find Caiman’s closed. His chest no longer rose. I shouted for him, but he didn’t wake. I tried to force my magic past the block. It refused to budge. “No . . . You can’t leave me.” The tears blurring my vision fell onto his blood-soaked shirt.
If only my mother were here. She was stronger. She could save him.
My mother.
Her words came back as if she’d been standing next to me.
If you could manage to force your magic past the block . . .
I had to save him.
He lied to you.
It didn’t matter. Not anymore.
It would drain you of your immortal life. . .
What good was forever without the man I loved?