Page 176 of Sands of Atonement

Kavid winced hard and took a step back, hitting the front of his desk. He shook his head, a tightening in his jaw, and looked anywhere but at me.

“And when you tried to kill me, you know what he did to ensure he nor I were never in danger?”

He shook his head again. “Enough⁠—”

“He killed our family⁠—”

“I said enough!” Kavid shouted, his eyes piercing mine.

Ezra stepped forward with a finger in my brother’s face, “Don’t you fucking talk to her like that. You listen to her, or I’ll slam your fucking head into your pretty palace walls.”

Kavid audibly swallowed and paled even more.

“O—okay,” Kavid stammered.

Ezra scoffed and looked over his shoulder at me. His eyes told me he wanted to end him right here, right now. I shook my head slightly, tugging him by the arm.

We all took a breather, watching the floor or the walls around us. My eyes were stinging, but I bit on my inner cheek to stop the sensations from increasing. I couldn’t break now.

God, I couldn’t wait to get out of here and for Ezra to hold me.

Being here now gave me a sickening feeling. I didn’t belong here anymore.

I stared at the desk in front of us. Even that didn’t feel like Father’s. It had Kavid written all over it.

Clearing my throat, I continued so that the connection between him and me was over for good. “Ezra was there, and he saw you. He saw you do nothing to save me that night from drowning. I want nothing to do with you, Kavid. I know we lost our family together, but I don’t want to be in your life anymore.”

“Eshe—”

“I don’t.”

Kavid swallowed, and the pain in his eyes curled deeper into my stomach. I was going to be sick.

“I’m sorry, Eshe. I was… foolish and young. I’m sorry for what I tried to do.” He looked at Ezra before glancing back at me. “I’m glad that… you’re alive, despite my sinful motives as a child.” My eyes burned, and all I wanted to do in that moment was curl up in my father’s arms and cry. But he wasn’t even my blood father, and he was dead because of my real one.

Kavid continued, “But it’s not your choice if you don’t want anything to do with me. I know Father gave you freedom, and I will too. However much I can give, I will. You will return to your old room—or I can give you a bigger one—whatever you wish. You can even take mother’s wing⁠—”

I scoffed, and a tear fell from my eye. Shaking my head, I had no words. He didn’t understand. There was no way I’d ever return here, sleep under the same roof as him after everything that transpired.

“I don’t think you heard her right.” Ezra took another step forward.

Kavid’s back stiffened, and I could see a slight tremble in his fingertips. He most likely wasn’t accustomed to someone speaking to him like this—other than a Qahl. His eyes flickered for a moment toward the room’s entrance.

“She doesn’t want to be in your life anymore,” Ezra continued.

Kavid snapped his eyes back to me. “What, you’ll just get to decide what you want to do with your life?”

He raised his eyebrows at me when I didn’t answer the moment he asked.

“Yes,” I said, lifting myself a bit higher. Is that too much to ask for?

Kavid scoffed loudly with a smile on his face I knew he did not feel. He glanced back at Ezra, who was now standing right in front of him. “And you, of all people, are going to allow this atrocity?”

“Why not? She can do whatever the hell she wants. She has no more ties to you, Kavid, unless you want her to show the world who her real father is, and I’m sure you wouldn’t like that, now would you? If her father wasn’t really her father… what does that make you?”

Kavid’s face blanched, but he licked his lips before asking, “Who else knows about Salazar?”

Ezra huffed. “Pretty sure the General of Brestan knows, as he was conducting business with him earlier when Salazar had Eshe and another woman as captives. Might want to ensure peaceful terms with the Brestians soon.”