Rhone watched him intently, his expression severe. “I know it’s easier to think monsters don’t exist. That they’re nothing but fables. But I assure you, these monsters are very real.”
Carver’s fingers curled around the cold metal of the door’s handle. “Trust me,” he said, meeting the knight’s gaze. “I’m well aware monsters are real.”
Chapter 19
Amryn
Amryn’seyespeeledopen.Darkness shadowed the room, a quiet stillness in the air marking the middle of the night. Soft beams of pale moonlight filtered through the latticed windows, illuminating the emptiness of the bed beside her.
She bit her lip, her eyes drawn to the partially open balcony doors. She couldn’t see Carver on the terrace, but she knew he was there. The frenetic restlessness that rattled through him, keeping him awake, had pulled her from sleep.
Her body whispered against the sheets as she slid from the bed, her bare feet brushing the cool stone floor. She lifted the lightweight robe lying on the chest at the end of the bed and shrugged into it as she padded softly toward the fresh night air.
Carver stood with his hands planted on the stone railing, his scarred back to her. The marks appeared starker after what Jayveh had shared with her that morning. Amryn’s heart ached, and she wished she had the ability to take away the pain he’d suffered. Unfortunately, her gift of healing didn’t work that way.
Carver’s head was bowed, but it lifted as she approached. “I’m sorry,” he said softly. “I was trying not to wake you.”
She huffed a weak laugh. “It’s a miracle I fell asleep at all, considering everything that happened today.” She’d endured an interview with a knight. And even though it had been terrifying, the bloodstone’s protection had remained in place the entire time. The whole experience had certainly made her interview with General Morelliand General Keats feel less intimidating. Even dinner with Cregon and Elowen hadn’t felt as nerve-wracking as it might have otherwise.
Carver’s eyes clouded. “You were right. We should have left the moment we heard the knights were on their way.”
“No,youwere right. If we’d left, we would have drawn suspicion. One of the knights would have followed us to Westmont.”
His grip on the stone railing tightened, tendons flexing under bronzed skin. “I promised I’d protect you from them.”
“I’m safe,” she reminded him.
His dark brows drew together. “Because of the bloodstone.”
The moment they’d both finished their interviews with the knights and were safely back in their room, Amryn had explained how the bloodstone had helped shield her. While she could sense Carver’s overall relief that she’d been protected, he hadn’t lost his suspicion of the bloodstone. Truthfully, she hadn’t either. Even though it had protected her, Felinus’s warnings remained at the forefront of her mind, as did the chilling memory of what it had felt like to use the bloodstone in Esperance. But she didn’t have a choice. There was no way the emperor would let them leave until after the ball, and Rhone Quinn was here to stay. Like it or not, she needed the bloodstone.
Carver hadn’t been thrilled, but after a short debate, they’d reached the same conclusion: until they left the capital, she needed to keep the bloodstone close.
“I hate that you have to rely on that thing,” Carver muttered, clearly following her thoughts.
“I hate it, too,” she admitted. The bloodstone frightened her, but if carrying it kept her alive . . . “It won’t be for long,” she said, trying to soothe him—and perhaps herself. “I’ll be careful with it,” she added. She cracked a weak smile. “I’ll tell you if I start hearing voices in my head.”
The feeble joke only served to darken Carver’s mood. “Promise me you won’t draw power from it. Use it to shield yourself, but don’t use it to heal anyone.”
A desperate fear writhed inside him, making it easy for her to say, “I promise.”
Some of the tension in his shoulders eased, but his exhaustion was painfully evident.
Amryn winced. “How long have you been out here?”
“Not long.”
She didn’t know if she believed him. Insomnia wasn’t something new for Carver. He’d struggled with it in Esperance as well. After everything Jayveh had told her, Amryn had a greater understanding of why.
Carver’s emotions were a turbulent storm, barely banked. They ebbed and flowed, moving so quickly she couldn’t always interpret them. But she knew his demons were plaguing him tonight. That the helplessness and vulnerability he felt weren’t exclusively about the bloodstone and the knights. There was an underlying sense of isolation, as if Carver were an island, surrounded by nothing but violent, churning waves.
She hated that he felt alone. Wished he would confide in her, so they could battle his demons together. But she knew that was a choice he had to make.
“You don’t have to stay,” he murmured into the silence.
Her eyes found his in the darkness. She could still feel the whisper of his touch as he’d traced the wordbreatheagainst her skin. Reassuring her amid her fear that she wasn’t alone. That he was with her.
“I want to stay,” she whispered.
