OLIVIA TOOK IN a long breath through her nose. It did nothing to quiet the rage bubbling in her chest.
She watched as Em left the house at the edge of town with Aren. Olivia could burst into that house and kill everyone in less than ten seconds. No more Casimir. Problem solved.
Olivia curled her fingers around the hip of the statue of Boda. Statues of the ancestors were all over this town, but none as big as the three in front of the courthouse. They were much taller than her, with ridiculous expressions on their faces that were probably supposed to be peaceful. They just looked tired, in Olivia’s opinion.
She scowled at the statues and took a step to the side. All these statues had done nothing to protect anyone. The people of Sacred Rock had still been run out of their homes. They should have spent their money on weapons.
Down the street, Aren walked away from Em. Despite his sour expression, he’d spent the night guarding those Lerans because Em told him to. If there were sides, Aren was definitely on Em’s.
Were there sides?
She had not given Em the opportunity to be a queen just for her to take care of Lerans. The Ruined were never going to respect their queens if they made such stupid, weak decisions.
Em headed her way, slowing when she met Olivia’s eyes. Her anger was on full display, it seemed.
“It’s temporary,” Em said quickly as she stopped in front of Olivia. “He—”
“Inside,” Olivia snapped. Ruined and warriors wandered all around them, carrying items they’d looted from shops. She wasn’t having this conversation in front of an audience.
Em followed her into the apartment next to the courthouse. It was two stories, with two bedrooms upstairs and a kitchen and living area downstairs. There were bigger houses farther out, but Olivia liked the location of this one.
She slammed the door behind them and Em jumped.
“Casimir can not stay,” Olivia said.
“Jovita poisoned him. He’s not a threat. He’s too weak to even walk on his own.”
“Casimir is never a threat to me,” Olivia scoffed. “I’m not worried about that. I’m wondering why we’re nursing the king of Lera back to health.”
“He promised to leave us alone. If he’s king, we won’t have to worry about being attacked anymore. It’s in our best interests to put him back on the throne.”
Olivia let out a hollow laugh. “Em, are you listening to yourself? You went to Lera to completely eliminate the Gallegos royal line. Now you want to let them continue like normal?”
“He’s not like his father. He—”
“I don’t care!” Olivia yelled. “I don’t care if he hated his father! He is still one of the people who declared war on us. He murdered our parents. Our people. Maybe he didn’t hold the sword, but he still bears part of the blame.”
“I know he does,” Em said quietly.
“So, what? You’ve just forgiven him?”
Em pressed her lips together, tears brimming in her eyes. “Yes.”
Olivia blinked. The answer seemed obvious, but it was still shocking to hear out loud.
“I was angry for so long,” Em said. “I thought that destroying Lera would make me feel better, but it didn’t. The only thing that made me feel better was forgiving Cas.”
“He doesn’t deserve forgiveness. None of them do. And to offer it up is weak.” She spat out the last word.
“I don’t agree,” Em said.
Olivia whirled around. She threw open the front door.
“Liv, you won’t …” Em’s voice trailed off.
“What?” Olivia shot her sister a venomous look over her shoulder. “Go kill them all right now?”
“Please don’t.”
She was tempted. It would certainly put a positive spin on the day. But Em’s eyes were wide, pleading, and Olivia wasn’t entirely sure her sister would ever forgive her for murdering Cas. That boy had made her blind.
“I won’t hurt them,” Olivia said. “If only because I want to say ‘I told you so’ when that boy betrays you.”
She stomped out of the apartment, pulling the door shut so hard the building shook. A few Ruined turned and looked at her worriedly. Good. She should have had the fight with Em outside after all. Let the Ruined know that Olivia was not the weak one.
Across the street, Davi emerged from a bakery with a loaf of bread in his hand. He took a big bite and smiled. They had food, at least. And shelter. It was Em’s idea, but without Olivia leading the Ruined they never could have taken the town.
She took a step back, looking up at the apartment that was her temporary home. It still wasn’t good enough. Sacred Rock was a tiny town in Vallos, of all places. The worst of the four kingdoms, by almost every standard. It was better than the cabins, but it still wasn’t enough. Not for the Ruined. Not for their queen.
She whirled around and strode into the town square. There was only one thing to do with this anger.
“Aren!” she yelled. “Aren!”
He came running. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing. I’m going hunting. You coming?”
“Hunting like …” His voice trailed off.
She didn’t bother answering. He knew she wasn’t hunting animals.
She stalked down the road, ignoring the curious stares from her fellow Ruined. The barn was up ahead to her left, and she breezed past Jacobo, who was leading a warrior’s horse inside.
Aren jogged to catch up with her. “Did something happen? Why do we need to go hunting?”
“We shouldn’t fool ourselves into thinking it’s safe here. We need to check the surrounding area.” Maybe that was true, but it wasn’t why she wanted to go. If she couldn’t pull Cas’s spine out through his throat, then at least she could find someone else to kill.
“You’re right,” Aren said. “I’ll come.”
They took two horses from the barn. Olivia urged hers forward as they headed out of town, her hair blowing behind her.
