Did what I do to him last night not bother him? I betrayed him. Did he not care that I came here to hurt him? Did he not care that I chose Ethan? I wanted to cry and scream. I wanted to run into his arms. I wanted this to stop. I wanted them to stop fighting. I wanted it all to stop.
I screamed, it was painful and gut-wrenching but I screamed. I cursed the Goddess, damn her, she was useless in all of this. She sat up there above the clouds and did nothing to help us. Did she enjoy watching us suffer? When I couldn’t scream anymore, I inhaled deep breaths of air.
I looked up and froze as Shane stared back at me. The way he looked at me told me he knew he was going to die. The look in his eye told me he knew he lost but for me, there was a small spark as if he wouldn’t just lay down and take it. I watched Ethan punch him. It was as if he was moving in slow motion. He hit his jaw and Shane’s head snapped back hard against the ground.
Shane’s body tensed and he punched Ethan in the gut. Left, right, left, right, he didn’t stop. There wasn’t as much strength behind his attacks but he was fighting. They both hit each other, blow after blow.
Please.
Please stop.
Shane could barely see out of his eye. He’d been hitting Ethan but Ethan had been hitting him in the face, in the jaw, in the temple. Ethan grabbed a handful of beautiful curls in his hand and I wanted to cry. The same curls that I had caressed the night before were being used to hold his head up.
I wanted to beg him to stop but I didn’t and he didn’t. Shane’s gaze locked on mine and his lips formed words. There wasn’t any sound and I couldn’t make them out. He did it again and my heart dropped. Gabe stilled by my side. His eyes had always been better than mine. I’m sure he made out what he said but I wasn’t going to ask him. He mouthed the words again and this time I read his lips.
I love you.
My sobs were uncontrollable as I broke. Ethan yanked him up by the hair and slammed his head into the ground. I whimpered, my stomach churned, my heartbreaking as I stood frozen, unable to move as the man I loved killed my mate. Ethan lifted his head again and shoved his head into the ground.
The spell that kept me rooted to the ground was broken and I took a step forward. Shane’s eyes closed and blood splattered on the ground around his head. No. I mouthed the word ‘stop’ but no sound came out. I wanted to cry out. No. My feet carried me closer, pain erupted in my chest and in my head.
Please.
Please, stop.
Ethan shoved Shane’s head into the ground. I fell to my knees as Ethan smashed his head into the ground over and over again.
Please, no.
Don’t kill him.
I was crawling now. The pain weighed down on my shoulders and threatened to knock me out. My head was lightheaded and dots danced across my vision. I felt his pain as if it were my own. Shane was dying. He was already weak when he walked onto the battlefield. He should have stayed in bed. He shouldn’t have come down. He shouldn’t. I broke into sobs. He shouldn’t have come here. I shouldn’t have come here. I gripped the grass in my hands and pulled up as I made my way closer. I couldn’t stop staring at Shane, I couldn’t look away. I watched as Ethan continued to slam his head into the ground as if he could get away as if he could fight him anymore. He was done. He’d lost.
Gabe squatted by my side, his head cocked, his gaze on me. I felt him, I felt him scrutinizing me but I couldn’t look away. I was stuck at this moment in time, forced to watch Ethan kill Shane, forced to watch Shane die. No matter who dies here today, my heart would break. Shane’s eyes rolled into the back of his head, his head lolling as Ethan held him up by the hair. Blood oozed from the back of his head. Ethan glared down at him, leaning forward, he spat in Shane’s face.
“Scum.”
Letting go of Shane, my mate fell to the ground. His head fell with a slap. I couldn’t move as Ethan turned from him and headed toward me. He hesitated when he saw me on my knees but continued to walk toward me. His stride was confident as if he didn’t see me, as if he didn’t see my reaction, as if he couldn’t tell that my heart was breaking.
“Adea?” Gabe asked.
His voice was far away, muffled. Odis was by Gabe’s side, his hands on his shoulders. Gabe stood to his feet and Odis held his hand. Gabe didn’t pull away, didn’t fight him. My best friend’s gaze lingered on me, I could feel it. Ethan stopped in front of me. Lifting my chin, I was forced to raise my gaze to his, to my King.
I swallowed. I didn’t bother trying to hide from him, to avert my eyes, to hide my feelings. He already saw them and now, he would see it clearly. I don’t think I could even if I did try. I couldn’t. Hiding how I felt was impossible. I owned it.
I stared up into Ethan’s eyes and he stared into mine. Pain, sadness, and a tinge of hate stared back. He searched my gaze and gritted his jaw, the muscle in his jaw clenched. He didn’t have to ask me, I could see the question clear in his eyes.
Did you wish it was me?