"I'm sorry. I didn't think—"
"Sorry?! Sorry! You're damn right you didn't think! Do you have any idea how close you just came to being killed? Do you have any clue how my brother Defender would have felt knowing it was you he put into the grave?"
"Ash! I said, I'm sorry. I didn't realize. I won't do it again!"
"No, you won't! But sorry isn't enough, Zara. You have to open your eyes and see!" It was a shock to see Ash so angry. "You act as if this Selection is a joke! I thought you were amusing this afternoon when I believed it was an act. But it seems you aren't being strategic, you're actually that reckless!"
"Strategic?" I asked, offended. "Why is everyone so ready to be convinced that I'm somehow trying to manipulate everyone around me?"
"Not everyone! The King! And perhaps me as well," he growled.
My jaw dropped. "I'm not manipulating you!"
"Oh really?"
"Really!"
