“I know, your tossing and turning keeps me up.”
I bump his shoulder with mine. “It must be nice to know that you don’t devise plans that fail.”
His jaw clenches and his entire body rocks a little. “I’m just bad at predicting the aftermath.”
“That’s an easy fix. You just need to let everyone in on the full plan. You’re not planning on becoming an Allaji prince to save Ulric, are you?”
“Inheriting one fucked up kingdom is enough for me.”
I rest my head on his shoulder, taking in the sky’s hues of pink, orange, and purple as the sun lowers behind the trees that border Basecamp. “It won’t always be like that.”
His lips pull into a lopsided smile. “Are you saying you want to merge your kingdom with my kingdom and rule together?”
“Isn’t that what both of our predecessors want?”
“I don’t know about the ruling together part. But to hell with what they say, I can’t do it without you. I don’t want to.”
My chest tightens…acheswith a battle between desire and loyalty. I’m torn by the things I’m called to do as future sovereign and the all-consuming need to give into what my heart wants. It’s the difference between nights in a cold, lonely bed and a lifetime running full speed in the light of day. I have the choice to be a prisoner to the past sins of our kingdoms or live outside of their bounds and create a new life for thousands of people.
I lift my head and look at Kyron. “Are you asking me to co-rule with you?”
“You can rule it all as long as I can be by your side.”
“I’m promised to marry another,” I point out with lifted brows.
He licks his lips and shakes his head. “Your betrothal promise is flimsy at best. It’s surpassed by the parah bond. I don’t understand why you won’t let him go.”
“I’m obligated to stand by my word to Leif,” I say. It’s a sad attempt to sound secure in my future, but I’m far from it.
“You know what I think Leif wants more than you keeping your promise to wed? The chance to be with the man he is madly in love with.”He hooks his finger under my chin and lifts it until he can look into my eyes. “Let him go and use our bond to claim your freedom.”
“Our bond gives me freedom? Those are contradicting words.”
He slides his palm over my cheek and combs his fingers into the hair at the nape of my neck. “I’m offering you the freedom to discover the things that bring you happiness, and know that no matter what you choose, I will always be yours. The fear of loss doesn’t exist between you and me, Raelle.”
The parah bond always seemed so outside of my control. Some days, it felt more like a curse than a blessing. Not once have I thought of it as liberating, but Kyron doesn’t want to be an anchor holding me in place. He’s offering me a slice of freedom within the confines of my duty to Lucent. But I don’t want to take that journey alone.
I grab the front of his leather jacket and pull him closer. “You. I choose you.” I brush my lips over his. “I chose you the night you showed me the lights by the stream.” I kiss his bottom lip. “I chose you even after Borin told me to stay away from you.” My tongue runs along the seam of his mouth. “I chose you when you led me and our army into Stigian.”
“Raelle?”
“Shh. You chose the difficult path, but it was your journey, and you came back to me. The rest of your adventures, and mine, I want to be with you. Always with you, Kyron.”
He presses his lips hard to mine.
I hold him tight, grounding myself with his touch. This is my parah, the person designed to complement me in every way. He rejoices in my accomplishments and encourages me to overcome my weaknesses, and I will do the same for him. And when the day comes, we will stitch our kingdoms together and rule Pliris as one.
“Your Graces. Your Graces!”
We pull apart with annoyed grunts and look at the frantic young soldier below us. His blond curls bounce with his steps, and he fidgets with the front of his coat. “You must—please hurry, they—the other officers need you in the strategy room.”
“Calm down, Liam, and tell us what’s going on,” Kyron says, lowering to the top rung of the rope ladder. He guides me down in front of him, his arms on either side of me create a safe cage. Together we work our way to the ground.
“A palace guard just arrived. Lucent—thecity—is under attack.”
We stop short of the bottom and meet each other’s shocked gazes. Our worst nightmare has come to fruition too soon. The king’s home is under attack, and we’re officially at war.
Eighteen
