Paula gasped, grabbing Genevieve by the arm and backing them both away. Lawrence placed himself in front of his wife and daughter, holding his hands forward like he could stop The Elemental with sheer will.
I shot a glare at Genevieve, who merely rolled her eyes like I was being dramatic. Soon, she would see how foolish she was for telling Bellamy.
“You know, Asher could have shattered your minds without blinking. Or, on a less deadly note, she could have just told you to let her out. Any of you would have done it too. It would seem to you like your own choice—the only choice. Nothing would stop you but death. So, tell me, why would a being as strong as her simply stay put? Now, that I want to know.” He leaned against the wall parallel to the cells, his dimples flashing as he smiled and the blue of his eyes practically glowing against the firelight. There was no sign of the handsome and loving male I once knew. The Bellamy that looked upon us now was harder, angrier, appearing as though he were poised to burn the kingdom and bathe in the ashes.
I wanted to kiss him, to profess my endless love and unwavering loyalty to him. More than anything, I wanted to hold him. He looked so fragile beyond the mask that lay at the surface. Beneath it all, Bellamy was hurting, breaking even.
But my eyes met Genevieve’s again, and I knew that she finally understood what I was about to do. The promises I would make. A gasp came out of her mouth, her hand flying up to stifle it.
Let me show you that I can be more than just a useless bitch. Trust me, Genevieve.
She twitched, not used to my voice within her head. Still, she nodded silently, further cuddling into her mother. Both king and queen looked suspiciously from Bellamy to me and back again. Their guards had not come down with them or, at least, had not come near my cage. But it seemed they were both looking for whatever help could be offered.
They would find none.
I tried and failed to get into Bellamy’s mind, that wall of black flames shoving me out. White-hot fury tainted the air, burning my throat on the way down and scorching my senses. He smirked, rolling his hand towards me in a gesture to go on.
Fine.
“Well, King Lawrence, Queen Paula, I believe that I have the means to give you everything you want. If you fight for Eoforhild instead of Betovere, then you can establish a good relationship with the demons, who have an assortment of tradable goods and the ability to transfer them past The Mist. But that will not be all. Half of the mortal kingdoms have already allied with us. If you do as well, Maliha can maintain good relations with them. Beyond that, I can also vow the support and continued trade with Betovere once I become queen.”
Saying it was hard to remain stoic and queen-like while behind bars and in shredded clothing would be an understatement. Even as I spoke, I watched the king and queen occasionally look me up and down, as if the words coming from my mouth paled in comparison to the heinous way I appeared. Sparing one last pleading look at Bellamy, who seemed to steam at whatever he saw on my face, I took a deep breath and gave away the rest of myself.
“And I will marry your son. He will rule at my side with a crown on his head. We can plan a rescue, bring him home to you, and then, when the war is won, I will wed him. Our children will be heirs to the fae throne, and you will be permitted access to us and them at any time.” Genevieve’s head fell forward, her shoulders slumping in relief.
Would it always disgust me, the way that they loved him?
“Absolutely. The. Fuck. Not.” Bellamy’s booming voice was closer this time, and I looked to my right to find that he had portaled into the cell. My heart raced, the closeness of him both startling and like coming home. Like the other half of myself had found me at long last.
But his words, which threatened to ruin everything, were aggravating at best. We could not fight here, could not let the king and queen know about what we had. They would never agree if they knew, and it was very clear that Genevieve had kept many secrets from her parents.
“We can talk about the logistics another time, Prince Bellamy.” I turned to face the rulers of Maliha once more, hoping that they would see the sincerity in my eyes. “For now, I offer my word. My hand is his if he chooses the right side.”
Bellamy grabbed my wrist, his hand so hot that I would have feared he had a fever if not for his powers. A storm was brewing within him, one that threatened to suck me in and tear apart the future I had been working so hard to craft.
If Mia and Xavier had taught me one good thing, it was that the realm comes before the self. I loved Bellamy, more than I ever knew I could love another being. And, if I could, I would have him at my side for the rest of my life. But having the forces of Maliha on our side of the battle would be enough to stop the fae, to limit the casualties. With them, we could stop the war before it began. They could help us accomplish all that I wanted.
I tried again to force my magic through his shields, noting how I still felt stronger than I did in Gandry. Whatever Padon did to me, it altered me in what felt like a very permanent way. Still, I could not get past, no matter how hard I shoved. He held firm, clearly not wanting to hear my explanations.
I pulled my wrist free, breaking eye contact and trying to remind myself of all that Bellamy would gain from this as well. He would not need to rebuild Haven, nor would he have to sneak through Betovere.
Even more was to be obtained for the fae. I could open the borders, disband the factions, create relationships across the world. There would never be another public reaping, nor would we need the fraternization law. I could merge Academy, disperse the fae council. So much good could be accomplished if I did this.
Sometimes that was what being a ruler meant. Losing so your realm could win.
My heartbeat quickened as I entered Lawrence’s mind, the effort so minimal it almost made me laugh.
Free me and return my dagger.
He did as he was told, unlocking the cell before grabbing my dagger from his daughter and offering it to me. Paula gasped, Genevieve still not looking up. I made my way away from them, heading towards the mind I knew so well after having six days of only it for company. Wrath walked in, causing Paula to scream upon seeing him. In her defense, he was steadily growing, his yellow eyes nearly as large as my face and his fangs lengthening past his lips.
“Took you long enough. I cannot believe you let them drag me like that.”
He laughed, saying nothing before looking back at the three mortals hunched together. I did as well, offering a final smile their way.
Bellamy was still, his face unreadable, but his mind was obviously reeling from what I said. After two months of not knowing where I was, it seemed fair that he would be struggling with knowing there was another goodbye in our future.
Eventually, though, he left the cell, glaring at Genevieve before jogging towards me. I held out my hand, stopping him mid-step. His head tilted to the side in that infuriatingly perfect way he always did. I reached into his cloak, my hand finding the pocket and pulling out a piece of paper.
