Page 126 of The Prince of Power

Damian

Ava lies curled against me, her head resting beneath my chin. The room is bathed in pale moonlight, and it brushes across her hair and the curve of her shoulder.

She’s so goddamn precious to me, and I hate it.

She’s a weakness.

Because it’s not just that I’d burn the whole world to the ground for her. I’d burn myself with it if it meant keeping her safe.

And that’s a problem, because I’m dangerous for her. What she almost did last night is proof. Fuck, I can’t even think about it. It makes me sick inside.

Keeping her in this world is not the right thing to do. I need to let her go.

But I can’t do it.

I don’t have the strength.

“You’re still upset.” Her soft voice breaks the quiet. “You’re still angry about what I said to Rhett.”

Something curdles inside me. She still doesn’t get it. “That’s not what I’m upset about. It’s what you did afterward.”

She sighs. “Oh.”

“You said you weren’t afraid.” My voice is sharp. “I didn’t like that. It makes me think you might do it again.”

But she never will. She’ll never get the opportunity. I’ll haunt her like a shadow if I have to.

“I won’t.” Her voice is firm. “Because you’ll never threaten someone I love again.”

I shut my eyes. Why did I have to threaten him? I was so consumed with rage and jealousy that I didn’t think.

Never again.

“I wasn’t going to jump,” she says. “The only reason I told you I wasn’t afraid is because I was so surprised. I’ve thought a lot about this because of…you know…what my mom did. I would never,everdo that to my family. Or to you.”

I exhale through my nose, trying to calm the flicker of rage before it burns again. “You could have slipped.”

She shakes her head. “I did gymnastics as a kid.”

“Did you? What a relief. You’re invincible now.”

She sighs. “I was safe. And I wasn’t afraid. It kept me steady on my feet.”

“If you’d slipped, you would have been afraid. When death is a certainty, the fear is unbearable. Trust me, Ava. I know that better than anyone.”

There’s a rustling under the covers, and then I feel her hard gaze on my face. “I take it you’ve had your life threatened?”

“No. I’ve seen it. In other people’s eyes.”

Her breathing stutters. “Oh, I see.” She finds my hand underneath the blankets and gives it a squeeze. “Being forced to kill people. That must be…traumatizing.”

I huff. “No, it’s not. Especially now that I know how to make it quick.” My voice drops quieter. “But I wasn’t able to do that when I was sixteen.”

The room shifts around us. Her shock is like static in the air, vibrating across my skin.

I shouldn’t have said it. She probably thinks I’m a monster. And maybe she’s right.

“Did your dad make you kill people?”

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