But he did not move an inch.
Isla shook her head. “I don’t understand. I can feel it. You love me. Why—why won’t you touch me?” She had tried to touch him multiple times—had tried to kiss him, to get close to him, to make clear what she wanted. Every time, he had rejected her. The realization came at her like a sword hilt to the temple. “Are you—are you not attracted to me?”
He said nothing, and she suddenly felt ridiculous. Of course he could love her without wanting her in that way. Various shades of love existed. She was so stupid, so foolish for justassuming—
“I’m sorry, I—”
Oro had her pressed against the wall before she could say another word. He was looming over her, eyes filled with a burning intensity that made heat pool everywhere. “Isla,” he said. “Attracteddoes not begin to describe what I feel for you.”
She swallowed, and his eyes went to her throat. He reached out a tentative hand and traced a line over her collarbone. Lower. Down her chest, across the mark where an arrow had pierced her heart.
“Every time I see you, I think the gods must play favorites. Every time you’re near me, I am overcome with the urge to bed you, to have you, again and again. I want to devour every inch of you, until you’re all I taste, until you are shaking with pleasure in my arms.Thatis what I want.”
Isla had never wanted a person more in her entire life. She pressed against him. “Then do it. All of it.”
She glanced down, and the evidence of his want was clear. It made her heart race to an impossible speed. With shaking hands, she unbuttoned the clasp of her top until it dropped. He looked at her like he wanted to spend a week with her, locked in this room.
But he only closed his eyes and said, “Isla. I want everything with you. But not now.”
“Why not?” she asked, tears hot behind her eyes. She willed them not to fall, knowing she looked pathetic enough already.
His expression softened. “You’re struggling, love.” He took her hand. “I feel like I’m watching you fade, day by day, and I don’t know what to do.” He surprised her by going down on one knee, his gaze never leaving hers. The king of Lightlark was kneeling before her. “Tell me how to help you. I’ll do anything. Give you anything. Just tell me.”
The tears fell freely now. “I can’t,” she said.
He rose and cupped her face, smoothing her tears away with his thumbs. His palms were hot as coals, and she leaned into them. “Whatever it is, you can tell me. You are not alone. You do not face the world alone anymore.”
Isla closed her eyes. It was hard to swallow; it was like her throat was swollen and raw, trying to keep the words down.
This secret ... It was too much to bear. The memories were trickling in against her will; she was defenseless against them. Isla had told Oro she trusted him. That was true, wasn’t it? If she couldn’t tell him what was happening to her, then who?
Her eyes were still closed as she said, “I’m starting to remember.”
She felt him stiffen in front of her. She opened her eyes, and Oro ... his gaze was fire. He was angry, so angry—
Isla squirmed beneath his hands. Was he mad at her? She suddenly felt deeply ashamed for some reason, laid even more bare than she already was. “I’m sorry,” she said, and she wasn’t sure why.
Oro’s eyes softened immediately. “Isla, don’t ever apologize for something that isn’t your fault.” A muscle in his jaw shifted. “This is his fault.”
She understood now. Oro looked murderous because he wanted to kill Grim. He was the reason she was suffering.
She nodded. She agreed, and she hated him,hatedhim. She needed Oro to know that. “I despise him,” she said, words shaking in her mouth. “He is a monster, and I ... I don’t want to remember.” She shook her head. “I’m trying my best to block them out, but with my powers untangled ... I tried not to sleep, and it worked, for a while. But ... I think things are starting to remind me of him, unlocking those memories. He went into my room during the Centennial; I don’t think that helps. He was in mymirror. It’s driving me mad. All I see when I close my eyes ishim—”
“Move into my room,” Oro said immediately.
Isla blinked. “What?”
“He’s certainly never been there.” Lest she suggest moving into any other room that wasn’t his, he added, “It’s the most protected place in the castle, should he be trying to reach you through other means. You can take it. I’ll stay somewhere else.”
Isla didn’t want him to stay anywhere else. The fact that she was wearing only lace in front of him was proof of that. But Oro wouldn’t hear of it.
By that afternoon, Oro had her stuff moved into his chambers and his moved out.
The memories stopped after Isla moved into Oro’s room, and she was able to peacefully sleep through the night. It was as if the proximity to the king’s belongings, sleeping in hisbed, was enough to smother all thoughts of Grim. She found a drawer that had been forgotten, filled with his clothes, and claimed one of his shirts. Then another. And another. They were massive and comfortable, and wearing them to bed helped her feel less alone.
At training, she was better able to focus. Every day, she grew stronger, her power inching forward, the blade within her sharpening.
What had started as a reaction to an attack, a desperation to open the vault and prepare against the next crisis, had started to become ... fun.
