Defy the Sun (Beware the Night #2) - Jessika Fleck Page 0,3

nods, shuts the door behind him, takes a few steps closer. “I suppose it would … Assuming the person wasn’t wild to begin with.”

Of course he knew it’d set me off, and, of course, I rise to the occasion by rushing right for him. Bare feet on stone. What I mean to be a quick, unexpected sprint is more a wobbly hop. I manage to shove his chest when, with one strong hand, he clasps my neck, bringing me to the ground.

Then he laughs. The bastard laughs like he’s just heard the world’s funniest joke. Perhaps that’s what I am to him.

Just as the room begins spinning and stars burst before my eyes, he relents. I crumple to the floor.

“Tut, tut, tut…,” he chides, holding the lamp right over my head so it shines down like a single ray of moonlight. “So tough. So strong. I hear they call you Lunalette? Bringer of revolution for the Night.” Raevald releases another hearty laugh, gazing down at me. “Any minute now, yes? The Lunalette will rise!” He turns his mouth up into a wide simper.

“You’re just pissed I’ve been right under your nose all these years. A Basso girl … The true heir … And you had no idea.” I singsong the last part. Hell, maybe I have gone a bit wild.

He could kill me. I know this, and he probably will. But he’s waiting for something, or I’d be dead by now. And while he waits for his perfect moment, I’m going to be sure to say all I need to say. For Poppy and Nico and Dorian. The Night. For my mother. For all those Basso who never had a chance. “You’re nothing without the Night,” I hiss.

Again he laughs. “Oh really?” He takes a small step back, hangs his lantern over the handle of the door, folds his arms across his chest. “Let’s hear it then. How so?”

I sit up taller, don’t dare take my eyes off him. Don’t even think of blinking. “Without the version of the Night you’ve created, there’s no fear. And without fear, Bellonians will see through you, see deep down how powerless you are, and they’ll turn on you.” I struggle but manage to stand, take a step forward. “And that scares the shit out of you.”

If what I said or my piercing stare affects him in any way, he doesn’t show it. Instead, he completely ignores it.

“When your father was a child”—he smooths his red sash, utterly disinterested, as if he’s talking about the weather outside—“he loved telling stories too. Always had an overactive imagination, head in the clouds. I should have known he’d be a lost cause as heir.” He nods, smiles to himself, like there’s some unspoken meaning there. “My son, your father, was never fit for this family or to be High Regent. I didn’t see it coming—for that, I blame myself. But he made the choice. By betraying his class, his position, his god, and his family’s legacy … for nothing. He relinquished everything. I’ll never understand it.”

“You’ll never understand why he wanted peace for Basso? A better life for those in constant torment?”

“I’ll never understand risking so much for so little.” That’s honest. “My son is no more. It was better he died than betray his Sun-given fate. I couldn’t have him killed, but I did the second-best thing: I changed his story. Vincent Raevald was murdered by the Night, it’s as true as the Sun rises each morning. That is his legacy. And I’ll spend the rest of my days avenging his honor.”

“Punishing those he chose—Basso, the Night—above being your heir, more like?”

He shrugs. “Depends who you ask. But only some opinions matter, and that, Lunalette, is true power.” Turning toward the door, Raevald lifts the lantern back up, then glances over his shoulder.

“Speaking of power and heirs, here’s a story for you to ponder, Veda.” He opens the door but turns to face me, his body blocking the light of the hallway so he’s just one large, dark silhouette. A blockade between this cell and freedom. But just when I’m happy I can’t see his evil features, he lifts the lamp before his face. Leans forward for effect. “You will be sacrificed in a most spectacular fashion. An Offering fit only for the Savior to the Night.”

It’s faint. Barely there, but I swear I see a shadow quickly move across the hall behind him. And I’m going to make sure whoever it is hears some of