Page 104 of The Kingdom's Reckoning
"I c-can’t kill someone. I’m not…"
"Like me?" he asked.
The rising guilt was sour on her tongue. "That’s not what I meant."
"Even if it was, you wouldn’t be hurting my feelings, Haze. I hope that you never have to use this. I hope that if the time ever arises when you need to, that you don’t have to kill someone. Taking a life is not easy. It’s not a weight I wish on anyone. But a war is upon us, and we are about to walk straight into the heart of it. I cannot…" Laurince’s words became thick, and Myra didn’t need to read his emotions to see the concern twisting at his heart.
His comrades, his friends, and his family lived in Frenzia. The three of them didn’t know how bad things were inside of the capital, but they had seen the remains of the Tetrian village that was burned to the ground, they had seen the fear in theBorganian village that they had stopped at for supplies, the paranoid gazes, the closed doors.
"This time you were lucky, but who knows if you will be the next time? I need to know you will do whatever you can to survive." He stared at her, his gaze unwavering, as if he wished to sear his words into her soul. "Got it?"
Using her power should have been the first thing Myra did. Instead, she had hesitated. Instead, she had waited. She had tried to think of what Kallie would do. But Myra wasn’t Kallie.
Maybe she didn’t have to be.
"Yes," she said, opening her hand.
Chapter 42
KALLIE
"Let me get this straight,"Ellie said, massaging her temples as she paced. "Your father shows up here as a fuckingwolf, tells you that you’re some reckoning, then carries your mother’s dead body away? Anything I’m forgetting?"
Kallie squeezed Graeson’s hand in reassurance. When he had first told her, she also had a hard time believing everything. But then she remembered it was only yesterday when she had witnessed Graeson morph into a dragon—something she had never deemed possible. It was time to stop questioning what was and wasn’t possible.
Graeson scratched his head, the cotton fabric stretching over his arms. "That’s kind of oversimplifying it, but…yes?"
"You forgot to add that he’s a fucking dragon," Moris mumbled from the tree he was tied to. Because of his wings, he had to hug the tree. It would have been comical if Kallie had been in a better mood.
Ellie groaned. "No one asked you, traitor."
Moris’ left cheek was red, a bruise the size of Ellie’s fist marring his skin. When Graeson had asked Ellie about it, she simply shrugged, claiming Graeson was only upset that she didit first. Kallie couldn’t disagree with that. Whether or not Moris was one of their friends, the line between ally and enemy was currently blurry. Every time Kallie looked at Moris, she shivered, recalling the way her body refused to move under his spell.
"I already told you I didn’t want to do any of that! Domitius had some hold over me. He brought me along with him only because of my power and because he thought seeing me would rattle you," Moris explained. "The serum they gave me—that turned me into thismonster—didn’t tie me to him. Hecontrolledme, like she can."
Kallie sat up, discomfort soaking her bones.
Thankfully, neither Graeson nor Ellie looked at her for too long. They both knew how she felt about using her ability, especially when she was living with Domitius.
"And we’re supposed to believe his control over you is suddenly gone?" Ellie snapped.
"You killed him, didn’t you?" Moris asked, struggling to look at Graeson and Kallie from his position.
Graeson cracked his jaw, tension rippling through his body. "Yes."
"If you don’t believe me, that should prove it to you, at least." He rolled his shoulders, and his back pressed against the binding that wrapped around him. "Plus, I could break free from this in a matter of seconds. Even if this rope was an iron chain instead, it would be no issue."
Kallie grimaced. "Well, that’s comforting."
"But I’m not trying to! That’s my point. I don’t care if you tie me up. If you wanted to kill me, I would let you. I’m still me. I’m still?—"
"We don’t know that!" Ellie shouted. "You could betray us the moment we turn our backs on you."
"She’s right, Moris," Graeson said, rubbing his palms over his knees. "We have to be cautious."
Moris groaned out of frustration. "Do you hear me arguing with you about that?Pleasebe cautious. Pleasedon’ttrust me. I already told you. I can’t control myself, but not because I wish to betray you or aid the other side. I am a danger toanyonearound me."
"He hasn’t tried to kill us yet," Kallie said, feeling bad for Moris. She understood what it felt like not to be trusted, and even more, she understood how painful it was not to trust one’s own mind.
