are you going to do, you lying, selfish Catcher?” Caleb’s feet brought him to Seth with agonizing slowness. Let him try something. Caleb gave him all the time he needed to think about it. Their eyes locked. “Does Willow know we’ve met? Does she know that you watched me kill the monster who had almost killed her?” He flicked his gaze to Willow, and it softened. “I didn’t know who the beast was. To me, he was just another one of them. I wish I had known, Willow. I would not have killed him so quickly.”
He hated that tears rolling down her face. It almost drove him mad to keep himself from going to her. This had to be done. It was long past due.
“Does she know that you and I spoke, and that I told you how I searched for my love, and you rode off bidding me a good day? Does she know the truth, that I was not two feet away from her when she was hidden by you in a carriage when you slowed to speak to me again?” His voice was low, but everyone heard him. “I thank you for saving her life, but I will not allow a liar to tell me what I can or cannot do.”
Seth lowered his gaze and Caleb backed away from him, shaking his head in disgust. “I don’t kill you now because it would hurt her. But you kept us apart, not caring if she loved me or not. That’s selfish. That’s not love.”
He longed to go to her, his body almost pulled him to her, but he forced his attention to her father, determined to finish what he came here to do.
“You are guilty of killing thousands of people by starvation and disease.” His voice was filled with loathing and authority as he pointed to his enemy and strode toward him. “You are guilty of murder against the King of Predaria, the country you are guilty of destroying.” Caleb’s expression was void of any emotion when he lifted his smoldering gaze to Jonas and nodded.
And that was when Willow shouted, “No!”
Jonas’ sword flashed before their eyes like lightening issuing forth swift justice from the hand of God, and though it might have been righteous, Willow ran toward the big, bald Warrior to protect her father. Caleb caught her in his arms before she reached them. He pushed her against the wall and blocked her view. He turned toward the Warriors now encircling the whimpering man on his knees while she fought against the strength of his arms. “Don’t kill him. I gave her my word!” he roared.
When she heard her father’s agonized wails, Willow stopped fighting and glared up at her captor. “Tell them to stop! Tell them! They will listen to you!”
“No,” he pleaded, holding her wrists. “I told you he would have to pay, Willow. He won’t be killed, and I won’t take him to prison. I’ll show him mercy as God shows us. But I want my crown and my land back.”
But she wasn’t listening. Her eyes burned with torment as she stared into his. “Please,” she begged him.
“Willow, do you think he should get away free of any consequence?”
“He’s my father, Caleb!” She yanked herself away from him and ran around him to her father. “That’s enough! Stand aside!” she ordered the Warriors as she advanced.
Caleb held up his hand to Jonas to cease the punishment. The bald Warrior stopped immediately and obeyed Willow as well by standing aside.
He went to Caleb.
“What did you do to him?” the king asked him.
“Just broke his arms and took a few fingers.”
Caleb nodded, approving, and waited until Willow had called two women to her father and they began bandaging him up. He watched her cradling her father in her arms. He closed his eyes for a moment, gathering his strength before he stalked forward to stand over the former king.
Willow buried her face in her father’s neck and didn’t look up.
“Where’s my father’s crown?” he demanded.
“Upstairs, in my room,” Baltrasard whispered, glancing up at him as Caleb walked away.
Willow listened to him go. She wanted to scream and throw herself at his mercy. But Caleb had no mercy left in him. It was clear when she looked into his eyes earlier. What did he expect her to do? Rejoice at what they did to her father? But he had expected this very reaction from her since the beginning. He had warned her that she would feel