Maeren’s face tightened. Something like apology flickered through her features before she smothered it, her voice steadying into cold iron. “I’m not saying you can’t control yourself,” she said, no trace of mockery left. “But if the court hears, they’ll use her. And you may be hiding her now, but I can already see it—you won’t be able to stifle what you’d unleash if harm found her.”
His teeth ground together. “I won’t let that happen. I’m focused on two things only: Dravaryn and my Claiming Rite.”
The words tasted like ash. Since when did he lie to Maeren?
Maeren shook her head like she didn’t believe him and sheathed her sword, eyes locking on him. “My brother thoughthe could outrun the Claiming. He hid his fear and his questions. It killed him. I push you because I will not bury another fool I love.”
For once he had no retort ready.
He held her eyes, her loyalty grating against his secrets. “I hear you. I’m sorry, Maeren.”
She nodded once.
Maeren was right. He should’ve been preparing for the Rite, yet he was distracted. He knew his reputation; people usually screamed and ran from him, though he rarely let it get that far. Ella didn’t run from him—not really. She bit back at him.
Fuck. The best kind of distraction.
“Jake, listen to me. You will regain your focus,” Maeren said.
He sheathed his blade. “I have it.”
“You do not,” she said, not unkindly. “But you will, or this kingdom will fall.”
He walked to the bundle Maeren had tossed to him earlier and lifted it. The shard’s hum rose at his touch.
“Anything else from the north copse?” he asked.
She shook her head.
Jakobav tied the cloth shut. “Keep the perimeter tight. I want Thane and Soren on the north watch again. Rotate the younger pairs through the inner gates. No one rides alone.”
Maeren nodded. “And the girl.”
He looked at the wall instead of her face. “I will handle Ella.”
Maeren’s mouth tilted, not quite a smile. “Try handling yourself first.” She lifted her blade again. “And Jake, if she has you this rattled, she must be something fierce. I would like to meet her. Why should Bryn get to have all the fun?”
Feeling guilty for lying to her, he agreed to let her meet Ella soon, dismissing her from training. Maeren returned to the Guards’ quarters, and he stayed alone in the training ring, staring down at the broken ice. His reflection gathered itself inthe shattered pieces, the face of a man the court would soon either worship or fear. And if he failed the Claiming, they would abandon him just as quickly.
That was if he made it to his ceremony. The Veil had been twitching faster, and more breaches were opening by the day, and Ella’s arrival had landed too neatly in the center of it all to be a harmless coincidence.
If she’d come to his kingdom as ruin, he would see it first and make the choice the realm required. Better to bleed her secrets until nothing remained than let her carve weakness into him or his people.
Ella carried secrets like hidden knives. If she aimed them at his throat, she would learn that lust and desire cut as clean as any blade, and with her, he would be oh so fucking willing to wield his sword.
14
ECHOES OF THE PAST
She waited until the castle quieted, until footsteps faded and torches dimmed. Tonight, she would finally begin her search.
Ella slipped silently through the corridor, guided by instinct, a tug beneath her ribs. Somewhere in these ancient halls, the answer lay buried: the artifact promised by the prophecy, strong enough to tear the Veil between worlds. And maybe something that could explain the unfamiliar power stirring inside her, just beyond her grasp.
She’d finally met one of Jakobav’s attendants earlier that day. The woman seemed a decade older—beautiful, patient, and carrying the kind of brazen confidence Ella found immediately endearing. Ella had peppered her with questions. Who had changed her clothes while she was unconscious? And was she allowed to make wardrobe requests?
Kalenya, as the attendant introduced herself, arched a brow at Ella’s relentless chatter. “What would you prefer, then? High-heeled battle boots to match your demands?”
Ella snapped back without hesitation. “I’ve never liked shoes of any sort. I fight best barefoot. But if I must wear something, regular boots will do.”
