Page 34 of Lies That Blemish
As Liana broke through the trees and into the open meadow, I saw them. My heart stopped at the sight of Kohen peering up at me, Onyx off to the side.
I slipped off of Liana and jumped down, landing right behind Kohen. Lurching forward, I yanked him by the hair and pulled his back flush to my chest, holding my blade across his throat.
“Give me one reason,” I growled, panting against his ear as adrenaline and rage coursed through me. But I knew it was a mistake to get this close to him the second I smelled him.
Ginger, cardamom… home.
“Maybe you should,” he said, his voice filled with agony. “It would end my misery.”
I rolled my eyes. “You don’t get to wallow in any kind of pity, Kohen. You killed my father and me. Youdisgustme.”
He nodded. “Not as much as I disgust myself.”
I released my blade and shoved him away from me. He spun, letting me really see him for the first time. What I saw shocked me.
He’d lost a little weight, there were dark circles under his eyes like he hadn’t slept, and his arms were all bandaged.
“What happened to your arms?” I asked.
He sighed. “Pulled a mother and child from a burning building two nights ago. Still healing.”
I narrowed my eyes, trying to detect his lies.
“You’re impervious to fire,” I stated, calling his BS.
He looked at me blankly and then unwrapped one of his arms. I hissed when I saw four deep gashes. “But not to glass,” he stated.
If he was insinuating that the mother and child had been in a fire thatwestarted, well, I wasn’t about to feel bad. That was war. He should have thought about that before he killed my father.
But Ididfeel bad. Deeply.
“Are the mother and child okay?” I asked.
He nodded.
I was falling for his crap again. He probably made that whole story up, even cut his own arms to get me to feel sorry for him.
“Why did you call me here?” I asked quickly, wanting to leave, wanting to look away from those deep blue eyes I had once lost myself in.
Kohen peered away from me like he couldn’t meet my gaze, and my stomach sank.
“My gift has… matured. I see multiple timelines now. A dozen variations based on certain decision points. Not just the most likely one like I used to.”
I snapped my fingers. I was not here to have a full-on conversation with him. “Okay, what was your vision? I have a country to run, and our ceasefire is ending soon.”
He looked hurt at how cold I was being, but I didn’t care.
“Don’t freak out. We can still change it?—”
“We!” I laughed. “Kohen, there will never be aweagain.”
He looked like I’d stabbed him in the chest. “Don’t say that. Please.”
“You’re delusional if you think you can just kill my father, kill me, and I’d ever kiss you again—you are literally insane.”
His bottom lip shook, and I honestly thought he was going to cry for a second until a mask of anger washed over him so hard and fast I wasn’t prepared for it.
“Maybe I should have left him alive,” Kohen said, stepping closer to me. “Maybe I should have let your father kill you. Then, at least you would have died loving me and knowing the truth.”
