Page 139 of Elven Crown

Slightly larger than a quarter and triangular, its edges rounded and still glinting beneath her bedroom light even after the old Aegen breastbone from which it had been carved had clearly made the inter-world trip in Rowan’s possession, and who knew where else it had been?

The old Xaharí symbols carved into its face were still finely etched and perfectly legible.

Symbols that had been permanently branded into her in all ways but on her body.

The symbol of their promise to each other, her and Rowan. A promise made by others on their behalf but no less binding because of it.

A promise that bound them both to lives that never had been and never would be their own. To duty. To fate. To the Bloodshadow Court itself.

Binding Rebecca to everything she’d left behind, on purpose by choice.

The first real thing she had ever wanted for herself and pursued enough to seize.

She hadn’t wanted any of it back then. She sure as hell didn’t want it again now.

After what felt like an eternity focusing intently on that bone tile, she swallowed, took another deep breath, and forced herself with more strength than she expected to look up from his open hand and directly into Rowan’s hazel eyes instead.

“Put that away,” she commanded, her voice firm and steady and entirely certain. Unaffected and unattached, once again.

Back in control.

“It’s happening,” Rowan replied, leaning closer, his voice still pleading and alluring and sorrowful all at once. “The time has come,Kilda’ari. There’s no more denying it. You can’t keep running from this anymore.”

Just like that, the spell was broken.

He dared to tell heranythingand dress it up like a command?

“The fuck I can’t,” she spat, opening her hand as if that might ward him away from her. As if she might try to hit him again and this time succeed.

She would have done anything if it meant not having to look at that damn tile a second longer.

Now that she’d broken away, her irritation and indignant pride flooded right back into her, buoyed by a rush of fury.

That anyone would have come after her like this, try to get to her like this, was beyond believable. ThatRowanhad done it…

That was unforgivable.

“You think you know what you’re doing,” she told him, “but I’m done. I got out. I still have a choice in this, and I’ll keep running as long as I want. There’s not a damn thing you can do about it.”

She’d expected some backlash on his part. She’d seen it coming from a mile away. But she didn’t expect to see the hurt and disbelief in his eyes.

It made him look like he was caving in on himself before he lowered his voice into a murmuring plea. “Don’t say that.”

“That’s the thing, though, Rowan. I can say whatever I want now. I can do whatever I want.Bewhatever I want. That’s the whole fucking point! I’m not going back.”

“You made a vow—”

“Yeah, with a gun to my head!”

At his clueless frown, Rebecca rolled her eyes. “Figuratively speaking. And you know that. That vow? It’s meaningless. It was madeforus. I never had a choice. Neither did you.”

“And that’s somehow more important thanwhyit was made?” he asked. “More important than what’s expected of you? Of both of us?”

By the Blood, she wanted to scream at him. Instead, she lifted her chin and took a deep breath. “Yes. That’s exactly what I’m saying.”

“I was just the best option,” Rowan continued, his frown unwavering. “You’rethe Bloodshadow Heir. You have your purpose. You’ve known it from the very beginning. We’ve all known it. It’syours, and all the duty and responsibility that come with it. But this?”

He dropped a pained glance toward the bone tile in his open palm before closing his fist around again. “This isours.Ourpurpose. You and I,weshare this. We were always supposed to—”

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