I should have struck the moment I saw him. Hesitation is death. I have been taught this since my hands were small enough to hold a blade. Strike before they see it coming. Finish it before they scream. Yet here I stand, my pulse hammering, my fingers curled too tightly around the dagger strapped to my thigh. Because Killian Veyne …

‘‘The kingdom does not care who we kill, only that we kill.’’ ‘‘Failure is not an option. Hesitation is a death sentence.’’ I learned that early. The first time I saw blood on my hands, I was just a kid. Too small to understand what it meant. Too young to ask why the kingdom needed warriors like me. Now, I …

‘‘The kingdom does not care who we kill, only that we kill.’’ ‘‘Failure is not an option. Hesitation is a death sentence.’’ I learned that early. The first time I saw blood on my hands, I was just a kid. Too small to understand what it meant. Too young to ask why the kingdom needed warriors like me. Now, I …