Page 25 of The Nightblood Prince

I thought of the boy who’d climb trees to get the highest berries for me, write out a copy of every homework assignment in case I ever forgot mine, spend hours rolling in snow even when he was sick, just to spend a little more time with me.

The boy who held my hand when I cried, who listened to all my tear-soaked thoughts, my wishes and dreams and worst fears—those that I could share with him, at least—and promised he’d move mountains tomake every single dream of mine come true and burn my every fear to ashes and that I shouldn’t worry. Because I had him.

The boy who had begged his father to postpone our wedding not because he wanted to, but becauseIwanted to.

Again and again, Siwang had proved his heart to me.

Again and again, I had pushed him away. Because I was afraid. Of his love. Of falling in love with him. Of my nightmares. And of the possibility that maybe I didn’t deserve him, and would never deserve him.

In my dreams, I had watched Rong Siwang die hundreds of times, if not thousands. All because of me, because of this prophecy that everyone believed would bring greatness to Rong. What if instead of an auspicious fate, I was a curse that would doom him to losing everything?

Run,I wanted to tell him,while Yexue has his back turned.

Siwang didn’t run. He wouldn’t. He was raised to be a hero, to be the noble and honorable prince his father had demanded he be since he was a baby, swaddled in silk.

Honorable princes didn’t run from battles. Didn’t leave their betrothed in the hands of a cold-blooded killer.

“Would you like to finish him off?” Yexue repeated, still offering me his blade.

With a shaking hand, I took the blade from him.

Yexue’s smile deepened. He opened his arms and reached up, as if to help me down from the horse.

I didn’t let him touch me.

Instead, I drove the blade into the right side of his chest, then pushed him away. “A life for a life. You saved mine, so I will spare yours. Get on, Siwang!” I hissed as I kicked the horse into motion.

Even injured, Siwang leaped on effortlessly.

I snapped the reins and the horse bolted into a full sprint. I didn’t know who was faster, this prized stallion or the monstrous abilities of Lan Yexue.

Thankfully, I didn’t find out.

Yexue didn’t try to chase us. As we raced through the pinewoods, I heard neither the sound of horses’ hooves nor his impossibly fast steps.

Against my better judgment, I allowed myself one last glance over my shoulder to see Yexue standing right where I’d left him, the blade still plunged into his chest as blood soaked through his once-pristine white robes.

He watched me with the same amber eyes that had regarded me so tenderly mere hours earlier in the cave. Though they were too far away to read, I assumed they were no longer so kind.

Yet, as we rode away, I could have sworn I saw Yexue smile.

11

“Get me a physician!”

Siwang was no longer conscious by the time I rode through camp, frantically searching for someone to tend to his wounds.

I would have done it myself if not for fear of wasting time. I didn’t want to give Yexue a chance to catch up or do a bad job and make things worse. Siwang was the crown prince, the root of the emperor’s life, the flesh of his heart. If anything happened to Siwang, neither I nor my family would be able to bear the weight of his rage.

Siwang couldn’t die.

“Help!” I cried, louder this time. The sun blazed above us, so stifling I could barely breathe. Sweat beaded across my skin. I didn’t know if it was because of my hammering heart or Siwang’s blood burning through the back of my clothes. “A doctor…!” I panted, slipping from the saddle. “Someone help the prince. Please! Please…”

“Lady Lifeng!” someone shouted through the murky darkness. “Lady Lifeng! Someone get the imperial physician! Quick!”

“Help him,” I murmured as consciousness slipped from my grasp.

Please.

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