My pulse thundered in my ears.
He crossed to the door and opened it, pausing with his hand on the frame. Then he left, closing it with a soft click.
61
A DEAL IS A DEAL
I hammered at the door.
The wood shuddered but held. I pounded until my fists ached and my voice cracked from screaming. The guards didn’t answer, not even to order me to stop.
I backed away, chest heaving. The chair. I grabbed it and swung it into the desk. Glass shattered. Ink splattered the carpet. I swept my arm across his worktable, sending journals and instruments crashing to the floor.
I stood in the wreckage, my hands shaking. He could come back any second. I needed a weapon. A plan. Something. The fireplace poker. I lunged for it?—
Footsteps outside the door.
The lock clicked. Vaeris stepped inside.
He glanced at the overturned furniture, the broken glass, the ink bleeding into his carpet, and closed the door behind him.
No.
He should’ve pinned me to the wall and snarled about the mess. Instead he looked…resigned, and it made me bite my lip until it throbbed.
He raked a hand through his hair. “You asked me what I planned to do with you.”
I took a step back.Kairos.
“You’ll stay here,” Vaeris said firmly. “You’ll help me manage the dragons…the political fallout. I need a Speaker to interpret their speech.”
My stomach hollowed out. “No.”
“I can’t keep another king’s mate.” His voice was as hollow as his gaze. “And I can’t let you go. Hence my dilemma.”
Ice slid down my spine.
Kairos, please.
Vaeris let out a tense breath. “As long as you’re bonded to him, you are a liability.”
My blood chilled. “What?”
“You don’t intend to betray anyone. I know that.” His mouth twisted. “But the bond doesn’t care what you mean to do.”
I shook my head. “I just want?—”
“He feels everything inside you. Your fear. Your pain. Your relief. He knows where you are. When you’re close to something important. When you’re afraid.”
I didn’t answer.
“And it works both ways,” he continued. “Which means anything you learn here, you’ll carry straight to him.” His gaze sharpened. “You’re a door he can walk through whenever he likes.”
“That’s not fair! I didn’t choose this.”
“I can’t give you back to him.” He began to pace. “You broke a seal that held gods. You speak to dragons. Your sister can amplify runes. Together, the two of you are a force no realm can afford to ignore.”
I licked my dry lips. “We don’t?—”
