Page 68 of Decoy

What if I’d been born into a different family and we’d instead met outside the curse? Free from its looming shadow, we’d be allowed to explore what was blooming between us…rather than ending it forever now thanks to its wicked dictates.

Before I lost my weak hold on my faltering willpower, I forced myself to push her against the wall—firmly enough so she couldn’t escape but gently enough so as not to hurt her—and rested the dagger against her neck…only to remain unable to deliver the fatal blow like I’d repeatedly rehearsed.

Her presence consumed me. I yearned to pin her not with a blade at her throat but to explore the emotions deepening the longer I knew her, forbidden wishes that weren’t mine to claim yet which had grown too powerful to resist. If only I’d killed her the night we’d met before she’d seduced away my will.

Yet from that very first moment, the battle had already been lost. For all my training, nothing could have prepared me for the most dangerous weapon of all:love.

Tears clogged my throat. “I’m so sorry. I’d give anything…but the curse, my sister…I want to protect her, end the darkness I’ve always loathed.”

“Even at the cost of your soul?”

“A soul comes at too heavy a price in the profession my birth doomed me to.”

It was what Father and all the assassins before me had sacrificed to the curse, along with the blood it constantly craved, what Malik had given up for the sake of our friendship, and what I’d now pay to spare my sister. She and the princess were my last connections to my humanity before the darkness tainted me forever, light that would become forever smothered the moment I stepped onto the path the shadows dictated.

The princess sensed my indecision and gave voice to the hopes that, try as I might, I couldn’t completely quench. “Killing me is what your curse desires, but I’m sure there’s another way outside their influence to save your sister.”

“But if you’re wrong…how can I risk it?”

“Because just as there are shadows, there’s also light. Though it may often seem as if we’re trapped within the darkness so long that we come to forget the light, it’s always there, even when we can’t currently see it. Rediscovering it allows it to illuminate an alternate way before us.” She smiled gently. “Your hope has kept you continuously reaching towards this light…which is why you’ve avoided killing me for so long. You’ve come too far to give up now; continue to fight for the future you believe in.”

Her words were like a drop of sunshine that dispelled the doubt clouding my mind, strengthening my resolve to protect her from the shadows currently seeking her life. My hold on my dagger faltered, yet still I couldn’t pull away.

She tilted her head. “If you’re unable to slit my throat, perhaps you could try poison.”

I released a shaky breath. “My reluctance has nothing to do with my aversion to blood. Even if I had no qualms against staining my hands, how can I kill you?Youare the reason I can’t kill.”

My heart could never want this, not just because of the aversion I’d spent years fighting to suppress that made it impossible for me to perform my expected duties, but because nothing seemed more important than protecting her precious life.

I lowered my knife and stepped away. She stroked her throat where the shadow of my blade lingered and stared at me with eyes wide with trust, despite everything. My weapon’s clatter echoed against the stone as I tossed it aside, a sound magnified in the tension-shrouded corridor.

“You must leave. Now.”

But she didn’t move. “I knew that the Shadow was only a role, not who you truly are: the wonderful man I’ve come to know, my dear Luke.”

I yearned for her faith in me not to be in vain, but it was immediately put to the test when I detected a sudden presence in the shadows that I recognized all too well. I shielded the princess just as Father emerged from the shadows, his eyes cold as he surveyed me.

“I should have known you were too weak.”

My breath hooked, and for a moment, shock robbed me of speech. “What are you doing here?”

“Malik is a loyal friend who valiantly tried to keep your secret, but in the end his worry for you compelled him to break your trust. He was prepared to conduct your kill for you, but he realized it wasn’t his place to kill the one whose bloodline was responsible for our curse. In the end, his loyalty lies with the head of this family, not the weak heir.” His lip curled as he took in my shock. “Not to fear, he didn’t completely betray you—he merely claimed you needed help fulfilling the shadows’ dictates; only now do I realize the full extent. Tell me, Son: have you fulfilledanyof your past missions?”

I’d managed to hide my failure for so long, only for it to be laid bear before him now. “I tried to poison her.” An attempt I was still utterly grateful had failed.

He rolled his eyes. “An effort I can clearly see proved successful.”

Despite his sarcastic barb his expression softened, giving me a rare glimpse of the father I’d admired before his own darkness from the constant bloodshed staining our family had hardened his heart. Seeing the father I’d fiercely missed only reminded me of my lifelong desire to live up to his expectations.

He stepped closer, forcing me against the princess as a secure shield. “Not to worry. I’ll clean up your mess and ensure your training is more thorough for the missions to come. Now step aside.”

I didn’t move. His eyes narrowed.

“You know she must die for the good of our family…or will you choose her at the cost of sacrificing everyone else?

Like dear Laila.

Reason warred, yet it wasn’t strong enough to eclipse my resolve. I could never sacrifice this remarkable woman for anything. I wanted to believe that there was another way, an alternate path of light I was forced to find sooner than I was prepared for.

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