Page 91 of Kingdom of Chaos
I press my lips together, heart pounding. It’s not my story to share. “I don’t want to talk about Talon right now.”
A bitter half laugh rumbles from Becks’ chest, an unfamiliar, unsettling sound. “I see. So you don’t want to talk about your new boyfriend to your old one.”
I flinch, and he notices. His expression shifts, the sharpness in his eyes dulling with regret. He drags a hand through his hair and exhales heavily.
“I’m sorry, Lock. That wasn’t fair. If Talon’s the reason you’re here, then I’m grateful. Truly. It’s just . . .” He trails off, shaking his head, and when his gaze finally rises to meet mine, there’s no anger, only sadness.
I swore I’d never tell him the truth. But so much has happened since the day I made that bargain with Drake, it doesn’t feel like a secret I should keep anymore.
“I need to tell you something,” I say, my voice low.
I draw in a steadying breath, bracing myself.
“I tricked you,” I confess quietly.
His brow furrows. “What do you mean?”
Where do I even start?
“It’s a long story, and I can explain it all to you later, but basically, I’m not with Talon. I never was.” Guilt twists in my chest at the admission, but I push the feeling down, unwilling to unpack it now. “I convinced Talon to pretend to be with me so you would let me go. So you would move on.”
Confusion darkens Becks’ green eyes. “Why would you do that? If you didn’t want to be with me anymore, you could have just told me.”
“If I had come to you and said that suddenly my feelings had changed, that I didn’t want to be with you anymore, would you have believed me? Would you have let me go?”
He steps closer, curling his fingers around the bar just above mine. “So thatwasthe truth? You didn’t want to be with me, but thought I wouldn’t move on unless you were with someone else?”
I flinch, just slightly, but enough that my hands slip from the bars. “That wasn’t the truth. But it was what I had to make you believe because . . .”
“Why?” Becks prompts gently when I can’t make myself go on.
I take a deep breath, knowing that there’s a chance the truth might shatter what we have just as effectively as the lie.
“Because that’s the deal I made with Drake Brayden. To break up with you and convince you there would never be any chance for us.”
“You made a deal with Talon’s uncle?” Confusion is clear on Becks’ face and I can understand why.
“Apparently, the dragon council knew about us all along. Kerrim made sure of that to give me motivation to enter Chaos,” I say bitterly, my hatred of the hawk shifter swirling in my gut. “The council was worried you’d mate with a magicless creature, which is what spurred them to pick a life mate for you so much earlier than expected. They wanted you settled with a mate of their choice, not yours. I worked out a deal with Drake that if I promised to stay away from you, forever, you’d get to choose your own mate someday.”
Becks stares at me, stunned into silence. The air between us is heavy, until suddenly he lets out a laugh. Stepping back from the bars, he turns away, running a hand through his hair and gripping the strands tightly as his laughter grows louder, echoing off the cell walls.
At first, I just blink at him, bewildered.
Did I break him?
What could possibly be funny about this?
But then small embers of anger start to ignite. I went through hell to give him the freedom to live the life he deserved, made impossible choices, and he’s laughing?
“What about any of this is funny?” I snap.
Becks pulls himself together and turns to face me again, but there’s a lost, hollow look in his eyes that doesn’t match the erratic edge in his voice.
“You want to know what’s funny?” he says, letting out a breathless laugh. “It’s that none of it even matters. Forget the fact that I’m locked in here.” He gestures vaguely around the cell. “Ever since I was stabbed and woke up in this place, my magic’s been gone. I can’t even shift.”
I gasp, my hand coming up to cover my mouth as my gaze drops to Becks’ wrists to notice only now that he’s not wearing a cuff.
In my mind’s eye, I see it all over again: Shadow Striker plunging into Becks’ chest just before the portal snapped shut. Of course, the dagger didn’t just wound him, it stole his magic and gave it to Kerrim.
