Page 112 of Crossbones
I jerk against Aldric’s hold, eyes flashing angrily as I watch the devastation bleed across Caspian’s face at the decision before him. As much as I want him to choose me—as much as my pride and ego insist I’m more important than a town of refugees, I know the truth.
He won’t choose me.
Foxhollow is his atonement—his rebellion. It stands for everything he has meticulously crafted to alleviate the guilt of not only failing to save his sister, but the monstrosities his family has committed in the name of the crown that has his name.
I know what his decision is probably before he even knows. I also know that it’s the right choice. How can I want him to choose me when it would mean sacrificing my sister and her family on top of all the innocents that also have a home here.What kind of a monster would I be to allow that to happen?
The kind everyone says I am.
That’s what my mind whispers to me—it’s who I am—and why would anyone want a heart as black and broken as mine? Because when faced with this choice, I would burn the world down if it meant I could have him. Knowing he isn’t going to do the same makes me irrationally angry.
Caspian’s eyes find mine and I see him battling for control over his emotions. I watch him attempt to slide the mask of the prince in place, but it’s a testament to how close we are that I see glimpses of what’s real—the stab of hurt in my chest fuels my fire and I close myself off to him. I bare my teeth, driving the decision home. I can at least do this—I can at least make the decision easier for him.
“Why are you hesitating?” I growl. “You and I both know this was nothing more than a fucking distraction—don’t make this dramatic,your highness.”
Hurt flickers across Caspian’s face, there and gone as quick as a spark. His eyes harden as he stands and looks at Aldric. My composure wavers as I watch him shut down. I watch him push away every touch, every glance, every quiet moment we shared together. As his eyes leave mine, I know it’s over, and the devastation I feel would have sent me to my knees if I hadn’t already been there.
“Foxhollow.”
I knew it was coming, and still the word is like a physical blow and a blade through every question Caspian and I stepped around on the journey back here. The answer is a shredded heart and the end to something that maybe didn’t even have a future to begin with. Aldric shoves me away and straightens. Coming back around, he studies Caspian.
He looks surprised. “You’re choosing your little pet project?”
Caspian nods once, his jaw tight. “Yes.”
“How selfless of you, Caspian—I’m shocked honestly. You’re far more noble than I ever expected you to be.”
“Fuck you,” Caspian growls, but the hurt is in every syllable.
Maybe Harrison was right when he said I’d lost myself in someone I shouldn’t have. I shouldn’t have fallen for his charms. I shouldn’t have pushed for him to show me who he really was underneath his mask. I shouldn’t have allowed him in—I shouldn’t have gotten attached.
Foxhollow.
The word may as well be a bullet, killing the hope I had in us ever beingsomething more. I think about all the times it was on the tip of my tongue to ask him to stay with me afterwards—to be mine. And despite my harsh words, I know I’ll still go to my death with a singular truth that I never got to tell him.
Does he know?
Does he know I’m irrevocably in love with him?
Aldric flicks his wrist. “Take him away. He’ll hang in the morning.”
I’m dragged back towards the door. As I’m pulled further and further from him, I feel a crack start in my chest. It cuts through the pain of the gunshot wound, cuts through my rage—sharper than any physical damage.
This must be what it feels like to have your heart broken.
Just before the door shuts, Caspian meets my gaze one last time with the haunted look of a man who may have saved hundreds, but couldn’t save the one that mattered most.
CASPIAN
The guards toss me into a cell at the town hall. I scramble to my feet and attack the bars, slamming into them as they shut. I want to wipe that fucking sneer from Aldric’s face—
“He’ll hang in the morning, brother,” Aldric says. “And unfortunately, you’ll have to watch from here.”
“What?” I clutch the bars. “Why? Don’t do this, Aldric,” I growl.
His expression darkens and he takes a step forward.
“You’re the reason our sister is gone,” he snarls. “The only thing I’ve ever loved and you destroyed her—you’re the reason our family is broken and the De’Vero’s are failing.”
