Page 2 of The Sunbound Princess
A ball of light zipped from the far corner of the Solarium, fire trailing in its wake. The ball whooshed past the bier and stopped in front of me. Helios bobbed a few inches off the ground, a pair of fiery spectacles perched on his dab of a nose.
“We should leave soon, Princess,” he said. “The whole court is waiting.”
A knot formed in my stomach. Well, that wasn’t quite right. The knot had been there since the moment the sunstone winked out of sight. Now, it simply tightened.
“The whole court?” I managed through a suddenly dry throat.
“It’s tradition,” Corvus said, capturing my hand and turning my attention back to him. He rubbed his thumb over myknuckles. “The nobles will cheer you as you leave the palace. Everyone is eager for you to find the sunstone, return Summer’s warmth to the kingdom, and claim your rightful place as queen.”
The knot moved into my throat. “Is that all?” I said, trying for a humorous tone. But my voice emerged thready and strained.
Corvus’s eyes softened as he tucked a strand of hair behind my ear. “It’s your destiny, my love. You were born to undertake the Dokimasi.”
Helios’s regard was a weight at the edge of my vision, but I couldn’t stop myself from asking, “Are you certain you won’t come?”
Corvus pulled me into his arms, and his heart thundered against my breasts as he buried his face in my neck.
My body responded at once, familiar heat snaking through me. Corvus hadn’t shared my bed since my father died. Duty had kept us apart, both of us occupied with the demands of organizing the funeral and keeping the court running smoothly. Most nights, I’d been too exhausted to think of sex.
But now, with Corvus close…
He groaned against my throat, and he tightened his embrace. “You know how much I want to,” he said in my ear, his double meaning clear. “But someone has to protect your throne. I wish I could say I trust the lords of your father’s Council to act with honor, but the Dokimasi puts fear in men’s hearts. Summer can’t survive without the sunstone. And you’re a woman. There will always be those who question your ability to find the stone.”
Anger spiked my veins, and I pushed against his chest until he released me. “You know the Summer Court’s history as well as I do,” I said. “It’s been five hundred years since someone other than the heir to the throne found the sunstone. And it only happened then because the rightful heir was sickly.”
Corvus took my face in his hands, and his expression went somber as he lowered his voice. “A good king—or queen—thinksof every angle.” He gave me the tiniest shake. “Sothink, Ezabell. You’re permitted just one companion for the Dokimasi. If you choose me, and we return with the sunstone, doubts will shadow your reign for as long as you sit on the throne. We’ll marry, and some will whisper that it was I who found the sunstone. They’ll say the crown belongs on my head, not yours. You’ll never escape the scrutiny of those who claim your consort was the one who returned the stone to the crown.”
My heart thumped as the anger in my veins cooled, the heat replaced with icy clarity. Corvus was right. No matter how much I wished otherwise, certain lords on the Council would feel more comfortable serving a king instead of a queen.
Corvus couldn’t accompany me on the Dokimasi. I had to fulfill the quest on my own.
Well, with Helios at my side.
I turned to him now, fresh guilt washing over me. “It’s not that I don’t want you with me?—”
“I get it,” he said, waving a hand. “I’m not your betrothed.” He gestured to his lower half, which tapered to a flickering point like the dancing flame of a candle. “I don’t even have legs.”
Affection bubbled up, and I hid my smile. “That’s my fault. My magic is stronger than it was when I was a child. I could probably give you legs now if you want them.”
He shrugged. “I get around just fine without them.” The lick of fire rising from his brow danced as he looked at Corvus. “As you know, I travel fast. Ezabell might have to wander the kingdom from the Covenant to the Iron Sea, but I can dip back to Lum Laras and check in any time.”
Wait, was Helios threatening Corvus? I drew a deep breath. “I don’t think?—”
“I expect nothing less,” Corvus said, inclining his head. He smiled as he held Helios’s gaze. “Ezabell created you. I can’t imagine anyone better prepared to guard her back and look outfor her best interests. I’ll have reports ready so you can ferry information back to Ezabell as she searches for the sunstone.”
Relief coursed through me. Maybe itwasbest to travel with Helios. As a sunsprite, he moved faster than any horse. Yes, I had to wander the land until I found the stone, but Helios would help me maintain my connection to Lum Laras. I’d find the sunstone, return to the capital, and wed Corvus. Everything was going to be all right.
“Everything is going to be all right,” Corvus said, turning back to me. He cupped my cheek, his palm warm against my skin. Heat glimmered in his eyes, and he dipped his gaze to my mouth. “And when you return…” He trailed off, but his meaning hung in the air.
The sunlight streaming through the windows flickered. The temperature dropped several degrees.
Goosebumps lifted on my arms, and I shivered, my sleeveless gown offering little protection against the sudden cold.
Helios met my gaze, his eyes wide behind his spectacles. “We shouldn’t delay.”
I swallowed the knot that threatened to choke me. “I know.”
“Do you have everything you need?”
