Chapter 45
“Knox, stop it,” I snapped, my patience already stretched thin.
I was pissed—at everything. At Eliza, at Amira, at myself for not seeing things sooner. And now Knox was here, being his usual self, thinking he could smooth things over with that cocky smirk of his.
“I want to see Alaric, not you, you do not concern me,” I said, stepping past him.
Knox let out a dramatic sigh. “Alright, miss boring, come on then.”
+15
I rolled my eyes and pushed past him, already done with this conversation—but before I could take two steps, he grabbed my wrist and yanked me back, shoving me gently but firmly against the wall.
I gasped, my hands instinctively coming up to push him away, but he didn’t move. He just leaned in, caging me in, his silver eyes flickering with something too smug for my liking.
“Did you forget that kiss?” he murmured.
My stomach flipped, but I refused to let it show.
J
I scowled instead, forcing my voice to stay flat. “No. I just chose not to think about it.”
His smirk widened. “That so?”
I tried to shove past him again, but he just pressed a little closer, blocking me in.
“Because, princess, that wasn’t just any kiss,” he said, voice smooth as silk. “It was a damn good one. The kind that lingers. The kind that keeps you up at night, wondering what would’ve happened if we hadn’t stopped.”
I scoffed. “You stopped.”
His gaze flickered, just for a second, but the smirk never left his lips. “Maybe I did. But you wanted more, didn’t you?”
I opened my mouth to snap at him, but he was already grinning, tilting his head slightly as if he were studying me, dissecting me.
“I bet you still think about it,” he continued, voice dropping to a murmur. “The way my hands felt on you. The way you melted against me. We were in danger but you wanted me. I could smell your arousal.”
I glared. “You have a talent for talking absolute nonsense.”
He laughed softly, his breath warm against my skin. “Do I?”
“Yes,” I snapped. “Because the way I remember it, after that kiss, you turned around and acted like I was nothing. Acted like a dickhead.”
His smirk didn’t fade, but something shifted in his eyes.
Too subtle to make a big deal out of.
“That pissed you off, didn’t it?” he mused.
I clenched my jaw, my nails digging into my palms. “Why would I care?”
His eyes bore into mine, looking at my lips and then back at my eyes. As of he wanted to onkiss me once more. “Because, Liana, you care about me. Id you didn’t you wouldn’t have kissed me and me being a dick wouldn’t have bothered you.”
I scoffed. “You think too highly of yourself.”
“I know. But I speak the truth. I don’t lie.”
I hated that he was right.
I hated that my pulse was pounding, that my body still reacted to him despite my mind screaming at me to leave.
His gaze dropped to my lips again, just for a second. Calculated. Deliberate.
1 refused to give him the satisfaction of looking away first.
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8:30 PM.
Chapter 45
“Let me guess,” he mused, smirking again. “You’re thinking about how much you hate me right now. About how much you want to push me away,”
“You’re not wrong,” I muttered.
“But you’re also wondering,” he murmured, tilting his head slightly, “if I’d kiss you again if you asked.”
I swallowed.
He was too close.
Too smug.
Too damn Knox.
I exhaled sharply, straightening my shoulders. “I wouldn’t waste my breath.”
“Good,” he murmured. “Because you wouldn’t have to ask.”
I pushed him away, shoving him back hard enough to make him step back.
Fuck off, Knox,” I said, voice sharp.
This time, I didn’t let him stop me.
I turned and walked away without looking back.
I needed to find Alaric,
My mind was spinning, still tangled in everything Eliza had said. She had set me up. She had taken money from Amira to betray me. And now, suddenly, she wanted more?
I didn’t believe in coincidences.
If Eliza was playing both sides, I needed to know why–before she decided to sell me out again.
I moved quickly through the halls, my steps determined as I made my way to Alaric’s chambers. The guards outside his door barely had time to react before I pushed past them, storming inside,
Alaric was standing by the window, watching the night sky, his posture rigid.
He turned the moment he heard me enter, his ice–blue gaze locking onto mine.
I didn’t waste time. “It was Eliza.”
His expression didn’t change, but I saw the slight flicker of interest.
“Eliza?” he repeated, his voice slow, measured.
“She planted the poison in my room,” I said. “Amira paid her. She admitted it.”
Alaric exhaled through his nose, turning away from the window. He strode past me, calm, controlled, but I could feel the weight of his anger simmering beneath the surface,
“Bring her in,” he ordered the guards.
Minutes later, the doors opened again, and Eliza was shoved inside.
She didn’t look surprised.
She barely reacted at all.
Her cold gaze flicked to me first, then to Alaric.
“Eliza,” Alaric said, his voice deceptively soft. “Is there something you’d like to tell me?”
Eliza didn’t speak.
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8:30 PM
Chapter 45
I clenched my jaw. “Tell him what you told me”
She exhaled slowly, her arms still loose at her sides, but I could see the tension in her shoulders.
“I did it,” she admitted, voice even. “I planted the vial”
There was a collective silence in the room,
Alaric tilted his head slightly, studying her. “Why?”
Her jaw clenched. “Amira paid me.”
“For what, exactly?”
“To make Liana look guilty,” she said simply. “To make you question her.”
I narrowed my eyes. “And now you’re here, telling the truth. Why?”
She hesitated.
Something flickered across her face, something almost like–guilt.
“I want more,” she said, echoing her words from earlier. “More than what Amira offered.”
Alaric watched her closely.
Then, after a moment-
He let out a soft huff of amusement.
“You’re a bad liar,” he said.
Eliza stiffened.
He took a slow step toward her, his expression unreadable. “You think I can’t tell when someone is lying to me? That I haven’t had centuries of experience dealing with traitors?”
She swallowed.
His gaze flickered, “What aren’t you saying?”
Her fingers twitched.
I saw it then–the way her breath quickened, the slight flicker of panic in her eyes.
“Eliza,” I said, stepping forward, “What is it?”
She inhaled sharply, her lips parting-
And then-
“I’m tired,” she said suddenly, her voice shaking.
Alaric stilled.
Eliza let out a short, bitter laugh. “I’m tired of watching women die.”
My stomach twisted.
Her eyes burned as she looked at me, her mask finally slipping, cracking apart. “It’s easier to betray you than to watch you
Something cold and sharp pierced through me.
“Fliza-”
die.”
“No,” she cut me off. Her fists clenched at her sides. “You don’t understand. I’ve seen it happen again and again. One by one, they come here. And one by one, they-”
8:30 PM d
Chapter 44
She bit off her words, shaking her head, as if she’d said too much
Alaric’s expression didn’t change, but I saw the way his hands curled slightly at his spice.
“Eliza,” he said, voice steady, commolled You need to calm down”
She looked at him, and for the first time, Fanw true fear in her eyes
“I don’t want to see another one die” she whispered Her eyes widened as tears filled her eyes
And before I could react
Before Alaric could stop her
Eliza’s teeth clamped down on her own tong
A sharp, wet sound filled the air.
Blood spilled down her chin.
She collapsed.
