Page 72 of Ash and Roses

“I was in no state for that.”

“But you would have if you’d never been cursed?”

“Yes. That was what I’d been trained for.” An image of the scar on his side floods back to me. The scar he’d received while training when he was seventeen. Training in preparation of slaughtering my people and giving me to his brother. “You have to believe me, Abby. When the crown fell to me, I didn’t want any of that. I would have never brought war to Lunae. That’s why I wanted you as far away from here as possible.”

“Away from here or away from you?”

“Both.”

His words hurt, but there’s a bigger issue at hand. Jade came here wearing the Commander’s mask, leading an army of Guardians, and possibly much worse. I turn to him. “What happened to your escorts?” I still can’t believe that Ruben is dead, and if Jade had anything to do with that…

Jade raises a brow as if confused, but something in his expression tells me he knows exactly what I’m talking about. “Escorts? What ever do you mean?” His tone is mocking, and it’s nothing like the Jade I thought I knew.

“He killed them all,” Quinn growls. “I can smell the blood on him.”

“I’m not a monster,” Jade retorts, and I want to believe him, but the winged creature in front of me makes that difficult. “I left two alive.” But not Ruben. He doesn’t have to say it.

Quinn’s neck arches as the anger flickers within him. “I gave you a chance to leave with your life!”

“She is my life!” Jade shouts back. “I’d be dead if not for her.”

I put my hands up as if that will stop them from lunging at each other. I’m tired of this, and I’m not about to let this devolve into a fight over me like I’m nothing but some prize to be won.

When they both go silent, I turn to Jade and lay a hand over his chest. The heart that beats beneath my fingers feels as it always did, but it’s far from the human heart I thought it was. “You owe me nothing. Please, just go.”

“No!” They both shout the word.

“He had his chance.” Quinn’s voice is a low growl, and his neck arches again with another jolt.

“Quinn, calm down. It doesn’t have to be this way.” He’s close to changing. I can see it in his features and the slight reddening of his eyes.

“I’m the monster here, aren’t I?”

“You don’t have to be!” When is he going to realize that he’s only as much of a monster as he believes himself to be?

“How do you expect me to let him live when he murdered Ruben?”

“It was self-defence.” Jade reaches behind him as if to grab an arrow, but his back is bare. A bow of fire springs to life in his hands, the cocked arrow pointed towards the ground. That means little, because I’ve seen how quickly Jade can fire.

Quinn stiffens from what could be anger or surprise. This magic is likely new to him, just as it’s new to me. “What will it be when you pierce my heart with your arrow?”

“Justice.” Jade raises the fire-bow just as Quinn’s entire body jerks.

I have to stop this. I won’t have either of them die. Jade may be leading this attack, but I have to believe that his actions are from a place of love. To him, this is nothing but a rescue mission.

I do the only thing I can think of and put my hands on either side of Jade’s face. His flaming bow dissipates as quickly as it had appeared and his eyes flick from the still shaking Quinn to me. “I’ll go with you. If you leave him alive, I’ll go with you.”

“You wish mercy on your captor?”

“He’s never hurt me. He’s not what you think he is.”

“What do you say, prince?” Jade taunts.

I ignore him and turn to Quinn. There’s so much pain in his eyes—betrayal and heartbreak—for both Ruben and me. Ruben was like a father to him, and if he’s truly dead, then this will be the second father Quinn has lost. He’ll no doubt blame himself for this death, too.

‘Quinn.’He ignores me, but a tremor runs through him that’s different from the violent convulsions already enthralling him.‘Quinn,’I try again, and his eyes slide from Jade to me, softening the instant they meet mine.

‘Please don’t leave me.’He whispers in my mind, and the utter heartbreak that comes with them is crippling. It mingles with my own, and the thing it morphs into is pure agony.

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