“What did you do?” she asked, almost too low for him to hear, yet irritation rang in her tone.
“I gave those mirrors a beating,” he mumbled with a guilty grin.
“I thought as much. I’d heal them, but you wouldn’t learn your lesson that way, would you?” She sneered at her iridescent marks. “Also, I can’t. I hate these damn restraints.” She glanced behind her. “Where’s Briar?”
“Not sure. I haven’t seen her for a day or so.” Vesper studied his hand grasped in both of hers. He didn’t want her to let go. It was like she anchored him and all this time he’d floated aimlessly. “I’ve been a bit occupied.”
Her jaw set in anger and she dug her thumb into the split skin. “What’s that about? They’reScarlets.”
He sucked air between his teeth at the sharp pain and squirmed beneath her condemning stare. “I—I don’t know what I’m doing.”
She snatched her hand away and stared at him for a tense moment as she chewed on her lip. “I need to ask you something.”
Vesper leaned forward in the chair. “Anything.”
“That book”—she nodded at the leather binding—“it’s not only a book. There’s this man who’s visited my dreams. Zyphira claims he’s myimplexusand that I need to find him to fulfill this prophecy. But I don’t remember anything about him other than he has green eyes and his name is Shade.” Her gaze narrowed on him. “You would tell me if it was you, right? And it can’t possibly be you. Tell me it isn’t.”
Incredulously, Vesper gaped at her before he bit down on his bottom lip to keep from grinning. “Emmery,dear, you’ve looked at me, right? You can see that I do not have green eyes. And I certainly don’t go by any name other than my own.” Aside from his useless alias at the Scarlet Palace.
“Damn it, be decent for a second and help me eliminate one person.”
“It’s not me.” He frowned. “You can’t remember anything else?”
Emmery shook her head. Sadness lingered beneath the gesture.
“Hey,” he said softly. He tilted his head to meet her gaze. “I wouldn’t worry. The gods have ways of bringing people together. I’ve heardimplexusbonds are funny that way. You’ll find him. I’m sure of it.”
She shifted her weight from foot to foot, but didn’t turn toward the door.
“One more thing,” he said.
Emmery swiped a hand across her tired eyes. “Fine.”
“Promise me that in all of this, the prophecy and finding this man, you won’t lose yourself. The gods may have carved this path for you, but don’t follow it if it doesn’t suit you. Make your own path. Fucking claw it into the ground with your bare hands if you need to. But be true to yourself. And don’t lose your heart. It’s what I love most about you.”
Her face screwed up but she turned toward the door. He reached for her. “Don’t go back with him. You can stay here. We’ll figure out how to get you out of the pactum and—”
“I can take care of myself,” she said, her voice low but firm.
Her walls were back up, impenetrable, as if he’d never broken them down—never banged on the door and picked at the cracks until they crumbled. He stared up at the barrier knowing nothing would ever be the same between them. And he was to blame.
Her spine stiffened. “I don’t need you. I don't needanybody. I’ve always been better off on my own.”
He stared down at his knuckles. The bleeding had stopped.
“You made me care about you. I trusted you. And you threw it all away.” Tears brimmed in her eyes as Vesper pressed the book into her hand. “I truly think our paths were always meant to cross. You and I were meant to find each other in some capacity. With this prophecy—” Her jagged breath resembled a sob. “But I just … I don't trust you anymore. And I’m not sure that’s something we can get back. Not after all this.”
Without another word, she spun on her heel and left him sitting there like the villain he never thought he would be.
CHAPTER TEN
EMMERY
As Emmery walked across Ellynne’s capital, she refused to let a single tear well. The newly mended streets, once charred and crumbled cobblestones, thudded under her boots. The city seemed to come alive and between the freshly painted chestnut-brown shutters, the bakery’s woven welcome-mat, and the scent of sugared pastries flooding the streets, this broken city was unrecognizable from the ashen mound they’d walked across only months ago.
Vesper had injected life back into this place she’d stolen it from. Brought light where she’d left the charcoal of death. It offered some shred of peace.
When she reached the edge of town, the wind sang through the colossal black gates at her back. Ahead Destonne leaned against Vetle, his legs crossed at the ankle, a dead coldness in his eyes as he snapped a twig between his fingers like the bones of his enemies. He tossed it over his shoulder but didn’t bother to check where it landed. The action in itself made her grateful he hadn’t joined her. When Vesper had discovered her restraints, he’d looked as if he’d wrap his hands around the King’s throat and wring the soul from his body.