Page 63 of A Curse of Breath and Blood

“You do?” Caiden’s blue eyes went wide.

“You’re thinking you may need to kill Baylis.”

Lucius’s statement knocked the wind out of Caiden. “I wasn’t, but now that you bring it up…”

“I will do it for you if it comes to that. Let Aeliahate me,” he said nonchalantly.

Caiden placed a reassuring hand on his shoulder. “You’re a good friend, Lucius, but let’s not rush into killing princesses.”

Lucius shrugged. “It’s my job to plan for the worst.”

Caiden let out a sigh. The last three days took a toll on him. He never expected to fight Gideon, steal the Scepter of the Dead, and fight a horde of trolls.

24AELIA

Gideon heldme by the neck over the black pool where the kraken’s razor-sharp teeth snapped at my feet.

“Do you see the things you make me do, Aelia?”His black eyes were full of ire.“You drive me crazy.”

He tightened his grip on my neck as I squirmed.“Please, Gideon. Please don’t do this.”Tears streamed down my face.

“You make me hurt you.”

“I will be good, I promise. Please, Gideon.”My voice cracked with fear.

Gideon’s eyes gleamed with delight as he pressed me closer to the kraken’s champing jaws. I held my breath, preparing for the creature’s fangs to rip through my flesh.

Pulling myself from the dream, I shot up in my bed.

A hot scream formed inside my lungs, scraping at my insides, begging to be released. Grabbing the nearest pillow, I yelled until my lungs gave out. For years, I dulled my pain with dust, and now, I found myself exposed—forced to face my fears sober. My brain burned with the need for a high.

Caiden burst through my door.

“Shh—it’s okay,” he said, running his hands through my sweat-slicked hair as I heaved ragged breaths into his chest.

I gripped his back tight, anchoring me to reality.

Fear coiled in my gut. How would I face him again?

Baylis had always been the stronger of the two of us. While I busied myself with royal dinners and sylph princes, she managed the domestic policy work at home. Every day, she visited my father in his chambers. He didn’t recognize her most days, but that never diminished her hope.

A memory floated to the surface of my mind.

“How was he today?”I asked as we walked down the cobblestone streets to the River House.

Her gray eyes darted to the ground.“For a moment, I thought he was himself again.”

“Really? What did he say?”Our father rarely recognized any of us anymore. The potions Ragana brewed kept him in a near catatonic state. It was safer that way for all of us.

Baylis sighed.“He said he knew who I was.”

I arched an eyebrow, smothering any flicker of hope.“And?”

Baylis shook her head. Strands of blonde hair escaped its meticulous bun.“It was odd. I swear to the Trinity, he recognized me. It was only for a moment, but his eyes told me he knew who I was.”

I shrugged.“Well, that’s more than I got the last time I visited him.”

She squinted, focusing on the memory.“He said something before he slipped back into his fugue.”

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