Page 152 of Once the Skies Fade

Her shallow breaths deepened as she stilled, yielding to me little by little. Loosening my hold on her, I stroked her hair with my hand, thankful when the bond quieted and her pulse slowed.

“You were the job, yes, but the more time I spent with you, the better I got to know you, the clearer it became that I’d royally fucked it up.”

She lifted her face, tucking her hands between us to peer up at me. “How?”

Pulling back slightly, I slipped my finger beneath her chin and angled her head so I could see her more clearly. I took a deep breath as I studied her face, etching every curve, every freckle, every line into my memory. I bit the inside of my lip to fight back the nerves, knowing once this was said there was no turning back, no walking away, at least not with my heart intact.

“I let myself care,” I whispered. Grabbing her hand, I pressed it against my chest. “You feel that, don’t you? Through the bond? My heart is yours—if you’ll accept it. Fuck, even if you won’t, Calla, it is yours. Completely and eternally yours.”

Her tongue slipped out to wet her lips as she searched my eyes for several agonizingly long moments. Pulling her bottom lip between her teeth, she held my gaze even as her tears returned, but when she finally spoke again, it wasn’t the words I’d hoped to hear. “But…why did you have that dagger? The poison?”

I choked down my dread. “You know why,” I whispered.

A single tear escaped, sliding down her cheek. Her mouth pressed into a thin line. “I want to hear you say it. Why were you really here?”

Swallowing hard, I grazed her cheek with my thumb a few times. The answer could drive her away from me forever, but worse than that, it would hurt her more than I already had. But there could be no more lies.

“I was to kill you,” I said, struggling to get the words out past my tightening throat.

“They think I killed him?” Calla’s voice was so quiet and meek, more like a frightened child than a terrifying queen.

I forced myself to hold her stare and face the pain I’d caused her. “They didn’t want to believe it, but with the rumors, they had to at least consider the possibility. So they sent me to learn the truth.”

“With the command to kill me if the rumors proved true,” she noted. I hummed my assent. “So what did you learn? About the truth, I mean.”

“I learned you have a temper,” I said, tugging playfully at a lock of her hair. “And you are strong, passionate, determined, but also broken. You don’t want anyone to see it, can’t let anyone see it, but I did. I see you, Calla, and I don’t believe the rumors. I don’t think you did it.”

“Because I didn’t. I didn’t kill him,” she said, and her eyes widened in surprise, her fingers flying to her lips. “I said it,” she whispered.

I lifted a brow. “You’ve never said it before?”

She shook her head, and a long-overdue smile lit up her face. Wiping the last remnants of her tears away, she explained, “I couldn’t. Minerva. Silence was the price I paid for her magic.”

“What did you get in return?” I asked, hoping it was worth it.

“Brennan’s true killer. I asked Minerva to reveal the ones behind his death. It was Wrenwick. The Olanders.” She dropped her gaze from mine, a wave of shame thrumming down the bond as she said, “Humans.”

“And this is why you banished them? To protect them?” I asked.

She nodded. “Yes, as backwards as that sounds. I didn’t want to hurt them, but every time I looked at them, I saw Brennan dying on that floor. I couldn’t serve them.”

“And you couldn’t tell anyone?” I asked, brushing her hair away from her forehead.

“No one. Not even when I was alone. I wonder if the old witch knows the bond is immune to her magic.”

“Well, let’s not go telling her. She may have helped save Connor, but she’s a tricky bitch I’d rather avoid. What had you hoped to do with her information? If you couldn’t tell anyone, why bother knowing? Just for your own peace of mind?”

“I may have also had Minerva curse his killer.”

I froze. “What? And what did that cost you?”

She shrugged, her smile wavering only slightly. “Just a bit of my shadows.”

“And do you know what the curse was?”

“No. I didn’t care. I just wanted them to suffer as I had.”

She remained quiet for a long moment, staring at my chest. Her smile slowly faded, though.

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