Page 36 of Princess of Bael
Kristina’s hairresembled rivers of blood in the snow, her expression vacant, her body lifeless.
Dead.
I kept repeating the word but struggled to comprehend it.
Failed.
Another statement revolving through my mind.
Broken.
A term that described the balance.
Shattered.
An adjective for my spirit. My purpose. My fucking being.
All because I’d been too weak to protect Kristina, too consumed by my mate to fulfill my one task in life. Kayla was very much to blame here. But so was I. Our bond… had destroyed everything.
It had deteriorated my strength, leaving me without my usual skills.
It had provoked anger and hatred in Kayla, driving her need for revenge.
And it had distracted both of us from the inevitable fracturing of the veil.
Fuck.
I ran my fingers through my hair, my jaw aching from clenching it so hard. There was no bringing Kristina back. No fixing what had already been done.
But we’re not done with this fight yet, I told myself, swallowing.
The Divinity was always meant to fall, just not like this. My whole purpose in life was tocontrolthe collapse. Giving in to this setback would prove me worthless.
I refused to accept that fate.
I would find a way to right the scales, to curb this collision course, and… and… uphold… whatever the future may be.
There was no alternative. To give up would mark my entire existence as fruitless. And I could not allow that to happen.
My fingers curled into fists as I forced myself to my feet, my gaze taking in the murder scene, searching for clues, anything that told mewhohad done this. That person needed to die. That being who’d defiled such a sweet, beautiful creature.
I nearly growled, my fury winning over all my other emotions.
Kayla knelt, rooted like a tree, maybe ten feet away, her expression vacant, her eyes unseeing. As though she couldn’t accept the scene or admit her guilt in this situation. “You caused this,” I accused her, pointing a finger at her and then at Kristina. “That stunt you pulledcaused this.”
Because of me, I thought. But I couldn’t voice that part out loud. It spread agony through my veins, directly to my heart, when I realized just how far Kayla would go to destroy me.
But this had all been a result of her own selfish need for revenge. She hadn’t considered the repercussions, her fixation on my death blinding her from the consequences of her decisions.
I’d never forgive her for that misstep.
Just as she’d never forgive me for my betrayal.
It didn’t make us even; it didn’t right the scales. It merely deteriorated our bond that much more, harming both of us in this journey to eternity.
I hated her just as much as I wanted her.
Our bond had been forged in Hell. Cemented in blood. Forbidden by the heavens. And destined to destroy the world.
