The Reckless Reign (Book 3, The Culled Crown Series)

Chapter 66

The throne room.
Oredison Palace, Gazda.
The Battle.

I'd already pulled Kai from the throne by the time the final gowns exploded. The final dress was in the ballroom—near enough that the paintings in the throne swayed, some crashing to the floor their gilded frames splintering. An expensive looking bust shattered into a million pieces. The blue Pallae glass of the chandeliers clicked together as they swung from the ceiling.

He held tight to my hand as we stood by the throne room door and listened to the fighting happening in the hallway outside. His voice was low, a hoarse whisper as he said, "Are you going to tell me what happened to you?" He trailed a finger across my jaw and I winced, evidence that a bruise was already forming. His brow furrowed and he shook his head. "You said it wasn't your blood—but this is." He traced the skin around the cut on my forehead.

I moved to open the door but he caught my wrist, keeping me still.

"What happened?"

"I'm fine."

Kai shook his head. "You're a liar, is what you are."

"I guess we're even then."

The corner of his mouth twitched at my words. "We'll never be even. In fifty years I'll still be begging for your forgiveness, if I live that long. If I live past today."

"Giving up that easily, Warwick? I didn't think you were the type to lay down and die."

His eyes turned bright at my taunt. At my use of that last name.

"I'm not. But not everyone has your willingness to overlook past wrongs."

"Let's get something straight between us, Kai. I have overlooked nothing. As soon as this is all over with and we're safe, I'm going to beat the shit out of you. You have..." I swallowed and looked to the closed throne room door, unwilling to see his face as I admitted, "You have my heart, but you're a long ways off from having my trust. It breaks my heart that it's like that."

He reached out and touched my cheek, gently turning my face back to his. "I'll spend every heartbeat I have left trying to earn both your forgiveness and your trust. I'm sorry. No amount of apologizing is ever going to fix it. I can't go back and do anything differently. And I wish I could. I...I did some terrible things. And I put you in harms way in the process. You and your friends. My siblings too. And that alone is unforgivable. But I won't ever stop trying to make it better. That's a vow."

The urge to close the distance and kiss him again was overpowering, but I held myself back. My heart and my head had been at war for a long time. And I knew that my heart was silly and unreasonable. More than that, it was easily swayed by the man standing in front of me.

I wanted to forgive him, mostly because I wanted what we'd had back. I wanted the ease of our companionship and our friendship back. And that was almost enough to make me forget everything else.

I craved the safe, sure world I'd created with Kai. But it was long gone and in it's place was violence and lies and death.

"Will we get it back?"

His brow furrowed. "Get what back?"

"Our future together?"

Kai opened his mouth to answer me but the sound of gunfire just outside the door made us both jump. His hand moved from my wrist to my waist as he pulled me closer to him. He spun, so he was between me and door. He backed me up three steps, trying to shield me as the fighting turned loud. They were directly outside the door now.