Page 73 of Break Her Heart
“Right,” I said. I forced my voice to stay steady. “Just sex.”
Her shoulders relaxed, but not in relief.
And I knew then I’d let her believe it.
Because if I told her the truth now, if I admitted that I would rip the world apart to keep her, I didn’t know if either of us could survive what came next.
She stood, but I caught her wrist. She turned to me and looked at me with her brows scrunched.
“On your knees, Winnie.”
22
Adar
“I’m going to have to get Jonah out here to trade spots with me if you keep coming at me this hard,” Darrin said, breathless, sweat running down his temple as he parried my strike.
I stared at the aging man before me, and I couldn’t help but wish it was Papa sparring with me instead. Darrin and Jonah had always been more like uncles than simply Papa’s friends. Jonah, the worrier, and Darrin, the steady voice of reason, had been constants in my life. And their presence now gave me comfort as I tried to carry the weight of leading the coven. But no matter how grateful I was for them, nothing filled the hole left by Papa.
I shook off the thought before he could take advantage of my distraction and best me.
“If you’d just admit to me that you’re old and tired, I might back off,” I taunted, circling him.
He smiled. “Never.”
He lunged, and I stepped aside just in time, letting his momentum carry him forward before I swung my sword up, catching his blade with a sharp clang. The steel rang out through the clearing, echoing in the still morning air. We moved fast—boots crunching against the softening earth, blades flashing in and out of sunlight that streamed between the branches overhead.
Darrin was better than most gave him credit for. Strong. Precise. But he favored his left side today, and I used it. I twisted, ducked, then came up hard with a swing meant to disarm. He caught it, barely, grunting as our swords locked. We stood close, the tension between us humming through the vibrating metal.
“Trying to make me retire early?” he grunted.
“Trying to see if you’ve still got it.”
With a sharp shove, he broke the bind and swept a kick toward my legs. I jumped back, regaining footing just in time to meet his next swing. We clashed again, sparks flying as the blades kissed.
This wasn’t just training. It was therapy. It was survival.
And I needed to stay sharp. Because I had a feeling peace wouldn’t last forever.
We both lowered our blades, chest heaving. I wiped sweat from my brow and leaned against a tree, the bark cool against my spine.
My days now were spent traveling across Joveryn to let the coven members know of their newfound freedom. It had been nearly over a month since the decree was made, but there were still parts of the kingdom that hadn’t gotten word. If this had happened any other time of the year, the word would have traveled almost instantly, but instead it had to happen in the middle of winter when most of the coven—especially the ones that lived north of town—spent the next couple of months in their homes and only traveled when necessary.
Some days I visited entire villages where witches had never set foot outside their homes for fear of being hunted. I sat with mothers and grandmothers who wept and looked at me like I had brought them the sun.
Others were more hesitant. Some demanded proof. Some watched me warily, years of caution etched into every glance. And I gave them the truth. The pain and the sacrifice. My parents’ deaths and the fire Bronwen lit to break the chains holding us all.
“Your parents’ sacrifice will not go unnoticed. We will honor them with our commitment to you,” they all said, something along those lines after they wept, cheered, hugged me like I had a magical sign floating above me, asking to be embraced.
Their sacrifice.
Theirlives.
Bronwen’s sacrifice.
Bronwen’sfreedom.
Everything I loved had been taken from me, but I couldn’t let the weight of it all drown me. I had to bury it deep, hide my emotions, and be the strong leader I was raised to be. But I didn’t want any of that. The only reason I continued through the motions was for Bronwen. I had given up a lot, but she had given up more.
