Page 184 of The Fifth Life of Alicia
Tears welled in my eyes. “Are you sure? You’re not lying?”
“How could I ever lie to you? You’ve put the fear of Khimos into me now that I know you’re his precious child.” Kalon laughed softly, pulling my head back so he could plant kisses across my cheeks, mopping up all the tears that escaped. “Now, stop crying and tell me who killed you. Tell me who dared infiltrate our castle and poison you under our roof. Tell me who put them up to it. My sword has just been sharpened, and I’m itching to try it out on some necks.”
This was it. The last thing I had to tell him.
“You promised you wouldn’t leave me,” I whispered.
“Whether I kill them now or next week doesn’t bother me. Rest assured, they will die by my hand before they can think of getting close to you, Allie.”
“It’s not that simple.” I closed my eyes. “This was our first life, okay? That’s all I know right now. God said my memories would slowly return.”
“Okay.”
“Torin was in love with me, but I fell in love with you and chose you. He and the Empress were furious and wanted to break us up, so they used Lillia. She was also in love with you, so they had a mutual goal. When it didn’t work, Torin and the Empress conspired to overthrow the Emperor to order us to divorce, but we uncovered their plan and exposed their treason. Lillia and Torin were forced to divorce, stripped of their titles, and exiled to separate countries, while the Empress was jailed. They somehow made contact and used black magic to disguise Lillia’s appearance, which is how she snuck into the castle and poisoned me as a maid. Torin convinced Lillia that you’d love her if I was out of the picture, but he just wanted to hit you where it hurt the most. God told me they were responsible for my death in every lifetime, even though the methods changed with time.”
His hold on me once again tightened, but it didn’t last long before he flumped me down onto the bed and rolled me tightly in the bedsheets so I couldn’t move.
“Kalon! Where are you go—”
He threw a pillow on top of my face, and ashingrang out through the room.
“No! Bleck! Ugh!” I thrashed to the side until I tossed off the pillow.
Kalon marched towards the door with his sword drawn and glowing red.
Holy shit.
He’d invoked his aura.
“Kalon! No!” I yelled. “Hayes! Rina! Stop hiiiiiiiiim!”
They shoved the doors open with shouts of their own, but they both stopped short when they saw him storming towards them, bathed in a red glow of mana.
Sir Hayes shouted for help as they both drew their swords. I flopped around the bed, moving this way and that, trying to free myself from the cocoon he’d knotted me up in. More guards appeared in the doorway, and Kalon stopped right in front of them.
“I will give you all one chance to get out of my way before you die.” His voice was bone-chillingly cold to the point I barely recognised it as his. “Move. That’s an order.”
Sir Hayes held up his sword. “I cannot let you go like this, Your Highness.”
“It will cost you your life.”
“Then so be it. My life is yours to command.”
“Nooooo!” I screamed, shuffling my whole body. “Kalon, listen to me!”
Damn it, what did he do to these sheets?
Kalon raised his sword, and a warmth spread through my whole body.
Oh, no.
I recognised this. This was exactly how I felt as the monster attacked, right before my power burst out of me.
“Help!” I whimpered.
“My lady!” Rina said, swinging her sword as she shoved Kalon out of her way. Her blade made contact with his arm, slicing through both his shirt and his skin if the blood that soaked the fabric was anything to go by. “My lady, you must calm down!”
“I can’t! Rina, I’m stuck! Make him stop!”
