Monsters & Rebels (A Legacy of Monsters Book 2) by Stephanie Dunham

Monsters & Rebels (A Legacy of Monsters Book 2) by Stephanie Dunham

Author:Stephanie Dunham [Dunham, Stephanie]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2024-10-17T00:00:00+00:00


Chapter

Sixteen

Something was missing. Eyes still closed, Kierra mentally checked her body. Every limb was intact, so why did it feel like someone had ripped away a vital part of her?

Her muscles throbbed, and a low metallic simmer clung to the air—the taste of magic. She groaned, pushing herself up with a slow, steady movement that sent her black curls tumbling over her shoulders.

The dizziness she’d anticipated didn’t come.

Fendrel leaned against the wall, fingering his dagger as he studied the clean blade with the greatest interest.

Where was Baldric? He’d come, hadn’t he? She tested the edges of her memory, waiting for what was obviously missing to return. She remembered . . . pain, incredible pain.

And . . . what else?

Fendrel’s attention remained fixed on his weapon.

“Baldric?” she croaked.

“Dead. Well,” he caught himself. “As good as dead.”

Dead. She mouthed the word. Baldric’s scheming face rushed to the forefront of her memory. She’d helped Fendrel break free. Terrible exhaustion to the point of paralysis, her laying helpless on the floor . . . it all returned in a clear picture.

“I thought you’d be happy,” she said.

The dagger dissolved in his hands. “Why would I be happy?” The question was biting.

Kierra straightened, curving a loose strand of hair behind her ear. “You hated him.”

“Does that mean I must rejoice in his demise?”

“You won.” Her brow creased in confusion.

He hissed. “You say that as if it dictates happiness.”

“Doesn’t it?” For so long, she’d craved that exact thing. She wanted to succeed over her mother—over Dimas. Fendrel had hated Baldric. His displeasure didn’t make sense in the least. “I don’t understand.”

“Of course, you don’t. How could you? Do you really think so little of me that I would take pleasure in destroying a life, even if they deserved it?” Disgust twisted his smooth features as if the thought tortured him.

“Say it.” Kierra crossed the circle, smudging the chalk. “You’re holding back. Just say what you’re thinking.”

Fendrel rounded on her and for the first time she noticed how much taller than her he was.

“I saved your life, yet you will throw me away the first chance you get if I’m perceived as a nuisance. I could make every sacrifice for you, but you will stubbornly cling to some lesson you mistakenly drew from Diedra. She taught you not to trust, therefore you trust no one.”

The unfairness of his assessment stung, but only because it struck home.

“Do you think I like being this way?” she said, running her hands through her hair in an attempt to calm herself. “Do you think I like looking in the mirror and seeing her? I loathe that woman above everyone, yet I am cursed to see her all the days of my life. If that was all she left me with, then it would be a mercy, but I was not so lucky. She has ruined me and I am left with the pieces. I am who she made me to be, and I hate that.”

“Then choose something different!” Fendrel’s scream reverberated off the walls.



Download



Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.