Page 131 of Black Wing and Shadows
Zane’s hand brushed mine beneath the table, steady.
But my father wasn’t finished. His pale green eyes narrowed, glinting like ice. “You’re hiding something else. At the end of the day, I don’t care—not right now. What I do know is that neither of you is the killer. Not intentional killers, at least.” His gaze lingered on me for a moment longer than comfort allows, then slid to Zane.
The stare that followed could split stone. It stayed cold, unrelenting, as if he were weighing Zane’s soul piece by piece.
“You.” His voice dropped lower, edged in steel. “You dare to throw that filth into my head—an image of my daughter,my daughter—” His jaw tightened, and his eyes cut to me, catching the way my face burned hot again.
“Fuck,” I said.
Zane, to his credit, didn’t flinch. He met that gaze head-on. “You went digging where you weren’t wanted,” he said. “I defended myself. I defended her. I won’t apologize for that.”
The silence that followed was enough to shatter glass.
My dad stared at him. “You are free to go, Cadet Braegon, or should I say the Marquess of the Veil of Vultures.”
Zane stared back. Shock rippled through our bond, but his face stayed iron, steady against that cold stare. “Respectfully, I am not fucking leaving, sir.”
And then—shockingly—my father inclined his head. Not much. But enough. “You protect her,that—I respect, never stop.”
I blinked, my throat thick. I never thought I’d hear that from him.
My father’s attention slid back to me, his voice dropping lower. “I saw the letters. You’ve read them. I know.”
The floor tilted under me. My mouth went dry.
He nodded once, deliberate. “I swear to you, Auri—I had no part in your mother’s death. But yes… she was murdered. And I will avenge it. I have sworn as much.”
My chest tightened. My breath caught like a sob I refused to let free.
“Your mother and I once loved each other, but we weren’t meant for each other. We stayed together, but not truly. Only for you. But I did care for her. And I will not let her killer walk free.”
The room spun, my mind reeling. For the first time in years, I didn’t know what to say to him. Zane’s hand tightened around mine under the table, grounding me as the silence stretched.
For the first time, my father gave me something I never expected. Not control. Not commands. Only the truth.
He stood up, nodded to us, and walked out.
The door shut behind us with a thud that rattled through my bones. I couldn’t move for a long moment. My legs felt rooted to the floor, my lungs too tight for air.
Zane’s hand stayed on mine, firm, grounding. “Auri—”
“He knew,” I whispered, my voice raw. “He saw the letters. He knew I read them.” My throat closed around the words. “And he confirmed it. She didn’t just die. She was murdered.”
Zane’s eyes softened, though his jaw stayed tight. “You’ve always known it in your gut. He only gave a voice to what you already felt.”
“That doesn’t make it easier,” I shot back, tears stinging my eyes. I dragged my sleeve across them before they could fall. “I wanted him to deny it, Zane. I wanted him to say I was wrong, that I made it up, that she—” My voice broke. “But he didn’t.”
Zane didn’t argue. He only pulled me in, his arm strong around my shoulders, letting me press my face to his chest until my breaths eased.
When I finally straightened, his eyes searched mine. “You heard the other part, too. He’s vowing to avenge her. Whatever else he is… that promise, I believe.”
I nodded faintly, though my insides still twisted. “Believing him doesn’t mean trusting him.”
Zane’s mouth ticked up at the corner. “Good. Don’t trust him. But take the truth where you can.”
We walked in silence until the heavy doors opened to the winter air. Voices drifted from the courtyard below—cadets murmuring, restless, boots crunching on stone.
And there he was.
