Page 97 of Lady of the Drowned Empire
I eyed Naria. That bitch had betrayed me in so many ways. Was she really going to stand for this, too?
She turned up her nose and walked outside, leaving me with the pack.
Viktor stepped forward, and in that moment, I caught sight of Rhyan turning, sensing something was wrong. His face changed in an instant.
“Your aunt didn’t tell you?” Viktor asked, throwing his hand against the wall, trapping me against him. “You’re about to become a Kormac.”
My eyes widened.
Then a dark arm shot forth, pushing through the wall Viktor had created.
“Galen!” I shouted in surprise. I hadn’t seen him since…since Valyati. Since I’d killed Haleika.
“Back off, Kormac,” Galen sneered. “Leave her.”
“I don’t think so. She belongs to us.”
“Not today she doesn’t,” he said.
Viktor shook his head. Rhyan was nearly at the door, his face full of rage.
“Ka Scholar, right?” Viktor said. “You’ll regret this.”
“I don’t care.” Galen grabbed my arm and pushed past the wolves outside.
I froze on the spot. I could hear Haleika. I could see her body catching fire, her head falling. I could see my father….
No. No.
Galen squeezed my hand. “Come on, soturion. You can do this.”
I took a deep breath and squeezed my eyes shut. When I opened them, Galen was watching me, his eyes filled with tears.
“Lyr, you know we’ve always been friends. And for that reason, I never say it. But I love you.”
I nodded, feeling my own tears form. “I love you, too.”
“I’m so sorry about your father.”
“Thank you.”
“And,” he looked uncomfortable, “I’m sorry about you and Tristan.”
I let out a shaky breath. “Thanks, Galen.”
“I just needed to say all that. So that I could say I know you did what you had to…with Hal. I get it. I do. You had no choice. But for me, it’s still too soon.”
I sniffled. “For me, too.”
He squeezed my hand again. “So I’ll see you around. Be careful out there.”
The backs of my eyes burned.
Rhyan reached my side then, replacing Galen’s presence. He looked me up and down. “Partner, you alright?”
“I guess.”
His eyes scanned the arena, pausing over the spots where it had happened. I knew he was thinking the same thing I was.
