Page 207 of A Touch of Poison
And yet she stood here, shoulders square, chin raised.
“He was going to kill me. I know that, because he told me while he had his hands around my neck.”
Murmurs rippled out across the room. This kind of violence wasn’t tolerated in Elfhame—it certainly wasn’t allowed under the law like in Albion.
“And yet this man?” Her voice rose as she gestured to me. “The one Ichooseto be with. The one who showed me I had a fucking choice. He’s the man you call oathbreaker, while you let my husband enter my rooms and try to kill me.”
There was no sound but the fountain and Kat’s words ringing to every corner of the room. The folk around us frowned, and a few glanced at me, then looked aside when they met my eye.
“You and your laws forced my hand tonight. When I was lying there with my husband’s hands around my throat, moments from death, I took his life. And in doing so, I claimedmine.”
My chest filled with her ferocity, and if not for the crowd, I’d have knelt at her feet then and there.
She surveyed them, letting her words sink in. This close, I spotted the moment she gave a short gasp.
When I followed her line of sight, I spotted a head of red hair. Her uncle.
Good gods, I hoped she would release me from my promise not to kill him. Technically, he was a foreign dignitary, yet that wasn’t enough to offset what he’d done to Katas a fucking childor the fact he was responsible for Robin’s arrival in Elfhame.
But instead of falling quiet, she drew a long breath and gave her audience a fierce frown. “Remember this next time you cling to a contract long after it should’ve been broken.”
With a nod, she held out her hand, and I helped her down.
“You are fucking incredible,” I murmured against her hair.
She grunted and leant more heavily on me than she had before. “It won’t make any difference, not when your laws… your central belief structure… they all need to change and see some nuance in contracts. But I couldn’t not say it.”
“I’m not so sure. These things begin with one voice.”
I wasn’t sure if she heard me as she swayed on her feet. I knew the tired look glazing her eyes—the aftermath of adrenaline.
“Come on, let’s get you healed.”
When we turned, Faolán blocked our path. “Kat.” He started closer, and a growl rumbled from me, stopping him short.
I didn’t intend to make a sound, but I’d readied myself for one fight tonight, andmyadrenaline hadn’t faded. Somehow, I held myself still and bit my tongue.
“Are you all right? Let me help—”
“Not now.” At his flinch, she huffed. “You know me, Faolán, and yet you still placed that contract above my wishes.”
He stood there, a giant fae who could turn into a massive wolf silenced by a five-foot-three human.
“Enough.” Half holding her up, I steered around him and tried to ignore his hurt look, even though it pierced me.
All those years ago, I’d saved him from an angry mob who’d decided their village didn’t allow shapechangers. I’d never for an instant regretted that decision—it had brought him into my life as my closest friend—but I wished he understood the parallels between that situation and this one. The foolishness of old beliefs.
He took a step after us. “But the law—”
Leaning into me, Kat turned. “Just because something is legal, doesn’t make it right.”
I slid an arm around Kat’s waist and glanced back.
Faolán stood, head bowed, eyebrows knotted together, gaze skimming the floor like he might find answers there.
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Kat
