Wraith(84)

‘It was you all along.’ It wasn’t a question.

I bit my lip. ‘Er…’

‘You were the wraith who sneaked into my room to kill me. You were the one I captured. And you weren’t kidnapped at all. You manipulated me from day one. Who are you really working for, Saiya?’ He glared at me. ‘Is your name even Saiya?’

‘Yes,’ I whispered. ‘Everything about me is true except for the wraith part. I’ve not lied to you. Not much anyway. The only thing you don’t know about me is what I really am. Everything else is the same.’

‘Really.’ His voice was flat.

‘Really!’ Desperation attacked my insides. ‘I wasn’t in your room to kill you, Gabriel. I’m not like that.’

‘I bet you were laughing your head off when you discovered you were my Fior Ghal.’

‘No!’ Alarmed, I shook my head. ‘I didn’t even know what a Fior Ghal was, Gabriel. Believe me.’

‘Don’t call me that,’ he snarled. ‘Don’t call me Gabriel. You haven’t earned the right. You’re a despicable thing. You’re a creature of horror and death and—’

‘Bloody hell!’ My anxiety exploded into anger. ‘It’s your prejudice that brought us to this! You’re the one who hates wraiths. You’re the one who forced me to keep quiet because I knew you’d react like this. I’m not an assassin. I was in your room to eavesdrop. I sell secrets. I don’t kill unless I have to. I’m not part of some murder conglomerate! If I lied to you, I did it because I had to do so to survive.’

‘So you’re a spy, not an assassin?’ he enquired icily. ‘Is that supposed to make me feel better? I suppose you really work for the Gneiss goblins. I heard they employ wraiths to do their bidding but I didn’t think they’d stoop this low.’

I threw up my hands. ‘I’m not a damned spy! I sold secrets to Marrock in return for food, medicine and supplies. I’d like to see you survive in this city without resorting to illegal methods. I don’t work for the goblins. They’re here because your lot wouldn’t do anything about the siege. Not because of me!’

‘They’re here because the law says—’

‘Oh, screw the law,’ I spat. ‘People are starving to death because of your bloody adherence to the law! We’ve been living in terror, with people executed whenever the damned goblins feel like flexing their muscles. I’m not the one at fault here!’

‘No,’ he said sarcastically. ‘How could you be the one at fault? How could you ever make a single mistake? I’ve owned up to the errors we made by not breaching the siege and I’ve apologised. All you’ve done is sneak around and lie.’ He bared his teeth. ‘From the moment we met, you’ve been using me.’

I put my hands on my hips. ‘Like you’ve not been using me? I’m your stupid Fior Ghal and I’ve got no choice in the matter. What if I’d already been with someone? What would you have done then? You bulldozed me into this. It’s not like I wanted to be your damned soul mate! Before you came along, I knew who I was and what I was doing. Since you showed up, I’ve become this over-emotional, stupid person who can’t keep her head straight! I didn’t ask for this. I didn’t want this.’

Gabriel shook his head. ‘You lied to me. I knew you were hiding things but I didn’t imagine it was on this kind of level.’

‘Is that’s what bothers you most? We’re trying to save Scotland from being ruled by power-hungry goblins and what upsets you is that you didn’t know the whole truth? Or is your ego so big that you’re pissed off you didn’t work it out for yourself?’

His eyes held mine. ‘I’m not the villain here.’

I stared at him. So obviously I was the evil one; regardless of my intentions or the fact that I couldn’t help being a wraith, I was the bad guy. So much for spending the rest of eternity together. Unable to stay a moment longer, I bent down and swept up the trinket box. Then I twirled round to storm out.

‘I’ve not finished yet,’ Gabriel growled.

‘Well, I have,’ I flung over my shoulder. ‘I’m off to find the Stone of Scone. You can do what the hell you want to.’

‘You’re not doing a damn thing without me.’ He grabbed my arm and spun me round to face him.

‘Why? Because you don’t trust me? Maybe you think that I’ll use the Stone to crown myself ruler of Scotland. I’ll make it a mecca for all things wraith!’ I laughed manically and tried to pull away.

Gabriel’s face was inches from mine. ‘Don’t be ridiculous,’ he hissed. ‘There are goblins all over the place. You can’t just wander out there.’

‘I can do whatever I please. I can look after myself. I’m a stone-cold killer, remember?’

He moved his head down, his lips hovering over mine. ‘You…’ He ground his teeth in frustration then pulled back. ‘Give me the box.’

I thrust it into his hands. He glared at it as if it were causing great offence. ‘How do you open it?’

‘I don’t know.’ I forced myself to calm down and drew a deep breath. ‘Tell you what, you work it out. I’m going to find out what the goblins are up to. They’re not looking for us and I want to know why. They might be close to the Stone even without the clue from that box.’