Page 142 of A Fate so Cruel

Water gushed out from one side of the mountain, running across the flat ground, searching for another crevice to sink into.

Dust and debris flew up and around his body, then just as quickly, the world fell silent again.

Particles lingered in the air, burning his nose and staining his cheeks. He didn’t care that it clung to his tears. Didn’t bother wiping them away, either.

Rion stared at the rubble, at the cracks under his feet, then a shuddering breath went through him and he collapsed. Pain returned to his body tenfold as the adrenaline ebbed and he cried out against it, cursing the gods for ever letting him walk the earth.

Every shift of his body hurt.

Everything . . . hurt.

He was nothing all over again. A being left to survive in a cruel world that didn’t want him.

Rion roared at the heavens and the thunderous clouds rolling in. It felt as if the sky itself was ready to weep right alongside him.

Time passed. He didn’t know how long. The roar in his veins simmered to burning coals, and Rion continued staring at the crumbled mountain.

It reflected everything he felt. He was broken, no longer able to return to his former self. Even if someone miraculously managed to put the pieces back together, all it would take would be a small shift to bring it back down again.

The sky rumbled overhead, then the rain began to fall. He tilted his head back to let the cool drops hit his face. Then finally took a deep breath.

Then another.

And another.

He had to get out of here. He needed to go home. Once again, he was running to Saoirse with wounds from another.

Another breath and Rion forced his aching body to stand. He could handle physical pain. He could get back to Nàdair. So long as he didn’t think about—fresh tears rolled down his cheeks, hot and angry.

He deserved this. Deserved every second for being so gullible and stupid.

Rion drew his magic around his body, feeding the frenzied storm even as the rain continued to beat down on his back. He took a single step, caged his heart in steel, and began the long, agonizing trek home.

He wouldn’t look back.

His breath was ragged, his heart rate sporadic. Warm rain rolled down his face, or maybe those were more tears.

He grew numb. Cold. But pushed on.

Night and day came and went. His body screamed, begging to stop. To fall. To fail.

His back throbbed, his muscles ached, and his heart bled, and bled, and bled.

He refused to give in, even when waves of emotion overwhelmed him and he wanted to tear the land to shreds. Rion took that emotion and buried it in a well within himself.

He would remember. This drowning pain was the direct result of him putting his trust in others.

Images began pouring through his mind. Memories of her.

The first conversation. The first lure. A female who desired the basic comforts of life. Someone who was innocent.

The first kiss, a ploy meant to throw off not only the citizens, but him as well. A taste that would leave him wanting more. And gods, he’d wanted so much more.

Both memories went into the well, falling deep.

Her tugging him around the marketplace, then changing into a dress that was to serve as a distraction. A distraction for him.

The way she’d planned to be caught so she could pull him close, then see how volatile his temper turned. A test to see how she might navigate him.

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