Page 70 of Decoy

But he’d already released his last shuddering breath…and was silent. For a long moment I stared at his unmoving body, failing to understand what had happened before it overcame me in a rush.

He was dead. I’d killed him.Me.

I’d spent a lifetime dreading the moment when I’d finally cross the line from which there was no return and kill someone, but never in even my most horrific imaginings did I anticipate it’d be my ownfather. No matter how long I stared, I couldn’t take in the blood slowly pooling the floor or the corpse before me. I willed it to show any sign of life…yet it remained entirely still.

He was truly dead.

A wail I didn’t immediately recognize as my own tore from my throat. I frantically tried to wipe away the blood staining me, but no matter how hard I scrubbed, I could still feel it clinging to my hands. The scent was overpowering, but nowhere as consuming as the horror ravaging my mind with what had just happened.

I’d killed him, killed him,killed him…

Arms came around me from behind, encircling me in an embrace. Desperate for an anchor to keep from drowning in this all-consuming nightmare, I spun around and seized her. Midst her comfort, the tears I’d spent a lifetime suppressing finally escaped. I clutched her desperately and broke into shuddering sobs.

“I—killed—him—”

“No, you protected me,” she murmured soothingly. “It was self-defense. There’s a difference, Luke.”

What did it matter when the end result was the same? Yet even through my heartache, I couldn’t fully regret what had happened, considering she was alive and her gentle comfort was with me right now to heal my heart.

I caressed her cheek, leaving behind a stain of crimson. “I’m relieved that you’re alright, that I was able to protect you. I would do it again.”

The pain I felt now was only a fraction of the devastation I’d experience if it were her blood staining the floor instead of Father’s…which only reminded me of the wound he’d managed to inflict before I struck him.

My despair immediately shifted focus. “Did he—”

“It’s only a scratch,” she hastily assured me.

Even so, I needed to see it for myself to reassure myself she was truly alright. I pushed through my usual reservations about being so close to blood in order to examine her skin through the torn fabric; not only was her blood special, her being wounded was much preferable to the pale and lifeless alternative. As she’d said, the wound was shallow, an assurance she would live and remain with me.

She took a shaky breath. “Why did you save me? You disregarded your title, your family, your mission…all for me. I’m so sorry, I never imagined I would be the reason you—” She swallowed, unable to speak of the death I’d inadvertently caused. “How many times will you endure your greatest fear for my sake?”

Once more I cradled her face, finding some semblance of comfort just from touching her. “As many times as I need to, for my greatest fear is no longer blood, but losing you.”

The blessed thought of her being alive and still with me gave me the strength to push through my wave of nausea to tend to her. I carefully cleaned and bound the wound, a moment made almost romantic when each igniting touch confirmed that despite our unconventional relationship, all we felt for one another was real—a light midst a moment that should have been the darkest of my life.

I loved her, and because of my love, I would find a way to break the curse not just for the sake of my family, but to escape the shadows’ intentions towards her, even if currently I couldn’t see any way out.

She caught a glimpse of this conflict. “The shadows still want you to kill me.”

“I will find a way to stop it.”

Even midst her pain, she managed a smile. “I was right to trust you.”

Never had words meant so much to me. Despite everything, this moment solidified our tentative trust in one another, an assurance that no matter the path forward, we’d be able to face whatever was to come…together.

CHAPTER20

BLAIR

I’d perceived the surrounding shadows differently ever since discovering Luke’s true identity, no longer seeing them as a natural phenomenon but as a sinister force with a mind of its own. They seemed to constantly watch me, not as guards with a charge to protect me but as an assassin lying in wait to attack…a particularly unnerving sensation when shadows could be found all across the grounds. They seemed much darker and thicker, as if my guilt for being the cause of the duke’s demise by Luke’s hand had caused them to grow.

I wanted to ask Luke about them, but it was too soon after his father’s death. He’d only satisfied my curiosity with the basic logistics of how his curse worked—the shadows lent him their magic through an exchange of blood, either through a kill or a small amount paid by their master, just enough to sate their unquenchable appetite necessary for their powers.

I mulled that information over along with the only useful tidbit I’d discovered amongst the forbidden tomes—that the palace’s enchanted locks opened upon recognizing the blood flowing beneath a royal’s skin rather than the royal themselves. Ifbloodwas all that was required, I wondered if I could use the shadows’ affinity for it to my advantage.

Their powers were undoubtedly reserved for those they forged a contract with. I doubted a few shared kisses with the new head of the Shadow house would be a strong enough connection to grant me access to the shadows’ powers, but I hoped it’d be inconsequential in the face of their bloodlust that might make them willing to participate in a trade for my own mission, finally granting me the missing piece in overcoming the enchantment barring me from my goal.

They were more likely to obey Luke, but I couldn’t ask for his help, else he’d realize I required a trick to access the royal treasury, leaving me to my own devices. Failure was guaranteed if I didn’t at least try.

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