Page 25 of The Beautiful Blade

“Do you even understand what you’ve done?” His voice cracked like a whip, his dark eyes burning as he stopped just short of me. His chest rose and fell with the force of his breaths. He was so close, so overwhelming. “You threw yourself into the Convergence Games like you were invincible. Like your life was expendable. You could have died! Do you know what it’s like to look up at the crystal viewer and see you in the lineup, knowing exactly what those games are designed to do? Knowing what they could do to you?”

There was a lot to unpack there, but there was only one thing that I truly wanted to know. "Where were you?"

"Where was I? I was where you were supposed to be today."

"I was supposed to be meeting the Beast Prince."

"Correct."

He'd said he knew I was going to be at the summer castle, that he had suggested it tohim. "You were with the Beast Prince?"

Jorge threw aside his cape to reveal the insignia of the Solmane army. I wasn't one to understand medals, but he had a lot of them. Once again, I heard the termcommanderin my head.

"You're in the army?"

"After I survived the games, they gave me a choice. Return to the competition or become a conscript. If I played again and won in the next games, I could have my freedom. Winning was a gamble. Joining the army put me closer to where I knew you would be."

"You could've died."

"Then I would've figured out how to haunt you. There's nothing I wouldn't do to get close to you."

"You fought trolls?"

"I did. I made my way up the ranks and got closer and closer to the prince."

"Commander?"

"Second in command. Prince Adom's most trusted warrior. I was at his side today when he came to… meet you. Instead, I found an imposter in your place."

"Belle. Poor thing."

"I think he's quite taken with her."

I reached for Jorge's hand, the prosthetic one. "Is that where you got this?"

"I made it myself. No iron."

"I wouldn't care if it was iron. I'd burn for you."

"Fuck, Charlotte," he sighed, closing his prosthetic fingers around mine.

"Yes. I want you to do exactly that. I want you to fuck me."

The feel of his real fingers wrapped tightly around mine was the last memory I had of him. I didn't let go, even after they severed his hand. They had to pry it away from me.

There was no one to disentangle him from me now. I flung myself at him. He was caught off guard, but he caught me.

I captured his lips, and he let me.

I drank him down, and he let me.

I bit his lip, and he let me.

He was Jorge. He was mine. And I had him back.

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

JORGE

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