Chapter 428: Fruits of Vengeance
I had turned away from Gayron as he spoke, but paused, looking back at the demonkin. He had his eyes fixed on the ground, his hands clenched at his sides. He looked entirely uncomfortable, down to his tail, which trembled with the effort of keeping it still. Gayron was not a man accustomed to apologizing.
"Sorry?" I asked, "What are you even talking about? You’re healed, Gayron. You don’t have to pretend anymore. Just leave."
His hands clenched tighter, digging into his palms. He raised his head, revealing a glare. "Do you want me to beg, to get on my knees and kiss your feet?" he growled. "Damn it, I don’t even know what I was thinking, apologizing like that."
With a huff, he whirled around and stalked away, only to realize after a few steps that he had nowhere to go. There was nothing but the endless night sky around us, the stars small and cold, mirroring the chill that had settled over my heart. What use was there apologizing now, after everything he had done?
"Xiviyah," Korra’s voice was soft but insistent as she laid a hand on my arm. I tried to pull away, hardly in the mood to be comforted, but she followed me.
"Gayron’s not who you think. I’ve seen him this past week–the real him. He’s arrogant and proud, more than a little rough around the edges, but there’s more to him. He’s taught us a lot about the demons and how they fight, things that have improved our entire army’s skills. You want to learn to trust people, right? Sometimes, that means forgiving them. I know he’s hurt you, but–"
"He tried to kill me, Korra!" I cried. "Why is it that the people who want to be closest to me always try to hurt me?" I touched my scarred shoulder, tears welling up in my eyes. "Soltair, Fyren, him... even...even..."
I bit my lip, turning my head away. I couldn’t say it, not after everything she had sacrificed for me. But the memory of her betrayal still haunted me, the despair I felt when she abandoned me to Alex, agreeing to let him violate me before selling me to a man who meant my death.
"Me?" Korra finished for me, her voice deathly quiet. "Is that it? Do you still, somewhere in that hurt heart of yours, think I’m going to betray you? That we all will?"