Page 11 of Break Her Heart
Adar’s gaze flickered toward me, his jaw clenched. I could see the skepticism in his eyes.
August continued, his eyes never leaving mine. “I didn’t know the entire story at first. Everyone is so secretive. That’s why I had you find Carrow’s journal. He had always written everything down, and I thought if I could find the one from when the spell happened, it would give me answers. I was trying to find a way to truly kill him so this wouldn’t happen to me. I could have hadcenturiesto figure it out, but you cut that short. So nowI am in a race to find a way to stop it before the next Blood Moon. And you are going to help me.”
“Why would I help you?” I asked as my hands trembled at my sides.
“Who do you think he is going to come after first?”
A shudder ran down my spine, my breath catching. August’s eyes gleamed, sensing my fear. Adar shifted beside me, his presence a rigid wall of fury and protectiveness.
“I could just kill you now before Carrow is in your body,” I snapped, more to hear myself speak than anything else.
August’s smirk widened. “Then do it.”
I stood still, seeing the test in his eyes. “If I did, would it stop Carrow?”
“No. I am his first option, but not his only one.”
If he had to be in the king’s bloodline, did that mean—
“You have siblings?”
He made a face at that word. “Yes. So kill me if you want, but that won’t stop Carrow from coming after you in a few months.”
A few months.
Twelve weeks to find answers.
Twelve weeks until the Blood Moon rose again and Carrow came back to finish what he started.
Adar’s fingers dug into my arm, pulling me back from August. “We can run. You don’t need to do this.”
I nodded, though leaving the only place I’d ever known felt like breaking the last intact piece of my heart. There was nothing left for us here; the coven would be safer without us anyway.
“If you help me stop Carrow, witches will be free to practice.”
I stopped breathing. The words struck me harder than any blade. The room felt smaller, the air thinning.
“What?” Adar trembled with disbelief.
“No more persecution,” August continued, eyes locked on me as if my brother didn’t exist. “Witches will be safe, and if anyonetries to harm them, they will be going against the crown. And they will be dealt with.”
“No, B. It’s not worth—”
“Okay.” The word slipped from my lips before I could stop it. My chest tightened, my pulse a wild, frenzied beat.
“Bronwen! Have you lost your mind?” Adar shouted, his eyes wide and furious.
“This is what Papa would have wanted. It was what he lived his life for.” I forced the words out, each one feeling like it cost me something. “All he wanted was to protect the coven.”
“Not at the sacrifice of you!” Adar’s voice cracked.
I knew the risk. August had brought more chaos and pain into my life than I had ever experienced.
“Let me handle this.” I looked at my brother. “No more secrets, but this is my choice.”
He looked as if he wanted to argue, but he knew my mind was made up. Because August knew exactly what to say to get to me. Adar walked back to the corner of the room, making his expression unreadable, but his rigid posture told another story.
“I will help you stop Carrow. For the coven.”