She took the south road, the one she’d told the residents of Sacred Rock to take yesterday. There wasn’t anyone just outside of town, unfortunately. She let the horse slow down as she scanned the area. Aren rode up beside her.
“Why did you stay with them last night?” she asked.
“Because Em asked me to.”
“You could have said no.”
“I guess I could have. I don’t know. There’s no use talking to Em where Cas is concerned. She never would have sent him away in that condition, so I didn’t even try to fight her on it.”
“It’s stupid,” Olivia spat. “We need to find someone else for her to obsess over.”
“Well, August is giving it a go.”
“She is not marrying a human.” She glanced at Aren. “What about you? Any interest?”
“In Em? No. She’s just a friend.”
“So? Friends fall in love all the time.”
“Maybe so, but that’s not going to happen for me and Em.”
Olivia ran a hand across her forehead. “Fine. I guess you’ll be marrying me, then.”
“What?”
“There aren’t that many young Ruined men left,” she said. “I told you before that you’d probably be marrying one of us.”
“I know, but …” He looked nervous suddenly. “There’s Jacobo. And Paulo!”
“Neither of them is as powerful as you.”
He seemed at a loss for words. He must have known that was true.
“What? You don’t want to be king?” she asked.
“No, it’s not that, it’s …” He swallowed, avoiding her eyes.
“I’m not marrying for love, Aren. I’m not my sister. I like you well enough, but I’m more concerned with your powers and your ability to lead the Ruined.”
“You like me well enough, huh?” Aren said with a short laugh. “Terribly romantic, Liv.”
She frowned at him. Romance was not the point. Aren was inarguably handsome, with those dimples and intense dark eyes, but she never cared much about looks. He was the best choice as her husband, regardless of his physical appearance.
“My marriage isn’t a priority, so don’t worry about it right now. It’ll probably be a few years,” she said.
Aren nodded wordlessly, his smile fading.
A flash of movement caught her attention, and she tugged her horse to a stop. Up ahead, on the right side of the road, someone had constructed a makeshift camp. Two poorly built tents sat in the dirt. They would fall over at the slightest gust of wind.
“There,” she said, pointing.
Aren squinted. “I only see ten or so. They’re probably just resting on the way to the next town.”
“So?”
“I’m not—” He cut himself off, staring down at the reins in his hands.
“What?”
“I don’t think we should hunt down people who are minding their own business. It feels too much like what the hunters did to us.”
“Exactly. It’s what they did to us. They deserve it.”
“They’re not hunters, Liv. They’re people who left when we ordered them to. We’re already worried the Vallos army might make an attempt to retake Sacred Rock.”
“The Vallos army,” Olivia scoffed. “When has the Vallos army been successful at anything?”
“We still shouldn’t bait them. We might lose more Ruined if they attack.”
“Please. They’re no match for us. I can protect the Ruined.” She kicked her horse into motion. “You’re weak, Aren!” she yelled over her shoulder.
He didn’t follow her. She thought he might change his mind, but when she looked over her shoulder, he was frozen on top of his horse.
There were twelve humans total. A young boy spotted the Ruined marks on her neck and began screaming, and the rest of the group followed suit. She could have killed everyone quickly and stopped the noise, but she didn’t.
She took her time. Her mother would have been proud.
When she turned around, Aren was gone. She could see him in the distance, riding back to the town. Not only had he refused to kill the humans, he’d run away when she did it. Pathetic.
She left one man alive, so he could tell his friends about her. She left him in the dust as she rode away.
Aren was nowhere to be seen when she returned to the barn. She guided the horse into her stall and gave her an approving pat. At least the horse could be relied on to do her job.
The eleven kills were still vibrating through her body as she walked through the center of town. If Em wasn’t useless, she’d understand why forgiveness wasn’t the best option. Rage was what had finally unleashed Olivia’s full power. She was ten times the Ruined she’d been before Lera invaded. Every moment in that cell, surrounded by Weakling, had made her a better Ruined. Even the herb that was supposed to hurt her had made her stronger.
What was so wonderful about Casimir anyway? He was cute, sure, but Em had never been the type to swoon over handsome boys. If she had, she would have made a play for Aren years ago.
She looked down the road, to Casimir’s house. One of the guards stood on the front porch, his hands on his hips. She saw the spark of fear when he spotted her. Good.
She stared him down as she walked to the house. The guard backed into the door, shielding it with his body. She stopped at the bottom of the steps.
“I want to talk to Casimir.”
The guard pounded his hand on the door. “Galo!”
The door swung open to reveal another guard. Galo’s eyes widened slightly as they rested on her.
“I want to talk to Casimir,” she repeated.
Galo shook his head. “No.”
“Are you the boss of him? Go ask him, at least.”
“He’s resting.”
Olivia let out an annoyed sigh. She stepped back, cupping her hands around her mouth and tilting her chin up. “Casimir! It’s Olivia! I want to come up and talk to you!” She paused, thinking for a moment. “I promise not to pull your beating heart out of your chest, if you’re worried!”
“Hey,” Galo said sharply.
Olivia dropped her hands from her mouth. “What?”
