I remembered walking through the cavernous hallway. The ceiling started to shake. My eyes widened. “Penellaphe reallywasasleep beneath the Atheneum.”
“She was.” Casteel let go of the chair. “And after that?”
I tried to see through the haze in my mind before sighing in frustration. “I remember walking down the halls, but nothing more.” I was half-afraid to ask. “I found him?”
“You did.”
A heavy breath left me. “And he’s okay?”
“As far as I know, he is,” he told me. “Nektas took him back to Iliseeum, along with Malec.”
That was a relief, but thoughts of Malec dampened the comfort. Malec was in such a bad state after being entombed and then stabbed. I had no idea how he could still be alive.
Drawing in a deep breath, I remembered what I’d asked him. “So, did your mother and Malec stay here?”
“They did.”
I glanced over at him as I ran my fingers down the robe’s small pearl buttons on my lap. “Does that mean we have to?”
Leaving the shirt untucked, he returned to my side. “I’m guessing we feel the same about the idea of living here.”
“If you’d rather camp in the Blood Forest, then yes,” I remarked, earning a grin. My gaze flickered around the chamber once more. This room looked like dozens of others I knew were here. But the idea of roaming these halls again while knowing what had happened behind the castle’s closed doors and beneath its floors? I shuddered. “My memories of Wayfair weren’t bad—at least from what I can remember. But none of those memories feel real now that I know the truth. I wish that weren’t the case because so many of my memories here involved Ian and my…and Coralena and Leo—” I cut myself off, frowning when I said their names. Something didn’t feel right. But what? I wasn’t sure. I shook my head. “I don’t think I could ever be comfortable here.” Sighing, I looked at Casteel. “And I know you could never be comfortable here. Not truly.”
He tucked a strand of hair behind my ear. “I think we can do whatever we like.”
“I’m not sure it’s as simple as that,” I said quietly.
“Why not?”
“I don’t think doing whatever one likes makes for a good King and Queen.”
He eyed me for a moment, and then a small smile played across his lips.
I tilted my head. “What?”
“I was just thinking about the irony. You know? I was raised by a King and Queen and attended my brother’s training, yet you are better prepared to rule than I am.”
I snorted like a little piglet. “I don’t know about that.”
“It’s true. When I was held captive, you kept it together. You didn’t…” He looked away. “You didn’t neglect your duties. The same can’t be said about me while you were in stasis.”
“What do you mean?”
“It took a lot of convincing for anyone to get me to leave your side for any reason,” he admitted.
“Am I supposed to be disappointed to hear that?” I asked. “Because I’m not. And it sounds like you took care of things when you needed to.”
“Yeah.” He exhaled. “Either way, where, when, and how long we live somewhere isn’t something we need to decide now.”
I nodded. “Why aren’t we staying in this chamber?”
“We need something a bit larger and more secure,” he said. “Preferably somewhere pieces of a Revenant weren’t scattered about.”
I stiffened, unsure if I’d heard him correctly. “Pieces?”
“Let’s just say I lost my temper and left him in many, many small pieces scattered across the floor.”
I slowly turned my head to him as I felt the essence pulse within him. An aura of eather pulsed behind his pupils as small red flecks appeared in his golden irises. “He tried to touch you.”
