where no weapon ever had before.
This conversation, I wanted it to be done. I needed time to think, to recuperate from the bluntness of her words, so I pulled back, putting even more space between us. “There is nothing more to say,” I muttered, hating myself for it. “I will see you in the morning.” I walked around her, my actions stunning her into silence.
Only for a few moments though, for after I’d walked down the hall, she called out after me, “Abner!” But I did not stop. Though her voice made my heart do something odd in my chest, I did not stop, did not dare to, for I knew if I did, I was liable to do either one of two things.
The first was to take her with me to my room, to feel her warmth touch every inch on my body, and the second? The second was to call my brother and let him take her out of here, save her from the misery that would drown her if she stayed here with me.
I sat in my room the rest of the night, not something I usually did, but I dared not walk around the castle anymore in fear I would find her. Or, I supposed, that she would find me. Morana had a habit of doing that, it seemed, which only served to make this harder.
As the hours whittled away and daybreak approached outside, I was lost in my own head. Everything Morana had said was true, I knew, things which I was already aware of, and yet that did not make hearing it from the mouth of another any easier. In fact, hearing it from the full lips of a beautiful future bride only made it worse.
I sat near the window, hunched over at my desk. Outside, the darkness that encompassed the land at night eased into a strangely bright dawn, the sun actually peeking out through the clouds—something that scarcely ever happened around here.
But then something shifted in the window’s reflection, and I knew why that was.
My brother was here, of course. Ishan had never strayed too far from the castle, not since Morana had been brought here. He’d never interfered before, for what I did was rightly none of his business, but this time? This time my bride was one of his favored humans, a human he decided he wanted.
A human he’d taken to the tallest tower in the castle and shown my darkest truth to, all in an attempt to dissuade her from this path.
“Brother,” I spoke to my reflection, refusing to turn around at first, the annoyance and anger too deep inside me, nestled too perfectly in my heart. I was upset with him for showing Morana my other brides, but at the same time, I knew I couldn’t blame him for doing what he did.
“You’ve spoken to Morana, then,” Ishan said, not attempting to move closer. He stood at least ten feet back, his strong arms held behind his back, as if he had to put all of his willpower in keeping himself off me. Like he wanted to wrestle me for the girl.
“I did.”
“She wanted to see you, after I showed her the others,” he went on. “Wanted to ask you about it. I don’t know why she needed to hear it from you. The truth was right in front of her eyes.” A pause before he added, “I offered to take her away right then and there, but she wanted to see you. I do not understand it.”
I said nothing, for what was there to say? The emotion was plain in my brother’s voice; he cared for this girl a great deal, having possibly cared for Morana her entire life. What was she to me? A new bride, someone I did not know existed until recently.
“All her life, she’s had my favor, and when given the chance to become my bride, she says she needs to speak with you.” Ishan shook his head. “I do not know how you inspired such loyalty from her in such a short time, but—”
“It wasn’t me,” I said, knowing the truth. “Her loyalty is to her sister, not me.” That was a truth I knew in my bones, something that hurt, saying it aloud. It made my decision easier.
Yes, I supposed I’d made my decision hours ago, but I refused to say it aloud until now.
“She belongs with you, not with me,” I whispered, slow to turn away from the window and