Page 67 of Empire of Death
“I’m okay,” I said quietly. “I’m okay.”
He kept his hand there, applying pressure to stanch the blood flow.
I didn’t care about the cut, but having his hand grip me hard was somehow comforting. “I have a feeling you weren’t supposed to do that.” My eyes searched for an answer within his gaze.
He held my stare for a long time, his hand still cupped against the back of my head. “You know there’s nothing I wouldn’t dofor you,Xivin.” He must have believed the bleeding had stopped because he withdrew his hand. “But I’m disappointed in you.”
“Why?”
“Because you didn’t see him coming.”
“How was I supposed to know a big orc-like man entered the room?”
“You would have known he was there if you weren’t taking pleasure in that fight. Using a god’s strength against mortal men and wiping that smirk off King Ithaca’s face.”
I swallowed when I felt the shame wash over me, because that was exactly what I’d done. Now I was embarrassed that it was so obvious.
“You became complacent and dropped your guard, and you know what would have happened if they took you prisoner.” He clearly couldn’t say the actual words out loud, because they were that unspeakable. “Don’t ever let that happen again, Lily Rothschild.”
“I won’t?—”
“I mean it. You treat every battle like you’re a moment away from a mortal wound. Fight like I’m not there beside you, because a time may come when I’m no longer with you.”
“What—what do you mean?”
His hard stare shifted back and forth between my eyes. “Be prepared for anything—that’s what I mean.”
“Why would there be a time when you’re no longer with me?”
“I could be detained with another matter. I have my own responsibilities as the god of the underworld. Hypothetical scenarios don’t matter. I just want you to fight like there’s no one there to protect you—always.”
There was a warning in my heart from his words. Like he spoke only a half-truth or concealed something from me. “You promised me you would always come back to me.”
“Xivin.” It was the first time he’d raised his voice at me. “I’m trying to teach you something, and you’re focusing on other matters.”
For a split second, he reminded me of my father, saying words I was certain my own father had repeated to me, word for word, several times.
He continued in his angry tone. “You were arrogant and complacent, and that better not happen again. Do you understand me?”
I nodded.
“Do you understand me?”
“Yes.” I stepped back, not used to this side of him.
His eyes were still wild as he looked at me, like a father still disappointed in his daughter. Despite my cooperation, he still looked livid, like he would need days before his rivers washed it away. He stepped back like he was about to depart. “I apologize for my tone. I just need you to take this seriously. My heart died a long time ago, but it came back to life. And now it beats inside your chest. If you die, then I die.”
“And if you die…so do I.”
He kept his distance a few feet away, and then he severed eye contact, looking in a whole different direction. He took about a minute to calm himself before he spoke again. “The Barbarians will execute King Ithaca and everyone loyal to him. They don’t believe in alliances. If you launch your fleet and arrive there first, there’s a chance you can alter that narrative.”
“I’m not entirely sure if I want to, to be honest.”
Judgment didn’t pass across his eyes. “What you said before was correct. King Ithaca deserves the edge of a blade, but the people he leads do not.”
“There’s not enough time to build armor for the dragons. I can’t risk them being shot down from the sky.”
“That’s probably their intention. Conquer the Empire Colonies and draw you from the Southern Isles and claim your dragons. Then your kingdom will be much easier to take. But if you move quickly, arrive before or precisely when they do, it could change the course of the battle.”
