Page 124 of The Throne's Undoing

"I do!" Graeson shouted, startling her. Black strands of hair fell in front of his face, and sweat coated his forehead. His breaths were ragged, his chest rising and falling hard with every intake.

"Graeson," she whispered.

Graeson turned his head away from her. "You need to leave."

"I already told you. I'm not going anywhere."

"I don't want--" Graeson swallowed, the lump in his throat dipping as Kallie caressed his cheek and gently turned him toward her. He looked at her, his eyes burning silver and twisting with pain. "I don't want to hurt you, Kalisandre."

"You won't hurt me."

"You don't...you don't understand." He shook his head, shaking his hair. "In this state, I'm--I--I don't have control."

"What state?" she pressed.

Graeson stared at her with such intensity that something broke within her. At that moment, she couldn't help but wonder if anyone had ever come for him. If anyone had ever fought to stay with him.

"Am I supposed to be afraid of you?" she asked.

Graeson's gaze bounced across her face. "You should be."

"Why?" Kallie's head tilted to the side. She recalled all the fights they had been in and knew, without a doubt, that Graeson had always held back when it came to fighting her. She had seen him take on multiple soldiers without breaking a sweat. But with her, he was always careful.

"In this state, logic and reasoning vanishes. I...I could hurt you. I'm a monster, Kalisandre."

But before Kallie could say a word, Graeson screamed out. His head slammed against the tree again, and the birds sitting among the branches scattered, the leaves rustling as they flew away.

"Run," he said through clenched teeth.

But Kallie didn't move.

She was not afraid of him. Not now, not ever. For once in her life, despite the past that divided them and begged to force them apart, she knew that she was safe with him.

Kallie wrapped her hands tightly around his, squeezing them, and stayed right where she was, her feet firmly planted on the ground.

Because while Graeson might have thought he was a monster, so was she. He hadn't abandoned her when she told him to. Instead, he always came back for her even when he shouldn't have. Even when she gave him no reason to.

And for that, if nothing else, Kallie wouldn't abandon him either.

Chapter 41

GRAESON

Graeson was losingthe battle that raged within him, and it was only a matter of time before he lost completely.

Yet as Kalisandre stood with him, her hand caressing his cheek and her presence engulfing him, he somehow managed to keep the beast within from ripping apart his body.

Still, even as his breathing steadied and his body stopped trembling, he knew he was only delaying the inevitable. With every passing moment, he could feel the internal clock clicking, the fight nearing its climax.

But Graeson would fight off the god as long as he could. For Kalisandre.

Until she was safe, until whatever was brewing in the East settled.

Until then, he would keep fighting, no matter how much strain it put on his body.

"Areyou going to explain to me what happened?" Kalisandre asked as they sat side-by-side against the trunk of the tree.

After an hour of fighting to hold onto the little strength he still possessed, Graeson's heart rate had finally settled. Still, he had no energy to return to the castle. Thankfully, it seemed he didn't need to.

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