Page 15 of A Fate of Ice and Lies
“She was dying.” Rage rose from deep inside my belly. Wave after wave, it grew and grew until I felt myself disconnect from the present when my primal instincts took over.
Through my nose, I sucked in a deep breath, and Teddy’s fear infiltrated my nostrils. Her bottom lip wobbled as she stared at me, at my eyes that I was sure were as dark as the night sky. Blinking, I took in another shaky breath and managed to gain my control back.
“She was safer with that male than she will ever be again,” Uncle Hudson spat.
Anguish tore through me and choked me until I struggled for my next breath. All the while, Teddy watched me with her own terror shining in her translucent blue eyes.
“Teddy?” I spoke softly.
I approached her the way I would a scared caladrius, one of the smaller birds of our kingdom.
While her body swayed toward me, she took another step away.
She feared me. I’d ripped through the veil to save her, but all I’d done was make her scared of me. That realization made my heart hurt.
“He’s dead?” she asked.
“I apologize,” George said, sincerity spilling from his lips. “I was unaware I should not have harmed him.”
Tears filled her eyes. “You didn’t harm him,” she whispered. When her eyes clashed against his, it was his turn to take a retreating step back. “You killed him.” Her sudden anger was a beautiful red orb that glistened around her. “An innocent man who only wanted to take care of his family. His wife is dying, and now he’s dead because of you.” She wiped a stray tear from her cheek.
“You’re crying for him?” I asked, trying to understand her emotions.
She wiped another tear. “Of course I am.”
“He harmed you,” I argued. “He had you trapped. You told him he was killing you.”
A humorless laugh tore from inside her. “He didn’t harm me.” She shoved my chest, and although the blow itself wasn’t hard, I stumbled back a step. “The refrigerator fell on me, you idiot. He was trying to get it off.”
“Guardians help us,” Uncle Hudson muttered.
I stood there with my mouth open in shock. I had seen him over her. Heard the way she screamed for him to stop. The harrowing way she’d told him he was killing her.
“I don’t understand,” I said, working my jaw back and forth.
“He was trying to get the fridge off me. I screamed because it hurt, but he was trying to save me.” Her tone was a deathly sort of quiet. Another tear fell down her cheek as she held her arms around her chest. “His children have no parents now.”
“I can send them money,” I offered, hoping to placate her.
My parents did it for orphans and their caregivers until the child reached adulthood.
“Money?” She turned to me, tears falling faster down her face. “You think his kids will care about money when they’re alone in this world?”
“I. . .” I tried to find the right words but failed.
“We’re not from here,” Brenton said, his tone cautious and lips pressed together to form a thin line. “We weren’t aware of your customs and are truly sorry.”
“In what world is murder a custom?” Teddy asked, her anguish and anger making her cheeks redden.
“Murder?” I asked, truly perplexed. “This wasn’t murder. This was—I thought?—”
“Stop.” The plea in her voice made me pause.
I closed my mouth, frustration silencing me.
“This isn’t real,” she muttered to herself, wrapping the blanket tighter around her shoulders. “It’s just a tumor or. . .”
When she looked back at me, the sorrow in her eyes slammed into me. It tore through me and shredded me apart.
