Page 122 of Kingdom of Chaos
Becks’ face goes white. “We have to get her back.”
“We will,” I say, speaking up.
Becks angles in my direction, but he won’t meet my eyes.
It hurts, but I can’t blame him.
“If he uses that dagger on her . . .” he says, and the words hit like a punch to the gut.
I feel the blood drain from my face too.
It hadn’t even crossed my mind. But he’s right.
If Kerrim stabs Ensley with Shadow Striker, it won’t just hurt her, it’ll strip her magic.
Just like it did to Becks.
“We have a plan to lure him out to the park tomorrow rather than in a couple weeks. We sent a message back to him with one of his goons to?—”
I don’t get the rest of the plan out before Becks erupts.
“You had someone and you let him go?” he shouts, his furious gaze finally locking on me.
It’s not a look I’m used to seeing from Becks, sharp and burning. It hits hard enough to make me instinctively step back.
“You could have made him talk. You could have found out where they’re keeping her.”
Becks takes an aggressive step toward me, and Talon shifts slightly so he’s standing at my side, a clear warning without uttering a single word. Becks’ nostrils flare.
“He didn’t know where they were taking her,” Titus says, speaking up. “Trust me, we got all the information out of him that we were going to.”
I cringe inwardly, remembering the shape he was in. Bloodied, broken, barely conscious. Whatever Titus did to make him talk, it worked.
But I don’t feel bad for the creature. They took my best friend just to get to me. He deserved every second of it.
“You could have been here to question him yourself if you’d answered your phone,” Titus says, clearly annoyed.
Becks’ gaze flicks to me, and a flash of guilt twists in my chest. “Yeah, well, I didn’t know it was you that was calling.”
“Then next time pick up and check,” Titus snaps.
“Yeah,” Becks says, the fire draining out of him all at once, leaving only raw pain behind.
No matter how he feels about me right now, we both love Ensley with everything we have. Ensley may not be my sister byblood, but she’s my sister in every way that matters. If anyone understands what he’s going through, it’s me.
“Becks.” I take a cautious step closer. “We’re going to get her back. I swear.”
He goes still, fists curling at his sides, but he doesn’t look at me. “You swear, huh? I’m not sure how much your word means to me right now.”
The words hit harder than I expect, carving straight through the guilt already tearing me up inside. But I can’t argue. Not when he’s right to hate me a little.
“Hey, watch it,” Talon warns. “She’s hurting too.”
Becks finally lifts his head, his gaze bouncing between the two of us. Me, still trying to stand my ground, and Talon, unmoving at my side.
His jaw tics.
“Yeah,” he mutters. “Looks like she’s doing just fine.”
