Page 133 of Cursed to Be Mine
“He ran before...we believed Micha.”
“Before you tortured her,” the words fall out of my lips as I turn to him. “At least have the fucking guts to say it.” Tears burning my eyes, I glare at him. I don’t want to think of Khalid’s family as the same as Antonio, but how can I not when Varius acts like this?
His gaze softens as he looks at me, a flicker of shame that hits me in the stomach. “You’re right. We tortured her.”
A shudder cuts through me at how easily he says those words.
“Talon planted a lot of evidence against her, and when he came back saying you and Khalid had been taken… I made a decision, and because of that, you’re in this car. Alive.”
“She saved my life,” I whisper. “How could you think she was the traitor when Antonio nearly killed her?”
“He hurt Talon just as bad a few days ago.”
Unable to hold his gaze any longer, I look at Khalid. His lips are tight as he studies me, waiting to see if I’ll reject his family.Reject himgiven he is a reaper and has done things just as bad.
The bond between us hurts as he waits, and I grab his hand on my leg. I don’t want to think about him torturing anyone, hurting people for the sake of doingso rather than as a necessity.
But in the end, there is one simple truth guiding me.
I will follow wherever he goes, learn to accept what needs to be done in order to keep him alive. Micha was hurt in an attempt to save Khalid, and although that does not sit well in my stomach, it sits with a heaviness that mocks my hypocrisy.
Had I also believed she had been the traitor, would I really have tried to protect her? Or would I have stepped aside, deafening myself to her screams?
The truth stares back at me in Varius’ eyes. He doesn’t force me to speak my discoveries aloud, turning his focus back to Khalid. “I’ve let everyone know there’s a reward if it leads to his capture.”
Five points of pressure increase on my thigh, the only sign he gives of the pain of his brother’s betrayal. “Have you told Aleric?” Khalid asks. “If Talon puts his weight behind a rebellion –”
“He won’t,” Maddox cuts in from the front. “Whatever his issue is with Khalid… He loves the rest of us.” There is raw desperation in those last few words. “He wouldn’t do that to us.”
“He made Antonio promise not to hurt us,” I say, unable to stop the words from pouring out of my heart. Maddox sounds so broken, and if I can argue Talon’s case, then maybe Khalid won’t have to kill him either… “What if he was forced to hand us over?”
The utter silence isn’t one of relief, and my fingers dig into Khalid’s hand. I don’t understand how what I said has made matters worse.
Turning his hand upright to hold mine, Khalid exhales softly. “You cannot save him,kira. His crimes have been committed.”
“But why does that mean he has to die?”Why doesthat mean you have to do it?
He’s already been through so much, and I can feel the agony he’s trying to hide, it seeping down our bond with a crippling pain despite the small volume.
“If Varius shows weakness by letting him live, another rebellion will rise regardless of whether he’s behind it or not. Varius is not accepted by everyone in this Family due to his curse.” He pauses, letting his words seep into me. Or maybe it’s so they can seep into him, convincing him that he has to do this. “And I’m certain he told Antonio about you that night you were with the WALL. There’s no other way for him to have found you.”
That night in the woods slams back into me. All those deaths. The gun in my face. The discovery of Daniel and Ma. Shuddering, I swallow my defense of Talon. There is nothing I can say to save Khalid from killing him. He put me in harm’s way. Regardless of why, that is unforgivable in my love’s eyes.
Leaning over, he kisses me, and I open for him despite the audience in the car.
“Thank you for loving me,” he whispers so softly I’d be certain I imagined it if not for the flow of emotions riding hard through our bond.
Sliding my tongue against his, I break for what he is about to go through. I can’t do anything to stop it. I can only wait for him to come back to me after and try to help him bear his pain.
That isn’t good enough.
I don’t want him to do this alone like he’s done it every time.
“Is there a way we can complete our blood bond before you go?” I ask against his lips, my cheeks heating over his two brothers being able to hear me.They’ll partake in the final ritual, both coming inside me, along with the others. But I need to somehow be there for Khalid, and given how much we can feel of each other now, perhaps when we’re fully bonded, I can be there for him in a way that is good enough.
He tenses on a shudder. “Kira...I don’t want you to feel it when I kill him.”
“And I don’t want you to do it alone. You always do it alone, but you’re not alone now. You have me.” Lifting his hand to my chest, I place it against my thundering pulse. “You’re mykiratoo, remember? Please let me be there for you.”
