Page 4 of A Petal in the Crown

Wicked.

"You can’t." Janelle pushed forward, pleading as she moved as close to Lea as possible, until her toes were up against the line of fire. "You have to know that. Please.Please, think about this."

Lea didn’t answer, didn’t seem to want to hear her own voice again as she lifted the vial, the sweet smell of death growing stronger. The wind tipped her hand up, pushing the bottle closer to her lips.

"Stop!" Janelle cried. "He’s gone, Lea! He’sgone! He’s not here!"

"Then I will find him wherever heis." Lea pinned them with a stare, as if daring them to challenge her again.

"Do you want her to die?" Thomas pointed at Emma. "Only you can pick the petals. If you’re not here… You’ll kill everyone, Lea." Thomas’s words sent a wave of grief across the hill, and Erik hoped Lea felt it through her haze. "Emma will die. The rebels. The sick. Every single one of them will die without the moonflowers.Yourpeople will die." He was begging, groveling without shame, and it seemed to be working. Lea paused.

Erik nodded his head in agreement, his heart pounding. "Go on, Thomas," he whispered. Thomas knew exactly what he was doing. Playing on Lea’s sense of obligation to her friends; her need to protect the people she loved. It had always been her greatest weakness, and right now, it was their best chance.

"You’ve worked so hard for this moment. To cure the Lonely Death." Thomas continued. "You can’t let it slip away in your anger. You can’t let everyone die trying to bring someone back who's already gone."

"Iwon’tlive without him," Lea hissed, unable to contain her rage as her flames and shadows exploded, the war inside her appearing to almost rip her in two.

Erik grimaced, grunting as he was forced to use more magic to protect them from Lea’s flames.

"I won’t take it, Lea," Janelle said, lifting her chin in defiance, as if sensing Lea’s moment of weakness. She pulled her shoulders back, her eyes piercing and unyielding. Her throat bobbed as she swallowed, and her cheeks pinched inward in pain as a welt on her neck opened and began to weep. Erik’s stomach dropped, but he didn’t interrupt her.

Janelle stared Lea down. "If you’re making stupid decisions, I’m going to make them right along with you."

"I won’t either.Hundredsof our soldiers have the Lonely Death. They need you to pick petals for them, too. I’m not going to take the cure and leave the rest of our army to die," Thomas said firmly. "You can still change things. They need you.Weneed you."

The monster inside Lea seemed to pause, her wild, frantic eyes darting between the four of them as her chest heaved up and down. After several agonizing seconds, Lea corked the potion, but kept it fisted tightly in her palm.

"Fine," Lea relented, squeezing her eyes shut, a sob bursting from her throat as she pushed the vial back into her boot.

Without speaking and as quickly as possible, Lea grabbed a root from the ground and wrenched it free. She wrapped her fingers around the base of the vine, squeezing tight as she ripped it through her closed fist. The flowers tore from their stems; the thorns slicing through Lea’s skin with ease. But she didn’t care; hardly seemed to notice.

Blood streamed from her torn palms as she grabbed another root, her fire dimming slightly. She pulled the vine through her hand, thenanother and another, until she had a pile of moonflowers at her feet big enough to save the entire rebel army ten times over.

Lea collapsed, defeated, tears filling her eyes.

Janelle was at her side in an instant, soothing her as sobs wracked Lea’s body. "I’m so sorry, Lea. I’m so, so sorry."

"I’m going to destroy Alaric for this," Lea sobbed, almost sounding like her old self. "I’m going to tear him limb from limb. I’ll flay the skin from his bones. I’ll—"

"We’ll help you do it," Erik said, his voice thick with sorrow and unshed tears.

"Please," Lea trailed her trembling fingers across the black, bloody welts on Janelle’s skin. "Eat the petal. All of you." Lea used her shadows to place one in each of her friends’ hands. "I can’t lose anyone else." Tears flowed down her cheeks, her emotions bubbling over until she could hardly breathe. Crawling over to Gray’s body, she laid herself across him, running her hands through his hair. "I can’t lose any of you."

Janelle narrowed her eyes. "Give me the potion," she demanded.

A shiver rushed down Erik’s spine as he processed Janelle’s accusation.

Lea jolted, her eyebrows creasing as a look of mock betrayal crossed her face.

"You don’t trust me? After everything we’ve been through?" Lea’s voice cracked.

Janelle stood firm, her arms crossed in front of her, unyielding.

Lea pulled the potion from her boot, throwing it at Janelle. "Here then. Just. Please—" she begged. "Please, eat the petal."

Erik’s heart sank as he watched Lea beg for them to save themselves. She’d lost so much already. Her mate. The love of her life. "We’ll take the cure," Erik said, placing a hand on Janelle’s shoulder. "Right? We have thepotion." His eyes skated across her skin, lingering on each welt. "You’re getting worse," he said softly, just to Janelle, his chest growing tight.

Janelle continued to stare at Lea, her eyes sparkling with tears, her lips pressed together. For several agonizing seconds, she didn't answer. Erik's heart pounded as another welt opened, this time on her arm. "Please," he begged.

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