A Fractured Light (Beautiful Dark)

traitor. Don’t say that I betrayed you. Everything I do is for you. Killing Devin will be, too.”
    I noticed Cassie, Dan, and Ian standing just behind him. Their mouths were hanging open in shock, and they looked terrified.
    “Stop,” I said, faltering. “You should have told me.”
    “I couldn’t, Skye. You’d never have let it happen.”
    “Of course not!” I yelled. “But I deserved to know!”
    “If you’d stopped it, it would have been fighting against us—against yourself. He was trying to win you over to his side! He didn’t care about you! He never did. You think if he loved you, he would have stabbed you in cold blood? I’m trying to protect you . It’s all for you!”
    “He doesn’t know what he’s talking about.” Devin spoke suddenly, and I whipped around. “It’s so much more complicated than that. I never had a choice. Not about any of this—but especially not when it came to you.”
    I no longer knew what to think or who to believe. But instead of the confusion I’d felt all winter, I was suddenly seeing things with an aching clarity. The time had come for me to stop listening to all the noise around me and focus on what my own blood was telling me to do.
    Devin turned to me. “Skye,” he said quietly, simply, “I’m sorry for everything. They made me do it. They keep making me hurt the people I—” He stopped abruptly. Then he turned to Asher and fell to his knees. “Forgive me,” he whispered. He lowered his head. “Just do it. Get it over with.”
    “What?” I gasped. “No, stop!”
    Asher didn’t look at me as he stepped back. Then, he took two running steps forward and brought his sword down in a swooping arc. “ No! ” I yelled. “He just needs to be free of the Order! If he can make his own choices, you’ll see he isn’t bad.” But I couldn’t watch. I looked away, covering my face in my hands.
    I didn’t hear anything. I opened my eyes.
    Asher’s sword was just inches from Devin’s neck. He was looking right at me. “Okay,” he said, his voice low and even. “Jump.”
    Devin looked up. “What?”
    “Jump,” Asher said again. “Become a Rebel. Or I’ll kill you.”
    Slowly Devin stood. Asher backed up a step, but he kept his blade level with Devin the whole time.
    “If I join the Rebellion,” Devin said, “you’ll let me live?”
    “If you join and fight with us, if you pledge to help us destroy the Order and restore freedom to the world, then yes, I’ll let you live.”
    “Jump, Devin,” I pleaded.
    His massive white wings folded in on themselves, withdrawing into his back. He closed his eyes and placed a hand on the flat blade of Asher’s sword. “I pledge myself to chaos,” he said. “To passion, disorder, and renewal. I pledge myself to love. To the freedom to love.” As he said his last words, he raised his eyes and met mine.
    And when his wings unfurled again, they were a deep, rolling black. Feathers like the night.
    I released the breath I’d been holding. Asher stepped up to Devin until their noses were almost touching. Please don’t , I thought desperately. Don’t kill him anyway. Slowly Asher extended his hand.
    “Welcome to the Rebellion,” he said. Devin brought his own hand up and shook Asher’s. He looked like he was in shock.
    “Thank you,” he whispered. “I’ll devote myself to your cause.”
    Raven cried out in pain behind him, and Devin turned and ran to where she was still crumpled on the ground.
    “I’m so sorry,” he said, kneeling beside her. “Raven, I never meant for this to happen.” He looked around helplessly. “I can’t heal you,” he said. “I’ll find somebody who can. I promise.”
    The last time I’d heard those words, I’d been attacked by a Guardian and a Rebel was trying to find me help. This time, the Rebel was Devin.
    “I’ll do it.” I stood up. Everyone turned to look at me. It was the last thing I’d ever thought I’d volunteer for—and yet, it felt right. “Raven saved my life. I owe her.” I had a feeling our lives were inextricably linked from here on out. Devin looked so grateful—and for the first time, his eyes softened.
    “Thank you,” he said, taking my hands. “Here. Like this.”
    He placed my hands on her. We closed our eyes, and for a moment, everything was still. Raven sat perfectly rigid while I summoned all of my powers of dark and light, everything I had been working to control. I felt something stir beneath my hands.
    “Your eyes,”