“Just like that?” I ask as I stare at him.
He shrugs before leaning forward. “The blood oath makes it so that I can’t be the one to make the killing blow. But I want to be there as the light fades in his eyes. I want my face to be the last thing he sees before he goes wherever people like him go when they die.”
I pinch my lips together but say nothing, drawing Xander’s curiosity.
With the small revision now sorted, they move on to how they will handle the sirens if they interfere.
“We’ll have clay in our ears,” Xander says to the table. “All the men will. Which means communicating with each other once everything is in motion is going to be difficult. Stick to your jobs. Do not deviate unless King Dolian is able to break out of Remi’s holdora Trusted gets past the Spell and to the king. It’s not worth the risk to your life then, so abandon the beach and run like hell to the trees.” He points to a small circle of green fabric on the table. “Here, you can travel to the castle undetected and get to a tunnel entrance. Don’t linger. Don’t hesitate. We get Rhea outfirstand foremost. Whether it’s after the king takes the ring off of her or instead of.”
While there is still a measure of distrust in the air, everyone surrounding the table acknowledges Xander with a look or gesture of agreement. I wish I could say that their confidence bolsters my own hope, but instead, all I feel is the phantom ache of the brand. The caress of hands I never wanted along my body. A press of lips and an invasion of more against my mouth. It all lingers over me, and when I try to sink deeper into myself to shy away from it, those things only feel harsher. More painful. Morereal.
“Any questions?”
Silence passes for a few beats, and then I ask, “Who will take over the Mortal Kingdom?”
Xander shifts back in his chair, his gaze on the table for a few short moments before he quietly answers, “I will.” He says it like it’s an admission he isn’t quite sure he wants known. But another glance around the table informs me that everyone not onlyknowsbut seems to approve. There isn’t ahintof reservation at the thought of Xander ruling over them.
Which means Xander’s own hesitation is because of me. I wait until the meeting adjourns—last minute details solidified —and we’re once more in the tunnels to say, “It explains a lot.”
Xander walks ahead of me, the small torch he holds lighting the way for us. “What does?”
“Why you were so cruel to me in the tower.” His shoulders tense but he doesn’t stop. Doesn’t look over his shoulder at me. “You wanted to be king.”
“It was more than that. You posed a very real threat toeverything. Especially when I realized just how much the king had lied about you.” He laughs mirthlessly. “Inevertrusted him aboutanything, yet I didn’t question that you were there against your will until the first time I saw him beat you.”
I press a hand against the cold stone to steady myself.
“When you captured me as I was attempting to leave the tower, was your plan to tell the king what I had done?”
“No,” he answers quickly. “When I caught you, I meant what I said. I was surprised that you had attempted to escape, but I was stuck. I couldn’t get you out of the tower without invoking the blood oath. I needed time to think and to handleFlynn.” His name is said with a hint of something spiteful. “But when I descended the stairs of the tower, he was there and attacked me.” The torch light flickers, and we turn a final corner that leads to my rooms.
“He wanted to kill you,” I confess. Maybe because I want to, or maybe because I need Xander to know that atanypoint, Nox could have killed him. With his fists or with his magic. And maybe Xander knows that because he sighs and runs a hand through his hair.
“Yeah, he was rightfully pissed, and I deserved to be stuck at the base of the tower for as long as I was. I deserved a lot more than that, if we’re both being honest.”
“Maybe,” I respond as we reach the end of the tunnel, Xander leaning his ear against the door panel as he listens for any movement inside of my room. He reaches behind him for a dagger, pulling it free before opening the door. Cold air from mybedroom rushes at us, but nothing follows. The space is empty, so I wait for Xander to extinguish the torch and step through, turning to extend a hand to me. “So, king, huh?”
Xander walks across the room to a covered flame gem. I sit on the edge of the bed as golden light floods over me, and he turns to face me. “Yeah.” His eyes search mine as he exhales roughly. “I know that it probably seems like I hid that tidbit from you—”
“It’s fine.”
“And like I’m claiming something that isn’t mine—”
“You aren’t.”
“But—” He pauses and drags a hand over his face. “Rhea, I don’t know what to say in this situation.”
I drop my gaze to my lap, my thumb brushing over the pearl on my ring. “You don’t have to explain anything. While I was locked in that tower, you were putting in the work to build something better. You saw the king treat his people poorly and found a solution.”
“One that might lead us into a revolution, that might cause more anguish before it brings peace. And it doesn’t even begin to address the Cruel Death and its ramifications. And, yes, I know you can heal people from that too, but I promise you right now, I will never ask you to do that.”
It had been weeks—a month?—since King Dolian tested that theory. Of course, healing the sick would have been a worthy use of my magic. But I understand what Xander is trying to say, he wouldn’t be another person to exploit it.
“What if this isn’t the right thing to do?” Xander asks into the silence I’ve let linger. Beneath the light of the flame gem, he looks younger. More unsure than I’ve ever seen him.
“It is,” I answer, forcing my mouth to remember what the shape of a smile feels like as I offer him one. “And you are the right person. You know the people of Vitour—more intimatelythan the king. Than me or anyone else. And your claim to the throne is legitimate.” At his snort, I amend, “Mostlylegitimate.”
He brings both hands to his hips as he levels me with a serious gaze. “So is yours.”
