Locke's sword crashed down hard enough to numb my entire arm. The moment he realized it was me, his blade faltered.
I seized the opening, twisted aside, and struck his wrist with my short sword. His broadsword hit the ground. Several knights who had once served my parents rushed forward and forced him to his knees.
Locke didn't struggle. He knelt in the dust and stared at me.
The wind whipped my bloodstained skirts and tangled his hair.
"Why?" His voice was hoarse. "You would turn your sword against me to protect him?"
I looked back at Ronan. Blood still ran from his shoulder, but his eyes had never left me. "Because I love him."
Locke's face fell.
"But even if Ronan had never existed, I still wouldn't return to you. I didn't leave because I fell in love with another man. I left bec
