Page 23 of The Sins of Silas

“I…Gods…” Edmund breathed, staring at his corpse. He turned to me. “I am so sorry…”

My lip threatened to tremble, but I knew it wouldn’t. Instead, I clenched my jaw so hard it hurt, and as I moved toward the dead body of a boy I knew well, I met eyes with Lena.

Her neck still had blood trailing down it.

“I’m sorry,” she whispered. I moved in closer, and Lena stepped aside as I kneeled, roughly retrieving my arrow from Finnan’s head.

I wasn’t sure what to say, but she shouldn’t be sorry. Finnan sealed his fate when he pressed that dagger to her throat…there was nothing any of us could have done.

She stood beside me, watching as I wiped the arrow clean on the boy’s shirt. I placed Finnan's dagger back in his hands and crossed his arms over his chest, my eyes locked on his lifeless face.

I could still remember him as a child, running through the castle hallways, listening in on meetings he wasn’t oldenough for. He was always so excited to be on the field, to grow up, to make his father proud.

What a fucking waste.

“I’m so sorry,” Lena repeated in a whisper as I rose.

My whole body stiffened when she touched me. Her hand was feather light on the back of my arm as if she was scared of me. I angled my head downward, looking into those bright green eyes and hating the pity that shone in them.

“I wish it didn’t go down like that,” she said quietly.

Everyone around us was staring now. I ground my teeth as I studied at her, then felt the eyes of the Empath. I spared a brief glance in his direction, taking note of his swirling dark eyes. Was it a look of…worry he wore? Of confusion?

I lifted my other arm and couldn’t help but notice Lena’s body tense, her eyes flaring.

Did she think I would hurt her?

Sighing, I placed my hand over hers, the one still resting on my arm, and gave it a gentle squeeze. Everyone was far enough away not to hear as I leaned down and whispered, “It isn’t the first life I’ve taken for you. I don’t expect it to be the last.”

A crease formed between her brows, and a lone tear slid down her cheek, her arm slacking to her side.

Elowen ran up to us. “Here,” she mumbled as she placed her palm over Lena’s neck.

“It wasn’t deep. Seriously, you don’t even need to heal it,” Lena averred.

“Nonsense," Elowen insisted. "If I can heal something, I will.”

As I walked away, I noticed Viola staring at me, her arms crossed over her chest.

“You could’ve let her die…easily,” Viola muttered as I was passing her. “But you didn’t.”

“Is that so surprising?” I questioned, my voice going low.

Merrick’s eyes had returned to their icy blue as he observed his sister healing Lena. She pulled her hand away, and the small gash was nowhere to be seen; the only thing left was the blood that dried on Lena’s neck.

Lena quickly rushed to our fire but glanced over at me before lighting it. “Should we relocate, Your Highness?”

I blinked, finding myself surprised that Lena had referred to me with that title with warmth in her voice. My eyes trailed back to Finnan, then surveyed all the dead bodies just steps from our campsite. The sun was nearly set, the sky a dark blue.

“Yes,” I agreed. “Just until we can’t see the bodies anymore.”

I sat before the fire, feeling numb. However, that was a normal emotion for me. Standard.

Still, I had learned to find enjoyment in killing. But this…this had brought me no pleasure.

My gaze was emotionless when it drifted up to Lena, who sat across from me. She and I were taking the first shift of the night together, and we had remained silent until now.

The flames danced in her eyes as she stood. “Nereida.”

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