My Darkening Ember

Chapter Seventeen

I snorted and continued unpacking, he wasn't going to annoy me this easily. "I'm sure it was the truth."

He ran his tongue over his bottom lip and rose, "You don't know half the truth. If you truly knew what I was, you would've tried killing me when you had the chance."

"I don't want to kill anyone. Ever." I finally stood up though with frowned brows. What was he doing?

You did kill her, don't forget, and me. 

"I might not give you a choice. That's what happens when you leave the comfort of your bountiful little town. The world is ready to enslave you, in every corner. You were better off staying where you were."

I bit down hard. He had no idea how I had lived my life. How my home had slowly been suffocating me. Colt. Carson. Lau. Claudene. My mother. Father.

I clenched my fist, "How dare you?"

"What?" He almost laughed as if in disbelief.

"How dare you expect me to have lived better there? You have no idea who I am and you never will. You, on the other hand, your reputation has run the world over. I know what you are. I have run from my home, from my past, but you? You will never be able to escape the evil bred into your bones." I took a breath but I wasn't nearly done. "Have you ever considered that it is beings like you that make this world so unliveable?" I raised my brows but didn't expect an answer.

"I've seen what you do, how you kill people. So far I've seen nothing you could have shown me that disproves anything. I will believe every unspeakable evil act you are accused of. Truth or not, I don't give a shit." I took a heavy fearful breath. 

He smirked. A useless fool with a big mouth was what I was.

"Should I applaud that forged bravery? Your ability to spit out words for your own encouragement is quite pathetic. You know you will never live a better life than what you did before, tragic or not, what you are to face in your near future will make you want to hang from the nearest tree."

I blinked fast at the visual suddenly in my head. I swallowed a breath. Had I spoken too much from anger?

"The royal court is for the people's rights. You said they were honourable people." I almost stammered. He said they wouldn't hurt and now what? He claimed whatever was waiting for me in the capital would make me want to end my life.

"I lied, Elora." He spoke so loudly that I flinched. "You have been so falsely bold with your words but you have no idea what the real truth is. You've probably spent your whole life sheltered away with what? A cruel father? A dead mother? A classic tragedy that raised you to be so naive to trust only your biased gut, one that tells you to believe the word of a Mile man. You will be dead within a month." He said with no emotions whatsoever. He was cold, just like the ice that surrounded us.

"And what will you be then? Still, slaved to the royal court? I would rather hang than face your pathetic tragedy." I spat. He took a step but restrained himself further.

"I kill people because this world wants me to. Because it craves balance." He was raging so much his eyes had darkened.

Dangerous.

"So you only kill people who deserve it? And what do you gain? Gold? Are you worth nothing more?" I was pissed. He was infuriating me with his pathetic excuses for murder and brutality. His head lowered and his lips had curled upwards on one side.

"Still pretending." He uttered under his breath but I still heard it.

Shut up. Shut up. Shut up.