The Crown of Gilded Bones (Blood and..

“Not when he first saw you.” He nudged something with
his toe, kicking it across the dusty floor. It was the
dismembered hand. My stomach roiled. “I remained hidden
until it was time and then assumed Beckett’s identity.”
“You stood by when we were nearly overtaken by the
Ascended armies. People died, and you just stood by?”
Scorn dripped from my tone.
His gaze snapped back to mine. “I’m not a coward.”
“You said it.” My smile was thin. “Not me.”
He didn’t move for a long moment. “Watching those
armies descend on Spessa’s End wasn’t easy. Staying
hidden was one of the hardest things I’ve ever done. But
unlike those false Guardians, I am a Protector of Atlantia, a
true Guardian of the realm. I knew my purpose was far
greater than the potential fall of Spessa’s End or even the
death of our Prince.”
“True Guardian?” I thought of the women who had
descended from a long line of warriors—women who had
leapt from the Rise surrounding Spessa’s End and wielded
swords more fearlessly than I’d ever seen the commander
do. I laughed harshly. “You’re pale and pathetic compared to
the Guardians.”
Pain erupting across the side of my cheek and face was
the only warning that he’d moved—that he’d lashed out. A
metallic taste filled my mouth.
“I understand that things must be very confusing and
stressful for you,” he said, his tone heavy with false
sympathy as he rose and took a step back. “But if you insult
me one more time, I will not be responsible for my actions.”
An icy-hot feeling flowed over my skin. My cheek
throbbed as I turned my head back to him and met his gaze.
“You will die,” I promised, smiling at the red blush of anger
staining his cheeks. “It will be by my hand, and it will be a
death befitting a coward like you.”
He shot toward me. This time, darkness came with the
biting pain, one I couldn’t escape no matter how hard I tried.