“I swear, I had nothing to do with it! Listen, Kay, I’m not your enemy!”

His eyes burn with rage as he walks towards me, hands balled into fists.

“Lair.” He growls, slamming his hand into the wall beside me.

I flinch.

“The nights you simply disappeared, the limp you never explained, the time when you told me to stay out of the way at the kings ball, the excuses that always seemed filled with holes I was to lovesick and blind to see. You an your manipulative words, trying to twist everything to your will. I should gut you like you gutted Judah.”

“Kay, I know everything points to me, but I had no idea, just like everyone else. I would never hurt Judah.”

“Then why is his blood running down the palace steps? Do you even feel sorry?”

“Of course! Why would I have protected him at the ball only to kill him now? Would I even be here if I had been the one who killed him? No! I’d be back at the palace with all the others, trying to track you down and kill you!”

I pull multiple knives out from under my dress.

“If I wanted you dead, I would have killed you the moment you walked in that door. But no. I need you alive, because whether you like it or not, I need you to stop them. They want you dead so badly because they know it too! For once in your life, Kay, trust me!”

He doesn’t seem convinced, and I don’t know what else to say to get him on my side. So I just look into his eyes, trying not to show all the fear I’m feeling.

He could kill me.

He has every right to.

I could be lying after all.

And it’s true. All the evidence says I’m the assassin.

“You always have been too much easy to trust.” He finally murmurs, stepping back, his body still tense.

I know he wants to blame someone, to take out his anger on anyone, no matter how innocent.

He loved Judah like a brother. The kid was only eleven, yet his magical blood made him an immediate threat. The magic Kay had tried to keep hidden, to protect Judah.

Kay walks over to the table and slides into a wooden chair, taking a swig from the bottle on the table.

The he looks back at me.

“If you’ve got a plan, spill it now, while I’m still sober.”

I edge over to the table, still wondering if he’ll stab me through with a sword after this is all over.

“Is that a ‘Yes, I’m willing to help you overturn a kingdom?’”

He chuckles.

“If that’s how you want to put it, then yes. Let’s turn them on their heads.”