I turned to face him. “It doesn’t matter. The ritual binds us. She’ll be protected. That’s all that matters.”
His smile was thin and sharp. “That’s what you told yourself when you were bleeding in my arms outside the Blackwall. When you nearly died trying to save a village of people who spat your name.”
I didn’t want to talk about the Blackwall. I didn’t want to talk about Cleo either. Because if I said what I felt—if I let it rise—then I wouldn’t be able to hold the curse at bay.
Love and shadow didn’t mix.
Not for me.
“She’s more than I expected,” I said quietly. “More than any of us deserve.”
Kassio nodded. “And yet, she’s yours.”
He took a slow sip of wine, then sighed. “There’s something else.”
I knew it the moment he said it. “Jarrik.”
Kassio nodded. “He returned to the Tower last night. Filed a formal complaint with the Council of Seven. Claims she’s his betrothed. Presented a signed marriage contract. My father will have to listen to their claim.”
My stomach turned to stone. “She’s mine.”
“Your word against his. He claims you used coercion to steal his bonded Starborn. He says you attacked him unprovoked and endangered a sealed contract of The Spire.”
“It wasn’t sealed,” I growled.
“It bears the Matron’s mark. Technically, Cleo’s guardian. Her mother. The law is clear.”
My hands curled into fists. “Cleo is not a child. Nor is she property to be bartered or sold. What did Jarrick give that old hag?”
“Who knows? He’s trying to use the old law,” Kassio added, gaze darkening. “The blood-right clause. If he convinces the council that Cleo’s power was bonded to him first—even momentarily—he can challenge you.”
“No,” I said, voice low. “She was never his.”
“He doesn’t care about the truth. He’s desperate. You humiliated him. And you’ve already won her heart.”
I turned away, breathing hard. I didn’t want to have to kill him, but I would. “If he touches her, he dies.”
And then Kassio said the words that made everything worse. “The king has summoned The Knight Eternal.”
My heart skipped. Void take me. The Knight Eternal was the king’s magical form, a mage without emotion or bias. His magic was so powerful, the king’s personality withdrew completely. It was like speaking to an entity from beyond the Void. For all intents and purposes, a god without concern for the cares—or passions—of mere mortals. If Jarrick could convince him of his lies, the outcome would be dire.
“The council requests formal judgment,” Kassio said. “They’re invoking blood precedent. You know what that means.”
I did. The Knight Eternal wasn’t just the king of The Spire. He was its oldest living pillar. A descendant of the first human soul to cross through the Void from Earth—a man whose blood had merged with shadow and become something else. Something immortal. His magic had helped seal the Rift during the first eclipse. His power kept the council from tearing itself apart.
He was Devin’sfatherby blood. But he was not a father in any way that mattered. He was an immortal being inhabiting a feeble, mortal shell.
“He won’t side with me,” I said. “The Matron did sign the betrothal agreement. Jarrick traveled with her for an entire day before I caught up to them. He could claim—” Claim he’d touched her. Kissed her. Made her his.
“No, he won’t side with you,” Kassio agreed. “But he might side withher.”
That possibility hadn’t occurred to me.
“The Knight Eternal has seen many things,” Kassio murmured. “But even he hasn’t seen a Starborn choose a Death Mage for a mate. Not in five centuries.” He clapped me on the shoulder. “So, maybe don’t keep her in the dark much longer, hmm? Tell her how you feel? Give her a reason to fight for you.”
And with that, he vanished down the stairs, leaving me alone beneath the stars, with the weight of my bloodline and the whisper of her name already on my lips.
~ Cleo ~
