169. Non-Negotiable

~ JESSE ~

Maya let me go almost an hour later than usual, “to make up for my tardiness.” By the time I literally ran out of her cave, I was aching for Cazz, and also angry, and terrified. It was such a confusing turmoil in my chest and body because the longer I was away from him, the more my flesh ached to have him again—but knowing what I knew now about how an Heir was selected…

It made me cold.

I couldn’t stop thinking about the grief he’d had in his eyes when he talked about killing his siblings—and also the intensity when he spoke about reaping the benefits of it.

I hadn’t understood at the time, I’d been consumed with wanting to help him stop beating himself up, but maybe… maybe the reason he felt bad about it was because even though he hated it, he didn’t w