Total pages in book: 362
Estimated words: 347293 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 1736(@200wpm)___ 1389(@250wpm)___ 1158(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 347293 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 1736(@200wpm)___ 1389(@250wpm)___ 1158(@300wpm)
My mouth dried. “And why should I believe you won’t go back on this deal the moment you have what you want?”
“A deal is an oath. One that cannot be broken,” Aydun advised me. “Doing so would force the realm to rectify.”
That wasn’t much of a reassurance considering Kolis had repeatedly done things that had to be rectified.
But I…gods, I could not do that to Sotoria. I couldn’t do that to anyone.
“What is your offer?” Aydun prodded.
“What?” I breathed.
“He has offered a deal,” the Ancient said. “You now must offer him one.”
I inhaled sharply as I glanced between him and Kolis. Panic began to seed itself. Ash and I hadn’t discussed this. We hadn’t even considered it. Why hadn’t Aydun mentioned this? Given me some time to come up with something. He had to have known this was possible.
It didn’t matter. I had told Ash that I didn’t want to make decisions without him. We were a team. I lifted my chin. “I need to discuss this with my King first.”
“Your King?” Kolis laughed. “You are speaking to your King now.”
My lip curled. “No, my King is Nyktos.”
Kolis arched a brow. “I recognize no such thing. If you want to counter with a deal, you will do that now.”
“Such deals are only made between the true Primal of Life and the true Primal of Death,” Aydun stated. “You must offer one now.”
Fuck. Fuck. Fuck.
“I’m waiting,” Kolis announced.
Aydun sent a look toward the Primal of Death that I could barely decipher, but Kolis shut up. “Take your time.”
It didn’t matter how much time I had. I couldn’t just come up with a deal of such magnitude on the spot. Gods, this was why I never should’ve been in this position. I wasn’t good at negotiations and politics. I wasn’t fit for this—
Stop.
My heart pounded as I forced myself to breathe in for the count of five. I glanced at Kolis, and this time, that fucking smirk was on his lips.
My chest squeezed. What had I said? That it was time to start having faith in myself? Panicking was not doing that. I held my breath. Whether or not I should’ve been in this position was irrelevant. I was here, and while I wasn’t fit for this and clearly didn’t have all that faith in myself, I was good at pretending. After all, I stood in front of Kolis and behaved as if no part of me feared him. So, I needed to hold it together. I needed to think. My heart slowed, along with my racing thoughts. Think. Some of the pressure left my chest.
And after what felt like an eternity, my first thought was that we would offer Kolis no such promise of safety.
I started to speak but then stopped. I knew that Kolis wanted to avoid war, and the lives of others had to be more important than our anger, right? A chance for peace had to be bigger than retribution, even if it went against the very core of who I was. That is what Eythos would’ve chosen, but it is not what I would choose for myself.
Fuck.
Okay. Go with my instincts? Wasn’t that what Aydun had said? I briefly closed my eyes. I could not be as I was. I needed to be better. Less monstrous. There had to be a balance between those two things. One that protected the realms and was tolerable to all he victimized. There had to be.
And there was one that came close.
I opened my eyes. “I have a deal.”
Kolis arched a brow. “And what is that?”
“You can keep Dalos, but you will not rule. You will remain as the Primal of Death, but you will have no authority over Iliseeum, the Shadowlands, or the mortal realm.” I met his stare. “You will renounce the throne and not seek vengeance against any who have stood against you.”
“Is that all?” Kolis asked, and I nodded. “What’s in it for me?” he added.
“Balance will be kept, and you will get to live out your existence,” I forced out, repeating what he’d offered.
“And Sotoria?” he asked.
The fucking creep… “My deal does not include Sotoria.”
His fingers stretched outward and then slowly lowered onto the arm of the throne.
“You don’t want war,” I reminded him. “Neither do I.”
“I’m not sure I believe that,” Kolis countered. “Your nature is not all that different from mine.”
I tensed. “I’m nothing like you.”
“That’s what you want to believe, but I’ve seen you as you truly are. I know the kind of violence you’re capable of.”
My tenuous grip on my anger started to slip. “You believe that because of what I did to you?”
“No.” Kolis leaned forward, his lips curling upward. “I know it because of how eager you were to slay Evander.”
My chest hollowed. No. Kolis was wrong. “I wasn’t eager. Nor did I enjoy it. That is one of the many differences between us,” I said, watching him shift back onto the throne. “Do you accept the deal or not?”