Page 121 of Crucible

Khalil has a fucking point. Even if we convinced Sunshine to stay, when Zeke wakes up, it all comes crashing down on us. Iwon’t be around to protect Aurelia, while Khalil and Thorin will be forced to choose between their best friend and the woman who hates us. Letting her go isn’t an option either because she’ll almost certainly be back to ruin us in return.

“You’re supposed to be on our side,” I hear Khalil call after me.

“Newsflash, I wasneveron your side. Zeke might think you care for him, but I don’t. Friends don’t leave.”

Khalil sighs. “Seth…stop.”

“Why?”

“Stop!”

Scowling, I slowly turn around to see what the fuck is so urgent and find Khalil no longer looking like he wants to murder me. He looks like he wants to hug me.

I can’t decide which possibility makes me hate him more.

“What the fuck is it?”

“I’m sorry, okay? I’m sorry I wasn’t there when you needed me. I’m sorry I didn’t try harder to convince you to come on the road with me when I asked, and I’m so fucking sorry I let that much time pass without us speaking. If I hadn’t…” He lets his sentence hang as he drops his head. His broad shoulders tremble, and I have the feeling he’s holding on by a frayed thread. “If I hadn’t, I would have known something was wrong. I could have gotten you out sooner. I’m sorry I took so long to remember my brother. I’m sorry I wasn’t a better one to you.”

Swallowing past the emotions knotted in my throat takes some effort. “Why are you telling me this? I’m not Zeke.”

It’s the only thing I can think to say because I can’t let him off the hook that easily. All I know is my resentment. Burning hate is the only way I know how to connect with them at this point. That…and Aurelia. And Khalil just told me he’d take her from me, too, one day.

Fuck him.

“I know that,” he says quickly. “I just…” Khalil’s chest expands when he breathes in and out deeply. “I don’t just think of you as being a part of Zeke. You are real, and I care aboutyou,Seth.That makes you my brother, too, even if you don’t feel the same.”

He reaches for me, but I take a step back as my gaze narrows. “How do I know you’re not just saying this so that I won’t let you hurt Sunshine?”

“Because you were right, okay? I don’t want to be rid of her.”

“I knew it!” Forgetting the heavy topic of my imprisonment and daily torture, I grin triumphantly when the discussion returns to Sunshine. “You feel her too, don’t you? She doesn’t just have us by the cock and balls, Khalil.” I tap the side of my head with my finger. “She’s in here too, pressing against your skull.”

Khalil gives me a dead look. “I think they call that a tumor, Seth.”

“Oh, yes, I know.” I continue to grin until it feels like my face will break. “Love. It’s gloriously gory, isn’t it?”

And Aurelia, our gorgeous little tumor, is quickly spreading and working her deadly magic on us all. I love her so fucking much.

Two down, one to go.

Thorin’s a stubborn bastard, but Aurelia doesn’t give up easily—not that she’ll admit what she’s doing to us. Aurelia’s a ruthless queen who wants to burn the world. All she needs is us. Her loyal fire-breathing dragons who will protect and avenge her.

Someone should tell her.

No, that might scare her off.

Better to lay low and let her conquer us one by one.

It takes another hour for Khalil and I to reach the exfil point where we’re choppered to the camp. Once our boots are on theground, we track down Sheriff Kelley, who’s speaking to one of the rangers. Spotting us, he ends his conversation and walks over.

“Appreciate you boys making it down so quickly. I know it was last minute.” The sheriff’s gaze bounces between Khalil and me before searching behind us and realizing it’s just the two of us. “It looks like you’re missing one,” he observes slowly. “Where’s Thorin?”

“Sorry, Sheriff. We got caught up in that squall last week, and Thor caught a nasty case of pneumonia,” I say, delivering the excuse we’d rehearsed to explain Thor’s absence before Khalil and I took off. “He stayed at home to finish recovering.”

After Aurelia’s failed escape attempt, we’d be morons to leave her alone again, so Thorin volunteered to stay behind and keep an eye on her. She’s been on her best behavior ever since we saved her, and I’d like to think she’s finally settling in, but I know it’s more likely that she’s feeling discouraged after almost dying.

Her feelings of defeat won’t last, so Thor, Khalil, and I have been on guard all week, keeping her mind inside our cabin so that she stops thinking of the life she lost.

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