Page 100 of The Horned King

N P D S W L A L R I I W S A O M V Y E H R R F D A N S A T D I

Within a few minutes of me starting to take notes on a blank paper and organizing the letters, Kairon walks through the doors, pausing at the entryway with nothing more than mere annoyance as he sees the mess I've made of his papers. "What have you been doing?"

"What were you looking for?" I ask, knowing exactly what proof he was after but needing him to tell me anyway.

"Elva," he laughs, teasing me to distract me from the truth I'm moments away from seeing, "I know I promised your safety, but must you taunt me so by going through my private things?"

I scoff, "These are mostly just my letters to Shan. Mine and a couple of my colleagues. But you've been searching for whoever sent the assassin and had Shan on their side, so why is this what you've been looking at?"

"My Elva," he starts again, and I ask the question louder.

"Why?"

"I can't tell you," he finally says, resilience making him staunch.

"For strategic reasons? Or personal ones?"

"Yes," he answers. "Both."

"I could make you tell me." I raise a brow in challenge. "Just a little push and you'd tell me anything I want to know."

One side of his lips lifts in a smirk. "I know that, sweet Elva. But you won't."

"Why wouldn't I?" I ask.

"Because no one likes hiding from the truth more than you." His smile turns sad. "The proof has been right in front of you all along, and you've chosen not to see it."

"That's not fair," I tell him. "I've only just found these."

"You did not need all of this to know who is responsible for the attacks against you."

I scoff, "You're operating on the assumption that everyone is as dastardly as you."

With a laugh, he sits beside me, twirling my hair in his fingers and making my head spin. "Darling girl, no one is as dastardly as me. I would have succeeded where they did not."

"That's very comforting, thank you." Sarcasm drips from my tongue. He has no right to be so charming when I'm still so furious.

"It should be." He fingers my blonde curls again. "You have the worst villain of them all on your side."

Slapping his hand away, I argue, "You are not on my side. You are on your own side, and I am nothing more than a prisoner in this war you're fighting against an invisible foe. We got nothing from Shan, his mind too shredded by the spell controlling him."

Shoulders drooped in defeat, Kairon slumps into his chair. "Invisible foe? You're looking at the proof right now and still don't believe it. What is this letter? I hadn't even noticed this one."

"Proof? All this is, is evidence that you keep very thorough but very disorganized records of missives sent and that someone from home doesn't know how to spell. They even got my name wrong." My heart rate climbs, knowing that I am not ready to hear the truth that I know is coming.

"If it's just poor letter writing, why are you recording all the misspells? Are you going to run home just to tutor someone in proper spelling?" he teases again.

"I might, just to spite you," I tell him.

He nearly growls, reaching for my jaw and forcing me to look at him. "Let me make myself clear, my sweet. If you do something stupid and get yourself killed, I will raze this entire world to rubble. Not a single soul on this earth will be safe from me if you no longer occupy it. Do you understand me?"

I bite my tongue, refusing to answer.

"Answer me," he orders. "Tell me you understand the consequences of your demise."

"I understand," I finally relent, furious and yet powerless against his touch.

"Good girl," he speaks against my lips before pressing a chaste kiss to them, one I'm hopeless to deny with the way he brutally grips me. "Now, let's solve this riddle so you can see what I already know to be true."

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