Page 87 of The Shadow Heir

“My father has been alive for millennia. In that time, he’s fathered many heirs, and each of them have lived short lives for our kind. I only had the pleasure of meeting two of them, not including Alba. The rest died before I was born. I knew it would happen to me, too, and Alba after me, if I didn’t change the game.”

“I…I’m so sorry.”

He waved away my sentiments. “It’s why I never cared about my life, and why I was both fascinated and angered by people whodidcare about theirs. I knew I would die if I tried or die if I didn’t try, so there was little point. But after Augustín died, he showed me that there was a way—a possibility—that an heir might one day survive. I poured myself into this effort.”

“The antidotes?” I asked, wanting to touch him again. My hand moved out to his forearm, which felt hot.

He nodded, staring down at my hand against his cursed skin. “All I wanted before I died was to find something worth dyingfor.” He looked up at me now. “We feed ourselves with pleasure, with entertainment, with anything that can shock us from our numb, endless existence. Magic has its charms, but even its thrill dulls over time. You were right—what you said about us, about me. All this time, I’ve been searching for someone who could wake me up. I was numb, unable to feel the world around me or the life inside me, until I met you.” He stepped toward me, but then he bit his lip and angled his face away.

“What is it?” I breathed.

“I am born of darkness. I will not be your condemnation.”

My spine straightened. “And I cannot be your salvation.” He huffed as if I’d slapped him. “No, listen,” I said, poking his chest. “We are all born with darkness inside us. I—I’m not somesaint. You have been given power, that alone does not make you condemnable.”

He pushed my hair aside with both hands. “Past mistakes don’t scare me. I’ve got a list that will turn your blood cold. But I want to know you, Zara Valencia. Broken pieces and all. I want—I want more time. But we do not have it.”

His words kindled a fire in my chest. “Then all my broken pieces are yours.” I pulled his face down and kissed him again.

The edges of his mouth twitched. “How can you have so much life inside that tiny body?” He shifted forward so his hands rested on either side of my head against the wall. “You once said you wanted to watch me burn. So burn me. Light me on fire and take me down because I’ve never seen light like yours, and I’ll be forever blind if you leave. I want to catch fire with you.”

This time, I didn’t fear the rising flames inside me. I wanted them to consume me.

37

Zara

Before I was ready, Cas pulled away, his hands sliding down my ribcage to rest on my hips.

“My father returns in a little less than one hour. I’ve planned for this moment since he left, but…” His hands tightened. “My plan no longer supplies what I want.”

I swallowed. “Which is what?”

Instead of answering, his hands fell away. He scratched absently at a scar buried beneath the black lines creeping up his neck. If death awaited us both tonight, I could see no reason to hold back. I lifted a hand and traced the scar with one finger.

He leaned into my hand and kissed my wrist. “You can see them. My scars. Where the curse travels, my glamour disappears.”

“You don’t have to hide them from me.” I traced the line of the scar, and he angled his chin away so I could follow the raised skin to where it ended just below his collar. “Who did this?”

“My father.”

I pulled my hand back.

Cas let out a dry chuckle. “His dagger was what first showed me I could learn to resist iron. So, in the end, his cruelty saved me tonight, and it saved you.” At my raised brows, he added, “I was detained briefly tonight by iron shackles. No one knew I could resist iron.”

“I knew that,” I said, poking him where I'd stabbed him.

He smirked. “Yes, you did. But, come, I need to get you to a safe place. We’re out of time.”

Cas took my hand and led me through the palace halls. I’d never felt so high on adrenaline, joy, and fear at the same time. I’d finally found what I’d been looking for my entire life, but I stood to lose it in less than an hour.

We wove our way up a flight of stairs and around two corners, passing servants and fae alike running down the halls, all heading in the opposite direction from us. The servants paid us no mind, but the fae threw us quizzical looks, some nuanced with hate and others with surprise. He paused in front of a carved doorway that depicted an evergreen forest and tall mountains beyond.

“Alba took Ivy and, I assume, the others through this door. I sense that her magic has already passed through here, but I can’t tell who was with her when she left.” He scratched at the back of his neck. “Now, it’s your turn. When you’re through, I’ll destroy the door so no one can follow you. You’ll be far from Avencia, but you’ll be safe. With Alba with you, the bargain shouldn’t bind you again, at least not until my father realizes Alba isn’t coming back. But by then, I hope… well, Alba can help you find your way home when all of this is over.” He pulled something from his pants’ pocket and grabbed my hand. “Here.”

An uncut gemstone rested in my palm.

“I meant to give you this sooner.” The stone was yellow and about the size of a robin’s egg. It would be worth a fortune inAvencia. “And now if the dragons come for you, you’ll also be safe.”

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