Corrupt

Chapter 27

The sun has risen again.

Its bright rays seem almost cruel, taunting a life that could've been. Today would've been a courtyard picnic in another life, with all the girls. Instead it's just another day.

I don't know how many days have passed. I must've fallen asleep at points. When I am awake, I pass eternal time staring out of the window. I don't know what, if anything, I'm looking for. I'm just passing the time. Waiting for whatever news will hit me next. I turn my bleary gaze towards the clouds. What malicious monarch mocks me from above? What did I do? What did she do?

"Lynette?"

Slowly, I look towards the door. He stands there, leaning against the frame.

"Nikolas." 

"Have you eaten anything these last few days?"

Has it only been a few days?

"I..." I sift through my memories the best I can, but it's like looking through frosted glass. "I don't remember." 

"Here. I brought you some stew. Maybe it'll get your energy back up." Moving towards me, he sets the bowl down on my lap. "Andrea, I... I know she was very special to you. I will kill them, Lynette. The rebels. I'll make them pay for what they took."

"Lynette, I want... I want you to stay with me."

"I can't."

I should never have trusted them. 

I find myself tumbling into Nikolas' chest, wrapping my arms around him. He's all I have. He tenses, then gathers me in his embrace. I breathe him in, listen to his heartbeat, trace a finger along the crisp, sharp fabric of his tailored suit, savouring the closeness, the comfort of another's touch. 

"Stay with me, Lynette, and I promise you'll be safe." 

"I'd keep you safe here," Daeva had said.

"That's what he says, too," I'd replied.

But Daeva had never kept me safe. Memories fill my senses: screams carried on the unrelenting wind, bodies piled on the streets, the hateful stares of the rebels. 

Nikolas can keep me safe. He has kept me safe. 

All I need to do is stay with him. 

His hand gently strokes the remnants of my unwashed hair. 

"I promise," he repeats.

"Okay." I crumble into his warmth, letting myself rest in his safety, the safety Daeva could never give me. I could never love them. They are a killer, a ruthless leader. They killed Katie, and Hetty, and Drea. 

He is a king, searching only for justice. He is the one I should love. He is the one I will love. I look up at him, into those shimmering eyes I used to dream about. 

I run a hand along the smooth skin of his face. My dreams are right here, within my grasp. Daeva will never take those from me. For a moment, I can forget. For a moment, I can be perfect. We can be perfect.

I stretch up and kiss him. 

He kisses me back. 

He doesn't know that the last thing I kissed was-

Them.

I pull away.

"I'm... I'm sorry about the wedding," I mumble, still mere inches from him. At my request, the wedding was postponed to make room for the funeral.

"It's alright. I understand. We understand. We'll wait until you feel ready. In the meantime... I should be going back. The Lazifi scheduled a meeting with me." 

"Oh. Yes. I see." I don't want him to leave. I need to feel safe, just for a little longer.

Softly, he drops a quick kiss on my head and stands, returning to the doorway, straightening his collar. 

"Nikolas?"

"Yes?"

I swallow. 

"Please kill them."

"I will. Don't forget to have that stew," he says simply, then leaves. 

On the bed, I wait for him a moment, then drag myself back to the window, swallowing down a spoonful of the warm, comforting stew.

Gradually, the clouds have lumbered across the sky, darkening the view, amplifying the shadows that border the distant woodland. 

Is that...

No. Get out of my head.

They'd never be here.

But...

I lean against the glass, my breath misting the surface, and squint.

They'd never be here.

But there they are. 

For goodness' sake.

I grab a shawl and dash down the corridor, filled with newfound energy. 

"Lynette?" I've already caught up with Nikolas.

"Nikolas. Look, the stew, it... I feel so much better," I say truthfully. I know what I have to do now. "But I realised... I need to go outside. Get some fresh air, some quiet outside of the castle. Is that okay?" 

"Of course. Just... Be careful, okay?"

"Alright. Thank you."

The guards step aside at my arrival, and I beeline to where I saw them hidden amongst the undergrowth. Where are they? Surely I didn't imagine them-

"Lynette?"

My head snaps towards the familiar voice. And there they are, standing with that insufferably perfect poise. 

"Daeva," I breathe, walking towards them, as though tugged by gravity.

A slight smile illuminates their features.

I raise my hand and punch them straight in the face.