The words thudded into her with the weight of a canon ball. If she weren’t so chilled, she might have staggered backward from their force.
Aleck’s uncle stepped forward, the formality dropping from his expression. “Aleck—”
Aleck whirled around. “Don’t you dare take a step closer or I’ll give you a taste of my knight training.”
The man clenched his jaw—whether in frustration or pain, she couldn’t tell. “This was all a mistake, Aleck.”
“By a Reaper’s Scythe, it was mistake.” Aleck’s expression darkened. “You were all too happy to abandon me with strangers. You don’t even deserve to be related to my father. He was a good man.”
The man’s throat bobbed, and he nodded. “You’re right. He was a good man, the kind of man I aspire to be.”
Grief dragged Aleck’s gaze to the ground and held it there.
“Aleck, listen to me—”
“No.” His voice was soft, yet the authority of a general. Aleck glanced up. “You listen to me. Do you know what happened to me, simply because you didn’t care enough to take me into your home?”
The man pressed his lips together until they whitened and remained silent.
“I was thrown into the streets. I begged for food, I starved, I was whipped, and I was beaten.”
The man bowed his head, his expression hidden. “Aleck, you’re right. I should have come for you sooner—or at least ensured the character of your caregivers before I left.” He glanced up, a delicate hope in his eyes. “But I’m here now.”
Aleck’s expression dulled. “You’re here too late. You should have been there for me when I needed you.” He sniffed sharply, hinting he was on the brink of tears.
His uncle winced in sympathy and began to approach him. “Aleck—”
And then Aleck turned and darted up the steps.
Carissa’s heart lurched. He was going to run away. She twisted away from Elon.
“Carissa, don’t!”
But she was done listening to Elon. He’d said Aleck wouldn’t run away. He’d said Aleck would like it. He’d said she should trust him.
Carissa lunged towards Aleck. He wasn’t going to run away. Not if she had a say in it. She snatched the back of his shirt, jerking him to a halt. “Aleck, wait—”