Page 66 of Dangerous Promises

Freddie's eyes widen, his face paling too as he grabs Isla in a similar fashion to usher her away as well. "Okay, maybe we should all just-"

But the nurse, oblivious, continues on as her joyful eyes stare up into Anton's terrified ones. "Dimitri. He's... he'sawake."

Goosebumps tickle at my skin.

What,the actual, fuck?

Chapter

Twenty-Six

Sage

“The most important thing to know about killing, Sage. It is a responsibility. Every time it is possible to spare a life, then you must. Only kill when there is no other option."

"Only when there is no other option?"

"Only when there is no other option."

"How will I know if it's the only option?"

"You'll know. Trust me, you'll know."

Tears stream down my devastated face as I take a breath and listen to Nicholas's voice on repeat in my mind. My hand reaches up to feel the tears and I close my fist over the cold droplets. My ears ring, and I only hear the sound of the knife hitting gravel before Nicholas takes over.

"Only when there is no other option."

Nicholas.

I haven't allowed myself to say, or even think, his name in almost a year. The last time I said it, I screamed it.

The floodgates are open. My heart is wide open and vulnerable, and now that I've heard his name, nothing is stopping all my grief from unwinding all the carefully constructed threads I had in place to hold it back.

My Nicholas.

The man who stepped in front of a bullet for me. Gave away his life for me. Had his life stolen in defense of mine.

Still, when I looked at Alexei sitting on his knees in the gravel with his hands in surrender, I didn't feel what I thought I would. I didn't feel the driving mountain of hatred. I didn't feel the raw rage that had pushed every swipe of my knife before. Somehow, I couldn't make that final cut.

Instead, it was like my heart seized in place as the fog of everything I'd been hiding behind cleared away.

All I could hear was Nicholas's voice in my head, reminding me why killing is a responsibility, why it can't be taken lightly and why a life should only be taken if there is no other option.

It was only then, looking into Alexei's eyes as he waited and willed me to kill him, that I realized killing him isn't the only option.

I just don't want to take any of the others.

At this point, the only reason for anyone else to die is to make one of us feel better. With Nicholas's name in the open and his voice in my mind, I know for sure that there isn't any way to make it feel better.

Alexei is both the source and the target of my grief, and I am his.

It was Nicholas's name, and that singular thought, that spared Alexei Rushkoff's life today.

"Are you fucking serious Anton!"

I startle as the world comes rushing back in force and I see Alexei gearing up to attack my uncle.

"Whoa!" Freddie shouts, jumping in front of Alexei to hold him back at the shoulders.