“Everything.”
She eyes Rydian as if asking permission, and he gives her a curt nod. “I knew of the Vaelborne family for many years, though I didn’t know who Rydian was until he asked for my help two weeks ago.”
“How?”
“Because I’m also Shadovar,” she says. “And I support his cause… if that’s what you want to call it. When the battle in Aurelia happened, it was when the treaty was in place, allowing everyone to travel to the realms. I ended up getting trapped here all those years when they closed off the borders, deciding that it was best I stayed.”
“Did you know who she was?” I ask Rydian, but he shakes his head.
“No, but I suspected once I discovered that you found a Veil coin here at the brothel—one that wasn’t mine. Being king gives me a certain ability to feel the magic of our own realm. I can’t exactly pinpoint who it comes from, but I suspected it was her since we were just outside her chambers.” He shoots me a smug grin, my face heating under his gaze as if his thoughts landed on what our plans were. “It was a risk I was willing to take given the secrecy her brothel provides.”
“Bold risk.” I pivot to Bess. “So the coin was yours?”
“Yes, it’s mine,” she says sharply. “I didn’t want you to question me about it when I saw you pick it up in the hall, so I let you have it.”
Oh. I have nothing left to say so I nod, studying her features. She appears unamused by today’s turn of events, or perhaps it’s something deeper she’s not saying. But I don’t miss the flicker of her eyes as she meets Rydian’s gaze, and I can’t help but think that I’m left out of a conversation I can’t hear.
“Let me show you where we’ll be meeting,” Rydian says and stands.
He’s at the door within seconds before I bolt from the settee. He takes long strides down the corridor, banking left for the back staircase that winds up all three stories.
I’m on his heels, doing my best to match his stride. We reach the top floor when Rydian takes another left, walking a few more steps before planting his feet in front of a large door.
It’s astounding given that the space doesn’t look like it should support how big the door is. After unlocking it without a word, he takes a step inside, pivoting to the right. Stepping in, I understand why the door is so big. The space is large and dark, not at all what I expected when he said “floor.” It’s aloft.
Brick stone lines the floor, partially hidden beneath scattered rugs, especially near the bed. Straight back is a spacious kitchenette tucked behind the wall where the bed sits. Still, it offers a view into the kitchen. Directly above that is a generous mezzanine with books lining the wall, and a spiral staircase to the left of the kitchen leads to the second floor.
Arched, textured windows reach the ceiling on the right, where I assume it looks into the grand pleasure room, accompanied by a four-poster bed. A stone mantel reaches the ceiling across from the bed, and the space is furnished with a long settee and a small table between them. There’s no doubt the stone mantel comes from the mountain itself.
I finally turn to Rydian, letting my eyes drift over the spacebefore settling on him. His glare is a small storm—arms crossed, jaw tight, and a heat in his eyes that feels like they could burn a hole through me. The air between us suddenly feels heavier—charged.
“Well, you’re angry,” I say casually, leaning against the door and refusing to let his anger rattle me.
“Angry?” he growls, voice sharp. “Angry doesn’t even cover it. We had a deal, so what happened?”
He doesn’t wait for me to answer, storming past, close enough to catch the faint oakmoss on his skin, and I find myself holding my breath. His presence is magnetic, and I hate how easily he pulls me in despite his anger.
I sigh, pushing away from the door to follow him as he strides up the staircase. When I reach the top level, he’s already at the oak table, its surface scattered with scrolls and parchment. He whirls around to face me, and I cross my arms.
“Not that I need to explain myself to you, but I didn’t want Ezra or Ren following me. I needed to make sure that I was clear before moving forward. It’s not like I wasn’t doing anything,” I say.
His jaw tightens. “I have an entire realm to run. I can’t just drop everything to chase after you when you decide to run away from your problems.”
“Is that what you think?” I snarl as he strides closer, stopping inches from me when his eyes narrow into menacing slits. Eyes of a king.
“That’s what it is, isn’t it? Avoiding your problems—your responsibility. Or are you just avoiding me?” he asks, his breath warm across my cheeks.
Our gazes lock, seconds drifting by as we stare at each other, but his words hit me harder than he knows. But it’s not just that. I’m still having a hard time trusting him and felt the need to search for Elynor on my own.
I tilt my chin up. “I didn’t ask forthis. I didn’t ask for you tosearch for me, and in case you forgot, no one is forcing you to stay here. I’ve spent my whole life cleaning up other people’s messes, so forgive me if I didn’t consult with you fast enough,King.”
“That’s not how this works,” he growls, voice low. “We’re a team, and we do thingstogether.We have the same goal here, do we not? No matter how long I have to wait, I’m not leaving without you. So whether it takes a few weeks, to a month, to a lifetime—I don’t care. You will be coming home with me at the end of it. You can run if you want to, but I will find you no matter where you are.”
Home.What does that even mean?
This clearly isn’t the same male I met weeks prior in the hall at the Painted Bird. This is King Rydian. Protector of his realm and me, the heir of Aurelia, and he’s putting me first like he has for the last twenty years. My stomach sours at the thought, and I’m suddenly unsure how to feel about that.
I hold his gaze, taking in his declaration to me. The intensity of it makes my chest tighten, and for a moment, it feels as if I can’t breathe, the weight of it pressing in.
