Roman wanted to ask him why. Why betray him now? Why expose him now? His fingers curled into fists, nails biting crescents into his palms, and he wondered if he should likewise expose Shane for who he was.
You have no proof!
The truth rang through him like he was hollow. He had burned the missive Shane had given him, because he had been afraid to have it on his person. A mistake now, although maybe it wouldn’t have mattered in the end.
Shane had the upper hand, throwing Roman to the wolves to save himself.
And Roman would not do the same to him. Even now, in the moment before his disgrace took root, Roman wouldn’t see another man brought low and wounded by a devious god.
I’ve played my part, and I’ve been outsmarted.
But his chest stung when he thought of Iris. She was depending on him tomorrow.
Roman’s silence had gone too long. Dacre rose, his full height menacing. Every wall, every person in the room seemed to lean toward him, like he was a whirlpool. A collapsed star. The center of gravity.
“I will ask you four final questions, Roman,” Dacre said. “Four questions, which you may answer. Choose your words wisely because I will not tolerate any further lies from you.”
Roman gave a slight nod, waiting.
“Why did you betray me?” Dacre asked. “Why did you give Iris Elizabeth Winnow the information about Hawk Shire? Was I not good to you? Did I not save you?”
Roman exhaled. He was thinking about his reply, what he wanted to say and how to articulate it, when his father stood abruptly from his chair.
“Lord Commander,” Mr. Kitt pleaded. “Please, my son is unwell, as you can see, and—”
Dacre held up his hand. “Be quiet. Let Roman speak.”
Mr. Kitt bowed his head.
Roman didn’t look directly at his father, but from the corner of his eye, he saw how he was quaking. A strange thing to witness, one’s formidable father brought low.
“I betrayed you,” Roman began, “because I love her.”
Dacre wasn’t expecting that response. He appeared baffled, and then he laughed, a rich but scathing sound. “And that is grounds to destroy yourself? My, you mortals think with your hearts when you should give power to your minds.”
“I betrayed you because I love Iris Elizabeth Winnow,” Roman continued smoothly, as if he hadn’t heard Dacre’s taunt. “She represents all that is good in this realm, and your attack on Hawk Shire, simply put, threatened her.
“I couldn’t bear to live in a world where she was slain by your selfishness, and so I warned her. I couldn’t bear to live in a world where you killed countless of my people or wounded them, only to heal them in part so that they would feel confused, indebted, and beholden to you. You, sir, never healed me as you should have. You are the author of my wounds to begin with. I would have never breathed the gas that has scarred my lungs if not for you. I would have never felt the bite of shrapnel in my leg if not for you.
“And what a cruel and terrible thing it is, to be a divine with such power and magic, and yet find yourself so small-minded and afraid that you decide to live out your endless days harming others. Instead of letting us choose to love you for the good you could be, you have forced us to serve you by way of pain and terror. That is unforgivable, and a lesson you will have learned too late, when you lose this war against us.
“You never saved me, like you claim. In the field of Avalon Bluff. You didn’t save me, but Iris did.”
Dacre slammed his fist on the table. His lips curled back in a sneer. All his immortal beauty morphed into something so ugly that Roman winced to see the true bones beneath the skin. The rotten heart of Dacre, a divine who only cared for himself.
“You betrayed me for a woman?” Dacre said. “You are the greatest fool in my forces, as well as my greatest shame.”
The words rolled off Roman. He smiled, feeling like he had swallowed a flame. It was lighting up his marrow. Illuminating his veins.
“Oh, I would betray you a hundredfold,” he said, his voice rising. “I would betray you a thousandfold for her.”
“Enough!” Dacre’s outburst cut through the air. Tension crackled in the room like lightning; Roman waited to be struck.
He wasn’t afraid. Even as his knees shook, he knew the trembling was forged from courage. He had spoken the words he wanted—the words that he felt—and he had no further regrets.
“Take him below and shackle him on traitor’s row,” Dacre said to Val.
Roman didn’t resist as he felt Val grip his arms from behind, twisting them to make Roman acquiesce.