Even now, nobody does anything to find out why she was murdered. Nobody even seems to care except Luc.
Poor Luc. He lost the woman he wanted to marry.
He stands in stiff silence, his eyes simmering, his hands clenched into fists, as if he stops himself from destroying the entire city. He probably does.
Alden ordered everyone to attend. Otherwise, nobody would care about the funeral of an outsider. Especially these bitter, hateful, prejudiced people.
My fingers itch to defend her, to slay them all.
The urge dives deep within me, to that place I hide my fire. To that place I stifled when I came here. To that place I almost forgot as I fell for Gabriel.
He doesn’t deserve my vengeance, yet it still smolders inside me. It was never going to fade completely. It just needed kindling. The kindling Kassandra’s death provided.
Numbness encases me as I follow him away from the funeral. Leaving my friend and her cheerfulness. Her kindness. Her compassion.
She was like nobody else I have ever met. She was better than me. So much better.
Gabriel leads me inside our cottage. I collapse into a chair and stare vacantly at the wall. He pours me a goblet of wine and places it in my hands. I take a drink, allowing the heat to warm my chest. If only it would numb my heart.
Maybe someday soon, the trees will sway again. The flowers will bloom. The rain will return.
It makes no difference to me.
I’ll be gone.
ChapterForty-Four
Four days ago, the earth let out a shuddering breath and halted. During that time, I barely rose for food. I barely cleaned. I barely spoke to Gabriel.
On the fifth day after her death, he joins me in bed earlier than usual. The sun still lumbers on the horizon and throws shadows across our bedchamber walls.
Gabriel’s weight dips into the mattress as he rotates and pulls me into his arms. For a beat, I stiffen before melding to his comfort.
“I didn’t know you cared this deeply,” he says, his words low, guarded, as if he fears saying the wrong thing.
“She was my friend,” I admit.
Kassandra taught me about acceptance, rising above adversity, and kindness. She was the one light among the Bloodstone. The one diamond. The one brightness.
Now, she’s gone.
Tenderly, he runs his hand against my arm. “I know. I’m sorry.”
“Gabriel.” I nestle closer to him, needing him more than ever before. His solidness. His strength. His compassion.
He curls his fingers into my hair, cradling me against him, keeping me as tight as I cling to him. “How can I help?”
“You can’t,” I whisper.
How I wish he could. How I wish he could bring my friend back.
“I’m sorry.” The words hang between us, his admittance that he hadn’t protected Kassandra as he had vowed.
“Why didn’t we leave Astarobane? All we had to do was leave.”
A long exhale escapes him. “I was working on it, but it takes a lot of preparation to move an army.”
“Well, now she’s dead.” The stark reality escapes me in a rush of bitterness.
