Page 206 of The Last One
I hold Jadon’s desperate gaze. He and I…weapons both.
“I won’t destroy the world with him, Kai,” Jadon says, desperate. “Nor will I rule this realm with Gileon. I want to share Vallendor with you, Kai. I want to rule this realm with you by my side and make Vallendor what itshouldbe.”
She will destroy us all.
Jadon’s eyes now flicker between desperation and hope. I glare at Danar; his fury shoots around him like sparks. Finally, I look back to Elyn Fynal, whose face is soft and her smirk certain that she’ll win this fight. Three otherworldly against one.
Jadon races toward me. “Kai,” he shouts, his heart landing on hope. “I choose you.”
My knees creak—I’m weakening, poisoned by the man I thought I loved.
But I can’t leave Vallendor—I’m imprisoned here.
For Danar, my death means the Grand Defender, Vallendor’s protector, is gone, and Vallendor can be his, another realm captured.
For Elyn, my death means that she’s successfully done her job.Justice. But then she must also deny Danar his plans to take Vallendor. This means killing Danar’s weapon on the ground.Jadon.
My options:
Die by Elyn’s blade.
Die by Danar’s weapon: Jadon.
The man who wants me to now rule beside him as empress of Vallendor. The liar who resisted the edict to kill me in my sleep. The demigod who isn’t stronger than me but is still more powerful than I am right now.
Kai, I choose you.
Jadon chooses me because he loves me.
And I choose…
To survive and live another day.
I choose…
To use him to help me kill Elyn Fynal before she can kill me.
To use him to help me kill the usurper, Danar Rrivae, and return to Supreme every realm stolen by the Vile One.
To bide my time, regain my strength, then wait until I’m strong enough to destroy the emperor-to-be, Jadon Wake Rrivae.
To make amends.
This is what I choose.
She will destroy us all.Such a prophetic statement.
Because yes, I will.
And so I smile at Jadon, and I rush toward him, my mind racing, my hands out, but my heart blocked, my core balled into a giant fist, ready to rule a realm that’s already mine, a realm that will ultimately have one god.Me.
My fingertips brush his.
“No!” Elyn rams herself between Jadon and me, and with one great push of wind, she blows Jadon to the banks of Devour, and with another great push of wind, she sends me high into the—
Epilogue
I stare at the sky and the newly forming clouds. I taste sweat. I taste the salt of old tears. I taste fear. That’s the most bitter… Copper—I now taste copper. I sit up from my nest of dry leaves and swipe my mouth—my fingers come back bright with blood.
