The True Saint

My Villain & My Balance

        "Yes," he exhales. "I don't want you to hate me, Alina. It is up to you to decide if you want to spend every waking moment fighting me. Or you could listen to me and do what I ask." His grip on my jaw tightens.

"You have 'asked' me to ignore my friend's suffering," I bite out. "You 'asked' me to abandon everything I love for this new life devoted fully to you and if I so much as glance at another person, you punish either them or me for it."

Aleksander lets out a sigh, realizing that he can't win me over in this argument. "All I am trying to say is that it's your choice whether you want me to be your villain or your husband."

        "If you turn Nikolai back, I might consider not cutting you in half in your sleep," I bite out.

        "I do not think the people of Ravka would react kindly to their king split in two."

        "Maybe not, but it would be fun for me."

        "I'd like to see you try," he says cockily. Quickly, his expression turns serious and he continues to say, "I can't turn him back. The Merzost will continue to flow freely through his blood until the end of his days. It is a worse fate than death. It is what the scoundrel deserves for helping you escape from me more than once." The Darkling offers his hand, wanting me to sit up. I have nowhere to go, so I reluctantly take it and slip off of the covers.

        "Now," he says as he hoists me up into a standing position, supporting my body against his. "The chairmen have requested our presence."

        I gulp in dismay as to why they have called the meeting. "Do we have to go right now? I was just about to blind you with searing light."

"They said it was urgent," the Darkling informs with a pang of nervousness in his tone. He goes on to say, "in the state you are in now, you would be lucky to not blind yourself." I scoff at him. However, it is true. I am too dizzy to even aim my light in his general direction, let alone blind him.

        "Try to act as if we are in our honeymoon phase," he boldly suggests as he opens the door for me.

        I sneer at his audacity. "You mean try to act as if you haven't just ordered Heartrenders to sedate me in case I tried to claw your eyes out for what you did to Nikolai?"

        "Careful, milaya," he warns me.

***

        The walk down to the conference room is torturous. My anxiety is building by the second after what I have learned about the chairmen. The supposed high-esteemed killers with a trail of royal blood left wherever they go. My jelly legs do not help matters either. I try to walk off the wooziness, but I begrudgingly lean against the Darkling for support. Eventually, I start to walk normally again before we arrive.

        I don't understand why this meeting with the Council needs to happen now. I am still a mess from everything that has happened. What is so urgent? Can they not wait to discuss this until after I tear the Darkling apart piece by piece for what he did to Nikolai?

        The Darkling stops in front of the door and lets go of me to test my stability. My legs are a bit shakey, but otherwise, I am fine on my own. I glare at him and he returns a warning look that says behave yourself. This ruffles my feathers even more. He adjusts his elegant kefta before the doors are opened for us by two guards.