His voice is firm. “He’s sleeping with another ruler.”
I freeze, then shake my head to clear it. Could I have heard him incorrectly? “Where did you hear this?” I ask.
He levels me with his eyes. “I can turn invisible. Do you know how many things I see? Most are things I don’twantto see, mind you.” He pauses to finish his drink. “This, actually, came from the barkeep. I didn’t tell you, until I could confirm it myself.” He winces. “And I did. Very credible information, it turns out.”
He’s telling the truth. I sit back in my chair, stunned.
“This—this ...”
“Could be bad,” he offers casually, drumming his fingers against the edge of the table. “Thought you should know.”
Years before, the thought of Grimshaw telling me something without ulterior motive ... the idea of me being ready to believe him, regardless of my flair ...
The idea of methankinghim, for anything—
It would all have been inconceivable. Things have changed. He’s become ... almost a friend.
Almost.
“Thank you,” I say, before getting up. “See you tomorrow.”
I stay at Juniper’s until my friends want to leave. Only when we’ve parted ways do I seek my brother out. He’s in the strategy room, as usual. Even though it’s the middle of the night. His face brightens when he sees me. He motions for me to sit down. “You should be asleep,” he says.
“So should you.”
He sighs. “Kings don’t sleep, haven’t you heard?” His humor fades as he yawns. “Sometimes I wonder if it explained his mood. Father’s. The lack of rest.”
I just sit there, watching him. As if I could carve the truth out of him without having to say a word. But I can’t, so I finally say it. “Are you sleeping with Violet?”
She’s the only other ruler I’ve seen him interact with socially, outside of meetings, other than Aurora. Though, it’s odd. Aurora and Violet are supposed to be best friends.
I’ve shocked him. He opens his mouth. Closes it. “What—”
“Are you?” I demand.
He narrows his eyes at me. “No.”
Truth. I start to doubt Grim’s information. But then I think of another question. “Do you love her?”
Here, he hesitates. I can see his mind working, as if wondering why I would ask this. He shakes his head. “No.”
My hands grip the side of the table as I rush forward. Fury spreads through me at once. A rush of emotion I haven’t felt in years.
“You’re lying to me? Tome?”
He doesn’t know about my flair. I never told him. He never guessed. He blinks, looking surprised. Perhaps he didn’t mean to lie. Perhaps he doesn’t even know his own feelings.
His jaw works. “I care for her, I don’t—”
I hang my head down and pinch my nose. “Egan, you’rebetrothed,” I say.
His voice is angry. “You don’t think I know that?”
I look up at him in disbelief. “You’re king. Every choice reverberates to those around you! Isn’t that what you told me?”
Our gazes hold, for a moment. Two amber eyes, full of fire. He looks away first. His shoulders melt, like all the fight has left him. “I have no plans to end my engagement,” he says to the table.
“And no plans to marry, either?” I ask. He’s pushed the nuptials off for years. The island is still recovering. There haven’t been any whispers, as far as I know, but they will come, the longer it’s delayed. “Aurora is in love with you. She is unpredictable.” She’s made good decisions for her realm, like razing the Midnight Woods, a processthat took several years. But she’s also known to hide societal advancements. Restrict access to her isle.
