Page 40 of Crown of Death
I realize he’s probably said something, but I didn’t hear a word ofit.
“Of course I’m not alright,” I snap, defaulting to angry and pissed. “Everything in my world is wrecked and ruined and it’s all yourfault.”
Cyrus’ brows raise, his lips parting justslightly.
“The idea of coming home from work every day and having to check in just makes my stomach turn,” I spit, crossing to the fridge and yanking it open. “But I can’t even really be mad, because this is just how my life goes. Everything goes from bad to worse. Maybe I ought to just get it all over with now and let you killme.”
I grab a package of sliced meat and a block of cheese and slam the doorshut.
To my surprise, Cyrus is standing just behind it, looking at me with concernedeyes.
“What happened today, Logan?” heasks.
I hate that his voice is so tender, soconcerned.
The man is a psychopath. A kidnapper. Amurderer.
But he sounds sogenuine.
“Nothing out of my crappy usual,” I mutter, turning away from him and working on mysandwich.
“I’ll trade you problems,” he says, arching aneyebrow.
“What’s that supposed tomean?”
He turns, folding his arms over his chest. “I told you how one of the Houses in China was being aproblem.”
I nod, recalling what he said about rules, written andunspoken.
“And you understand that whatever age a human dies at their first death, they’ll Resurrect and stay that same age for the rest of their immortallife.”
“Yes,” I say, trying to figure out where this isgoing.
“The Royals in China have seven children,” Cyrus says, and his tone grows harder. “Apparently, there’s been a feud between the two Houses in their country. It’s been a game of size and power. But the House of Hou is not a patientone.”
My brows furrow and my stomach feels sick. “How old are theirchildren?”
He seems pleased, as if I figured this out quicker than heexpected.
“They just turned their middle child,” Cyrus says, his voice hardening. “A girl, who is barely eight yearsold.”
My stomach twists. “No,” I gape. “That’s…that’s sick. Now that poor girl is going to have to live the rest of her life, stuck in the body of an eight-year-old?”
Cyrus nods. He takes a step forward, his expression darkening. “You see, Logan. I wish I could make you understand that all these human problems you’re dealing with, they are so temporary and insignificant for you,” Cyrus says, standing just at my side, watching as I return to preparing mysandwich.
I want to bite back at his dismissal of my problems. But he’s right. What I’m going through, compared to all these things he apparently has to dealwith…
I slice the cheese, only I place the blade too high on the block and slice off a piece far too thick to use on a sandwich. Gently, Cyrus takes the blade from my hand, and begins slicing perfectly thinpieces.
“I need to make you see that what is waiting for you beyond your death is so much greater than everything you’ve experienced,” he says, looking up to meet my eyes as he slides the cutting board in my direction. “Because right now, I can see that you still do not grasp any of it. You still cannot comprehend any scale of what is waiting foryou.”
His hands. The way he handles the knife. Such precision. Suchcontrol.
The breath is caught in my chest, and I don’t even seem tocare.
I watch Cyrus’ lips as hespeaks.
Those beguiling, enchantinglips.