“What?” I gasped, my disbelief turning to anger. “You have spent this entire time telling me nothing but falsehoods, but now you’ve gone too far.”
Placing a clean bandage on the wound, he smoothed down the edges until it adhered to my skin. “I’ve told you nothing but the truth, as did the man who threw the Craven hand.”
I sat up, tugging down my shirt. “Are you claiming that those given in service to the gods are now Craven?”
“Why do you think the Temples are off-limits to anyone but the Ascended and those they control like the Priests and Priestesses?”
“Because they’re sacred places that even most Ascended don’t breach,” I argued.
“Have you seen one child that has been given over? Just one, Princess? Do you know anyone other than a Priest or Priestess or an Ascended who has claimed to have seen one? You’re smart. You know no one has,” he challenged. “That’s because most are dead before they even learn to speak.”
I opened my mouth.
“The vamprys need a food source, Princess, one that would not rouse suspicion. What better way than to convince an entire kingdom to hand over their children under the pretense of honoring the gods? They’ve created a religion around it, such that brothers will turn on brothers if any of them refuse to give away their child. They have fooled an entire kingdom, used the fear of what they have created against the people. And that’s not all. You ever think it’s strange how many young children die overnight from a mysterious blood disease? Like the Tulis family, who lost their first and second children to it? Not every Ascended can stick to a strict diet. Bloodlust for a vampry is a very real, common problem. They’re thieves in the night, stealing children, wives, and husbands.”
“Do you really think I believe any of this? That the Atlantians are innocent, and everything I’ve been taught is a lie?”
“Not particularly, but it was worth a shot. We are not innocent of all crimes—”
“Like murder and kidnapping?” I threw at him.
“That among other things. You don’t want to believe what I’m saying. Not because it sounds too foolish to believe, but because there are things you’re now questioning. Because it means your precious brother is feeding on innocents—”
“No.”
“And turning them into Craven.”
“Shut up,” I growled, shooting to my feet. The sharp, sudden movement barely causing me any pain.
Rising in one fluid movement, he quickly towered over me. “You don’t want to accept what I’m saying, even as logical as it sounds because it means your brother is one of them, and the Queen who cared for you has slaughtered thousands—”
I didn’t stop to think about what I did next. I was just so furious and afraid because he was right, what he’d said had prompted questions. Like how none of the Ascended were seen during the day, or how no one but they entered the Temples. But, worse yet, it raised the question of why Hawke would make all of this up. What would be the point of concocting this elaborate lie when he had to know how hard it would be to convince me?
No, I didn’t think about any of that.
I just acted.
The chain skidded across the floor as I swung on him, my hand curled into a fist.
Hawke’s hand snapped up, catching mine before it connected with his jaw. Gods, he moved impossibly fast, twisting my arm as he spun me around. He yanked me back against the hard wall of his chest, trapping my arm between us as he grabbed my other hand. A shriek of frustration ripped from my throat as I went to lift my leg—
“Don’t.” His voice was a soft warning in my ear, one that sent a shiver down my spine.
I didn’t listen.
He grunted when the heel of my foot connected with the front of his leg. Jerking my leg up, I kicked back.
Suddenly, I found myself pressed against the wall with Hawke at my back. I struggled, but it was no use. There wasn’t an inch of space between him or the cold, damp wall.
“I said, don’t.” His warm breath drifted over my temple. “I mean it, Princess. I don’t want to hurt you.”
“You don’t? You already hur—” I cut myself off.
“What?” He moved my arm so it was no longer caught between us. He didn’t let go, though. Instead, he pressed my hand into the wall, just as he did with the other one.
Clamping my mouth shut, I refused to tell him that he’d already hurt me. Admitting that meant there was something to hurt, to be exploited, and he already had enough to use against me.