Page 138 of Heir of Broken Souls

“I plan for us to have a thousand years together, Angel. There are bound to be days when we are cross with one another, but mark my words, no matter how deeply I feel I willneverlay a hand on you.” I frown, pained, as her body stays submissive, as her eyes remain on the floor. “I would rather kill myself than harm you.”

Her breath stutters out of her as she slowly, ever so slowly, lifts her head, pinning me with her achingly sad blue eyes.

It takes everything within me to remember why, exactly, I’m cross with her and to not immediately comfort her and heal that hurt. But I’m hurt too, and I know she can feel and see it.

“I never thought I’d feel betrayed by you,” I admit hoarsely. She flinches at my words.

I take a seat on the bed and run a frustrated hand through my disheveled hair, not surprised when my hand comes back covered with black and red blood.

“Why didn’t you tell me? And don’t lie to me again, I know that you saw this coming.”

Her lips quiver. “You’re right, I did. The visions showed me the battle and me holding a blade to Hazel’s throat, but nothing else. Gods, if I had seen everything, I would have learned from such a stupid—foolish—error!” She raises her voice, anger lacing her every word. At herself, not me.

A sob rises in her chest, but she continues. “Gods, Knox, it didn’t give me a choice. I received two visions, one where I told you and one where I didn’t, and the one where I showed you—” She chokes on her words. “Knox, it was nothing short of a nightmare. We all would have perished.”

Shaking my head, the anger within my heart lessens.

“You didn’t choose to betray me?”

She’s in front of me on her knees in a heartbeat, tears rolling down her cheeks freely. “No,no. I would never in a million years willingly lie to you.” Her breath leaves her, shaky. “I didn’t have a choice. Naia was also shown the same visions. She didn’t tell a soul, not even Amelia. She…she was supposed to die?—”

“What?”

“It was planned. Naia said she had accepted her fate, but Icouldn’tlose another person. It doesn’t even matter we’re not close to them, I just…” Her voice grows thick. “We’re surrounded by so much loss, Knox, I couldn’t bear it anymore.” Then she pushes to her feet, spitting, “And I let our one chance of revenge slip through my bloody fingers. I was so stupid!”

“You couldn’t have known, Angel.”

“Don’t.”

“Don’t what?”

“Donotmake me feel better for this. I don’t deserve it.”

Rising, I track her movements as she paces before the fire in the hearth.

“Delilah, how would you have known?”

She shrugs. “You would have!”

“Because I would have read her mind. You do not possess such magic. Anyone would have fallen for it. They looked like our family, Delilah. There’s no world you would have suspected or hurt them.”

I wrap my arms around her to stop her incessant pacing. Her body immediately melts into my touch, her head resting against my chest where she can hear the heart that beats for her and only her. Her warmth soothes the last tendrils of hurt she caused.

Still, she remains agitated. “There’s something we aren’t seeing,” she whispers.

“Why do you say that?”

“She taunted me, right before Axel’s impersonator showed up.” She pulls back. “She said we needed her, and the look in her eye… She knows something, Knox. She knows something, and she’s looking at us like we’re fools.”

Without another word, she opens her gilded door and allows me to step into her mind, into the hallway of her memories. The moment with Hazel plays before my eyes, how she toyed with us all.

Pulling back, I cock my head, rubbing soothing circles on her skin. “I don’t even know what she would be alluding to. It’s just another mind game, my angel, something to get under your skin.”

She rips herself away from my touch. “Well, she certainly did, and she’s shoved another wedge between us.” Her eyes fill with more tears, and she chokes on another sob. “I can’t believe I let her go.”

The words leave her in a pained rush seconds before she crumbles to the floor and weeps so strongly, I can do nothing but hold her through her heartache.

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