As wild as it was, I still trusted War. I knew he wouldn’t lay a hand on them unless he had no choice. I nodded at Jinx and Blair, trying to reassure them even though they looked scared out of their minds. “I promise, nothing’s gonna happen to you,” I told them.
“I’m trusting you… only you,” Jinx said, voice barely above a whisper.
“What’s with all the dramatics? Didn’t we save your baldheaded ass? Y’all are some of the most ungrateful fruit flies I’d seen in my life. Goddamn,” Grim snapped, nudging them to get moving.
“Don’t fucking touch me!” Blair snapped, shooting daggers over her shoulder.
“Aight, funky butt,” Grim snickered, following them up the stairs. Their bickering echoed down the stairwell, fading as they disappeared.
I turned to War, nodding at Crane. “What’s the plan with him?”
“Use him to fuck with the enemy’s head,” he said flatly.
“Just kill me now! Nobody’s ever gonna use me against my people! Charmden is in my blood—I’ll never fucking fold!” Crane screamed, thrashing on his chain like a man possessed. War didn’t even look back, just started up the stairs.
“Eboenia, come!” War barked.
“Yeah, go ahead and follow him, traitor! I can’t wait to kill you too. My warriors are dead because of you!” Crane spat, his voice ragged and full of hate.
War paused, then turned. The dungeon door yawned open again, like it had a mind of its own. He stormed back, grabbed my arm, and yanked me into the cramped, blood-soaked cell. Crane glared at me, then spat a mouthful of blood right in my face. As I wiped away the warm glob of blood, War delivered a bone-crushing punch to Crane’s gut, making him fold up and cough more blood onto the floor.
“Sin is your traitor. Eboenia didn’t know a damn thing about what we were planning. I suggest you watch your fucking mouth,” War growled, as I wiped Crane’s blood off my cheek.
“Lies! Sin would never do that to us… we’re family!” Crane groaned, his voice breaking.
“You don’t know what a man who hates his father will do when he keeps violating him. Maybe you should’ve been on board with his bitch-ass. Your father used to treat you the same way—I can see it in your eyes,” War said. Crane howled in rage, trying to drown out the truth.
War shoved a knife into my hand. “Go ahead. Stab him.”
“Fuck you!” Crane spat, blood dribbling down his chin.
“Stab him, Eboenia. That’s an order!” War barked, eyes burning into mine.
“Why? He’s already being punished!” I shot back.
War grabbed me by the necklace, nearly lifting me off my feet. His grip was rough, his knuckles white with tension. “That muthafucka just spit on you. I haven’t even disrespected you like that. He spit in your face and threatened your life. So you stab this nigga and show him what I created!” he snarled, his eyes burning into mine.
I reluctantly took the knife from War, and drove it into Crane’s abdomen, twisting it until his body went limp, though he was still breathing—barely. “He’ll live,” War said flatly, barely glancing at Crane as he wiped his hands on his pants.
Crane choked on his own blood, gasping, his eyes wide with pain. War spun him around on the chain and slammed his elbow into Crane’s stomach. Crane doubled over, coughing violently.
“Toughen up! This is the easy part,” War promised, before heading to the stairwell. We walked up the stairs in silence, my footsteps heavy and unsteady. The second we stepped out of the dungeon, War grabbed my arm and spun me to face him, his jaw clenched and eyes narrowed.
“You hesitated stabbing him! Why is that?” War demanded, his grip tightening on my arm.
“His father used to beat him bloody when he was a kid, forced him to train early in their army. I have a soft spot for all victims, War—even the ones who disrespect me,” I replied, my shoulders slumping as I looked away.
War’s hand shot out, yanking me forward with such force my head snapped back, my vision swimming. My breath hitched, and I struggled to steady myself. “The fuck do you mean you have a soft spot for a muthafucka who belittled you, spat on you, and told his clan to cut off your head? Even now, he’s a prisoner—weak, barely conscious—yet he still finds the strength to threaten you. He sees you as a traitor, refuses to believe Sin let me into Charmden. If you show mercy to those weaklings again, I swear, I’ll euthanize you,” he growled, his face inches from mine.
“You should’ve told me about Sin siding with Hex13. I wouldn’t have reacted the way I did when you captured me and forced you to curse me. This could’ve been avoided had you just said something, but you played with my emotions knowing fucking well I was vulnerable!”
“I saved you from that bullshit life and that weak-ass fiancé of yours,” War replied, his lips curling into a sneer.
I snatched away from him, yanking my arm free. He looked at me like I was crazy, his brows furrowed. “You didn’t save me, you turned me into a dark creature for your own sick and twisted mind games. Part of me appreciates some of the things you taught me, but the other part of me knows that everything I’m learning is to benefit you and not me! I want everyone to stop using me to boost their egos!” I screamed at him, my chest heaving as my voice echoed down the corridor.
“I don’t need you to boost shit. The only thing you can do for me is make me nut!” War angrily spat, his nostrils flaring.
“Kill me then and end the curse,” I challenged him, stepping closer, my chin raised defiantly.
