Page 39 of When Kings Fall

I meet Diarmuid’s eyes, then Selene’s. “I want this. I want us. All of us. And I can’t keep pretending like I don’t. I need you both.”

For a moment, none of us speak. The weight of my confession hangs in the air, thick and heavy, but also strangely freeing. I’ve said it. I’ve let it out. Now, I can breathe again.

Diarmuid is the first to move. He steps toward me, his hand resting on my shoulder. His touch is gentle, almost hesitant as if he’s afraid I’ll pull away, but I don’t.

“You don’t have to protect yourself from us,” he says quietly. “Not anymore.”

I look up at him, blinking back the tears that threaten to fall. He’s right. I’ve been trying to protect myself, but all I’ve done is build walls that have kept me isolated. It’s time to let them down.

Selene steps forward, too, her face pale but determined. She reaches out, placing her hand over mine.

“We’re in this together,” she says softly. “No more walls. No more running.”

I nod, my heart swelling with something I haven’t felt in a long time: hope.

Diarmuid looks between the two of us, and I can see the decision forming in his mind. He doesn’t like it, but he knows what’s coming.

“We’re finishing this,” Selene says, her voice steady now. “We’re going to the president. We’re going to finish what we started.”

Diarmuid closes his eyes for a moment, then exhales slowly. When he opens them again, the fight is gone. He’s not angry anymore. He’s resigned but also protective.

“Alright,” he says. “But you listen to me this time. Both of you. No more reckless moves.”

Selene and I nod. We understand. We’re not just three people on separate paths anymore. We’re a unit, a family, and we have to start acting like it.

Diarmuid steps back, his gaze shifting to the body still lying on the ground. “We need to move. It won’t take long before they find out what happened here.”

I glance at the man I shot, a cold shiver running down my spine. The reality of what I did is still sinking in, but I don’t regret it. I saved Diarmuid’s life. I saved Selene’s.

And we’re all still standing.

Diarmuid moves the body, and Selene makes her way over to me, holding out her hands to help me rise. I stand both of us, a bit wobbly on our feet.

“I need this to be over,” I confess, like it’s the first time.

Selene glances down the tunnel as if she can see the outcome. “It will end, but not if we go home. We are too close to figuring this all out.”

She’s right, but I hiccup on a sob. I wish I could close my eyes, and all this would be over. My body and mind are tired.

Selene places her hand in mine. “We are nearly there.”

I nod as tears fall free. God, I hope she’s right.

CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

Diarmuid

THE LIGHTS FLICKER overhead, a steady rotation of darkness and light that grows more disorienting the further we go. The utility lamps, spaced out and weakening, do little to chase away the shadows that creep along the walls of these tunnels. The air feels thick and damp, clinging to my skin and mixing with the sweat already beading on my brow. Selene’s footsteps are uneven beside me, her breathing shallow and ragged. I can tell she’s pushing herself too hard, but she refuses to say it. She always does.

I reach out before she stumbles again, catching her arm. “Selene.”

She pulls away sharply, her eyes flashing at me in the dim light. “I’m fine.”

Her voice is clipped, tight with frustration. I know she’s not fine. Her face, pale beneath the sporadic lighting, gives her away. But it’s not just exhaustion in her expression; there’s something deeper, something pulling at her from the inside. I know that look too well. It’s the same one I see in the mirror some nights.

“Stop,” I mutter, my grip on her arm tightening, but not in a way that she can escape. I can’t let her pull away this time. “You promised me.”

That gives her pause. Her body stiffens, and for a moment, I think she’s going to snap at me again. But then, her shoulders sag just the slightest bit, and she doesn’t fight me when I pull her closer. I’m not sure if it’s because of the promise she made or if she’s simply too worn out to argue. Either way, she lets mehold her, her weight sinking slightly against me as we continue forward.

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