“You…you missed my heart,” he grunted. “You prick. I…I never thought you’d kill me…over the fucking Maiden,” he rasped, blood trickling from his mouth.
“No.” I pushed down harder with my foot. Another bone crunched. Jericho screamed. “I wasn’t aiming for your heart, you fucking cunt.”
Understanding dawned, and then, then I saw fear. I gave his ruined arm one more punishing grind of my boot before stepping back. Delano was there, grasping Jericho by the arm.
“You will live,” I told him. “Until I’m ready for you to die.”
“How can you…do this?” Jericho growled, snapping at Delano as Elijah took hold of his other arm. They lifted him as I went to the canvas bag and pulled out two more spikes. “You’re making a mistake—”
“You never learn, do you?” Delano snarled. “Can you at least shut the fuck up?”
“How about you suck my—？” Jericho yelped as Delano drove his knee into said cock.
Elijah laughed. “Damn, my little marshmallow’s getting kinda crispy.”
With Naill’s help, they got him to the wall, holding his arms outstretched. Jericho, of course, did not shut the fuck up. “You’ve all…betrayed your kin and…kingdom. And for what? She’s…basically the Ascended.”
“She is not,” I said, thrusting a spike through his forearm. He shouted.
His lips peeled back over bloodstained teeth. “You…you think you can just will people…into forgetting what she is?”
I sighed.
“She’ll never be…safe here!” he shouted, spitting blood as it coursed down his chest.
“Oh, yes, she will be.” I drove the final spike through his remaining hand as the others backed off.
“You’re out…of your mind,” he swore, breathing labored. “If you…really think that.”
“I know it.” I caught his jaw, forcing his head back against the wall as I leaned in close and whispered the truth about Poppy and what I’d planned.
And Jericho?
That motherfucker finally shut his mouth.
PLANS HAVE CHANGED
I made use of the chamber Poppy had originally been placed in to bathe and change into fresh clothing. The water was fucking freezing, but I didn’t want to return to her covered in blood and smelling like death. Hair damp, I stepped back into the hall. Kieran was waiting outside.
He hadn’t been earlier. “She’s likely asleep again.”
“Again?”
“She fell asleep while bathing,” he answered.
“You woke her from a bath?” My eyes narrowed.
“She was in there for quite some time. I called out to her more than once,” he explained. “When she didn’t answer, I figured I should check on her.”
“How did she handle your intrusion?”
A small smile appeared. “She said that among her people, it was impolite to stare.”
I faced him. “And were you staring?”
His smile kicked up a notch. That was…interesting. “A little.” His eyes met mine. “I saw her scars. Some of them.”
I tensed, though not because he’d obviously been staring more than just a little. Anyone else? They’d already be dead. But I knew she was self-conscious of those scars.
“I told her that among my people, scars are never hidden,” Kieran continued. “That they are always honored.”
I relaxed. Poppy…she needed to hear that. Know that. “You’re lucky she had no weapon on her.”
Kieran snorted. “Before her nap, she asked some questions about Atlantia.”
“I imagine she did.” I glanced at the closed door. “I told her I was taking her home. To Atlantia.”
One eyebrow rose. “Is that a part of the plan I’m not supposed to worry about? Because I am.”
I went to stand beside him. “I plan to marry her.”
Kieran slowly turned his head to me. A moment passed, his expression remaining unreadable. “Is that so?”
I nodded. “What happened to her in that cell won’t happen again if she is my wife. It offers her protection.”
The other eyebrow rose.
“And with her as my wife, the threat of us tearing down all their lies becomes more real. After all, if the gods have forsaken the Atlantians as the Ascended claim, then surely the Chosen—the child of the gods—would not be able to marry one. It’s more likely the Blood Crown will release my brother.”
Another moment passed. “And?”
“And once Malik is free, Poppy will be free of me.” I lifted my chin. “I told you that I care about her, so I have no intention of forcing her to remain married to someone she hates.”
“Someone she hates?” Kieran repeated, one side of his lips curling up. “When you went to bring her back to the keep, you were with her. I know you were. I smelled you on her.”
“Just because she’s attracted to me doesn’t mean she would want to remain married to the man who kidnapped her.”
“Or set her free,” he said, to which I frowned. “That’s a different way to look at what you’ve done, isn’t it? Set her free.”
Watching the snow fall, I supposed that was a lovely revisionist version of how we’d gotten to this point. “I killed those she’s cared about, both directly and indirectly. I don’t expect nor seek her forgiveness, Kieran. We will not remain husband and wife.”
“If you say so.”
“I know so.” The back of my neck prickled again, stronger than before.
Kieran watched me, head tilted. “You’ve been doing that a lot of late.”
“Doing what?”
“Rubbing the back of your neck.”
I was? My hand was on the nape of my neck, so yeah, I’d been doing that. “Think I pulled a muscle.”
Kieran snorted.
“What? Like that’s not possible?”
“Yeah.” He looked away. “You really think Alastir won’t see through this ploy? Your father?”
“Well, for starters, I plan to be gone before he gets here. If the snow ends. We’ll leave in the morning if possible. Either way, they won’t see through this—if I’m convincing enough,” I told him. “Which I plan to be.”
Kieran’s eyes narrowed on me. “Please tell me you’re going to tell her about these plans. That you’re not—”
“I will announce to those here that we are to marry. That is only to ensure her safety while we’re here.”
“That’s smart.”
“But she is no longer a pawn, Kieran. She will be fully aware of this ploy,” I swore.
“And if she doesn’t agree to it?”
I exhaled heavily. “If she doesn’t, then I…I won’t force her. And I know what that means, what I will be choosing,” I said before Kieran could. “But I will just have to convince Poppy to go along with this.”
Kieran choked on a laugh, and I couldn’t help but smile. “By the way,” he said, “your plan is…insane.”
“I know.” I followed his gaze to the snow. “But not only will it work, it’s the least I can do for her.”