Chapters (49)
- COVER
- DEDICATION
- MAP
- ONE
- TWO
- THREE
- FOUR
- FIVE
- SIX
- SEVEN
- EIGHT
- NINE
- TEN
- ELEVEN
- TWELVE
- THIRTEEN
- FOURTEEN
- FIFTEEN
- SIXTEEN
- SEVENTEEN
- EIGHTEEN
- NINETEEN
- TWENTY
- TWENTY-ONE
- TWENTY-TWO
- TWENTY-THREE
- TWENTY-FOUR
- TWENTY-FIVE
- TWENTY-SIX
- TWENTY-SEVEN
- TWENTY-EIGHT
- TWENTY-NINE
- THIRTY
- THIRTY-ONE
- THIRTY-TWO
- THIRTY-THREE
- THIRTY-FOUR
- THIRTY-FIVE
- THIRTY-SIX
- THIRTY-SEVEN
- THIRTY-EIGHT
- THIRTY-NINE
- FORTY
- FORTY-ONE
- FORTY-TWO
- ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
- DISCOVER MORE
- ABOUT THE AUTHOR
- PRAISE FOR
“That’s… that’s good,” she said, her voice cracking. She took a steadying breath, pulling all her courage around her like a shield. “But this is our coup, Malachi. You should honor your concessions, the ones you made back on Mount Ruin. These women didn’t fight for things to stay the same. You made us promises. You should honor them.”
Nomi braced for Malachi’s answer, her heart in her throat. He would prove he was worthy of her trust… her regard for him. Or he would betray her, just like his brother.
“No.”
Nomi looked up at him, her heart crumbling to ash. Serina’s words ripped through her mind.
Rebellions must be quashed.
“I should do more.” Malachi took a small step toward her, but he didn’t reach for her again. “Nomi, I don’t want to be Superior.”
“You—you what?” She couldn’t process what he said. “But all of this—leaving Mount Ruin, finding Dante, killing your brother, it was all about you regaining your birthright. Malachi, you are the Superior.”
He took his own steadying breath. “I know that’s where we started. But it’s not so simple anymore, not for me. I want Viridia to change.”
Nomi stared at him, agape.
“Tell me how to make this country better,” he said. “What should I do? What should we do?”
Her heart clattered in her wounded throat. “What—what do you mean?”
“How can I fix this? Not just the concessions. I mean the very way this country is ruled. Whatever you say, whatever it is, I’ll do it.” She could read no deceit, no trickery in his eyes.
“But how can you change it, if you don’t want to rule?” she asked. “This is your country. You are its rightful leader. You can’t just… That’s—that’s not how things work. Another man will not be better. You can’t believe that.”
He shrugged. “I’m not talking about another Superior, don’t you see? There’s been a coup, like you said. Asa’s been killed. Only my men know I’m here. You and your sister won this fight, Nomi. You decide who rules, and how.”
“Why?” she asked again, her voice scratching in her throat.
“You know why.” The look in his eyes made her ache. Gently, he took her hands. “You won this fight, Nomi. This is your choice.”
Her choice. The future of Viridia was her choice.
Once, she’d wanted the freedom to choose her own future. Now it was her job to choose a whole country’s. It didn’t matter that she thought Malachi had lost his senses. She was not going to refuse this chance.
Nomi didn’t hesitate. “Okay. I know what to do.”