Or was he just as naive and ignorant as before?
“Take a walk with me,” he started. “We have a lot to catch up on.”
Understatement of the damn year.
The gardens of Pericius were different from what I remembered. Before, I felt them blooming with life. Beauty awaited me at every turn.
Now, the hair on the back of my neck rose with each step. I was on high alert more than I ever was before.
If Cornelius sensed my new magic, the fight would be over before it even began.
“Things were boring without you,” he continued. “I was starting to feel as though I’d lost my muse.”
I dipped my chin, acting bashful as his shoulder bumped into mine. We walked side by side, slowly circling the perimeter of the grounds, though I was taking in every single guard that we passed. Every exit. Every possible way to escape.
“I assumed you’d be too busy with the rebels to notice my absence.”
He let out a sigh. “The rebels are nothing I cannot handle, I assure you. They simply need help seeing the bigger picture here.”
“And the attack?” I asked. “Things like that seem to happen often? The people surely can’t be happy that you’re taking their magic.”
“I’m not taking anything that isn’t rightfully mine as the leader of this kingdom. They owe me their gifts. The stronger I am, the more I can protect them.”
I forced a smile. “Makes sense.”
He stopped walking and turned to me with his hands still clasped behind his back. “I need to know something, Rummy. I need to know that you’re on my side. I’ve looked for someone like you for a very long time, and now that I’ve found you, I don’t plan on letting you slip through my fingers. Your disappearance scared me more than I’d care to admit.”
“Scared you?” I scoffed. “I’d think we were the ones who were supposed to be afraid, considering those men you sent after us.”
Not a single feature on Cornelius’s too perfect face twitched. Three long seconds passed before he took a breath. “I was waiting for you to mention the dead bodies of royal guards we found. It seems you’re confirming that youdidindeed have something to do with the incident.”
“Incident?”Don’t get pissed off, Rummy. Not now. Not when you’re this close.“They tried tokillus. We acted in self-defense. Nothing more.”
“Still.” The smirk in his eye—the same one that made me want to vomit—was back. “When my scouts informed me of the state of the bodies and of the condition they were each in, I had a feeling.”
The wind whistled faintly.
“A feeling?”
Cornelius’s smirk grew. “A feeling that only you—only the one I’ve been searching for—could have caused that much damage. It was you, wasn’t it? You finally used your gift?”
I should have fucking prepared for this.Of course he was going to ask me about those guards. Of course he would be curious about my magic after seeing that destruction.
“Does that mean you want my magic for yourself?” I cocked my head to the side and stepped even closer—close enough so he could reach out and touch me if he dared. “Does that mean you’ll take mine for thegood of your kingdomtoo?”
“You misunderstand me.” He sounded different all of the sudden, his words chilled me in a way they never had before. “I don’t look at you as someone to simplyuse, Rummy. You’re much more powerful than that. I’m looking for a partner.” Another step toward me. “I’m looking for someone to rule this kingdom with me. Someone who understands me.A mate.”
Well.Shit.
I forced a smile, but surely it looked ridiculous considering the absolute absurdity of his words.
“A mate?” I closed the rest of the distance between us. He didn’t back away as I lifted a hand to his freshly-shaved cheek and ran my fingers down his face. “And you think I’m powerful enough for that?”
“I know you are. And what you did to those guards in the forest only proved as much.”
“Why didn’t you tell me this plan before the ball? You could have told me you’d been siphoning the citizens’ magic aroundhere. It would have explained the rebellion you told us you needed help with.”
“Trust is not blindly given. After my father died, I learned that lesson quickly. You of all people should understand that, especially with your power.”