Galo glared at her. A girl appeared behind him and said something Olivia couldn’t hear.
“What?” Galo said. “Seriously?”
The girl nodded.
Galo ran his hands down his face and returned his attention to Olivia. “He said you can come in.”
“Wonderful.” She skipped up the steps and through the open door. The girl quickly moved aside.
“I’m coming with you,” Galo said. “No arguments.”
“You couldn’t protect him from me if you wanted to,” she said, taking the steps two at a time. “But if it makes you feel better.”
“If you hurt him, I swear I will—”
“Relax,” she interrupted. “Em asked me not to, so I won’t.”
“It’s there,” Galo said through clenched teeth. He pointed to the door on the right.
She pushed it open without knocking. Casimir sat on the edge of the bed, his bare feet on the floor. He looked worse than the last time she’d seen him, which was really saying something, considering she’d murdered his mother at their last meeting.
She crossed her arms over her chest, fixing her gaze on him as she leaned against the wall. Galo hovered at the doorway, his fingers twitching around his sword.
“Hello,” Casimir said hesitantly.
She put a finger to her lips. “Shhh. Be quiet for a minute.”
Cas cast a nervous glance at Galo, but he nodded once and kept his mouth shut.
She stared at him. She didn’t know what she was searching for, but she needed a moment to find whatever it was her sister saw in this boy.
Even sick, he was quite handsome. His dark hair was thick and slightly wavy. His eyes were more blue than green, but there was enough of a hint of the latter to make them mesmerizing. He had a nicely defined jaw and smooth skin that had recently been shaved.
He looked like his father. The eyes were different, but King Salomir was stamped so plainly into his features that it was hard for her to look at him without curling her lip.
“What do you think Em sees in you?” she asked, finally breaking the silence.
“What?”
“Why does she like you?”
“Umm …” He thought about it for a moment. “She told me once that I was kind. And thoughtful. And reasonable.”
“Reasonable?” Olivia repeated incredulously. “Seriously?”
“Yes.”
“How romantic.”
“My father could not be reasoned with, so I consider it a compliment.”
Olivia scowled.
“I’m sorry for what he did to you,” Cas said. “For killing your mother. For taking you captive. For everything. I’m sorry I stood by as it happened.”
“You can’t be serious, Cas. You actually expect me to buy that apology?”
“What—what do you mean?”
“You’re only apologizing to me so you can tell Em you did it. So you can feel better about yourself.” She took a step closer to him and heard Galo suck in a sharp breath. “I killed your mother. You hate me.”
“No.” He lifted his shoulders. “No. I know I should, but I don’t.”
She snorted. “Right.”
“I’m not going to lie, it’s hard to look at you. I don’t think I’ll ever look at you without seeing …” He swallowed hard. “But I understand your anger.”
“You understand nothing.”
“I don’t expect you to forgive me. But I am sorry. And I want to do better.”
“So, what? You forgive me? There’s so much forgiveness flying around here today I can barely keep track.”
“I thought it would be insulting for me to offer you my forgiveness,” he said. “But if you want it, you certainly have it.”
“I do not want it, and you should not be offering it.” She leaned down so she was face-to-face with him. “Do you really think Em forgives you? Even if she says she does, she doesn’t. There is no forgiveness for what you’ve done.”
Cas held her gaze, but his throat moved as he swallowed. Fear radiated off of him. What she wouldn’t give to snap a few of his bones.
“You know that saying, ‘What goes around comes around’? It came around hard for you, didn’t it? You’ve lost your kingdom and your parents and your health,” she said.
“That hadn’t escaped my attention,” he said quietly.
“Good. And don’t fool yourself into think you’ve forgiven me either. I ripped your mother’s heart out and I’m not sorry. I’d do it again.”
“They had it coming,” Cas said, though not really to her. He appeared to be speaking more to himself than anyone.
“What?” she asked, startled. Perhaps she’d overestimated his love for his mother.
“Em said that to me once. Said she wasn’t the least bit sorry about the people she’d killed. They had it coming.” He laughed softly. “I was sort of horrified and impressed at the same time.”
Olivia took a step back, trying not to let her surprise show on her face. She’d been so obsessed with trying to figure out why Em liked Cas that she hadn’t stopped to think why he liked her. There were a million things to love about Em, but the expression on his face when he talked about her was unexpected.
“Maybe it’s not that I forgive you,” he said. “But I don’t have the strength to care. I lost everything, and I can’t get it back by hating you.”
“I don’t feel sorry for you,” she snapped. “And you haven’t lost everything. You have my sister, who is bizarrely determined to return your kingdom to you. A kingdom you don’t even deserve.” Cas turned his gaze to the ground. “You’re right,” he said softly. “I do still have Em.”
“That’s enough,” Galo said. He reached out like he was going to touch her. “Let’s go.”
She stepped away from his grasp and glared at him. “I’m going. I’m done here anyway.” She shot a glare over her shoulder as she walked to the door, but Cas wasn’t looking at her. His head was bent down to the floor. The image lingered in her mind as she ran down the stairs and out of the house.