"I can't," she whispered.
His hand tightened on her waist, not releasing her. "Briar—"
"Please. Don't." She pressed against his chest, needing distance, and air, to think past the pull of the warmth that wanted to ignore everything else.
"I came for you." His voice was low.
"I know." She pushed harder, and this time he let her create space between them, though his hands remained on her. "I know you did, and I'm grateful, but—"
"But?" Something sharp entered his tone.
"But none of this would have happened if you hadn't cast me out like a spoiled child throwing a tantrum." The words burst out before she could stop them. "You sentenced me to death, Eliam. You're the reason Malachar had the opportunity to take me in the first place!"
His hands dropped from her waist. "I protected you. I sent Thaine—"
"You protected me?" She laughed, the sound bitter and raw. "You threw me to your court like meat to dogs and act like sending your huntsman to watch makes it better? That's not protection, that's—" She searched for the word. "That's you trying to have it both ways. Punish me but keep your conscience clean."
"You freed Malus." His voice had gone cold, that familiar mask sliding into place. "You went behind my back and released the one being who could destroy everything. Did you expect me to simply overlook that?"
"Yes! No. I—I expected you to listen!" Her voice rose. "I expected you to ask me what happened instead of immediately assuming the worst. I thought you—" She stopped, swallowing hard. "I thought I mattered enough for at least a conversation before you sentenced me to die."
"You betrayed me." The words were flat, final.
"I thought he was human!" She was shouting now, not caring if Thaine and Karse could hear. "I thought he was an innocent prisoner, someone like me who was trapped and suffering. When I learned the truth, I couldn't even tell you. I tried everything to break the compulsion. I—"
"You should have been more careful."
"And you should have been less cruel!" She shoved at his chest with both hands, and this time he didn't just let her. This time he grabbed her wrists. "I made a mistake. One mistake. And your reaction was to let your entire court hunt me for sport. How is that justice? How is that anything but you lashing out because your pride was wounded?"
"My pride?" His grip tightened on her wrists, his voice dropping to something dangerous. "You freed the one person capable of taking my throne, destroying my court, killing everyone under my protection. This wasn't about pride. This was about consequences."
"Consequences?" She wrenched one hand free. "The consequence for helping someone who usedmeshould be death? That's not a consequence, Eliam. That's revenge."
"What would you have me do?" He released her other wrist, water sloshing as he gestured sharply. "Smile and pat your head? Tell you it was fine that you handed my worst enemy his freedom? There had to be punishment—"
"Yes, but not that!" Her voice cracked. "You could have imprisoned me. You could have turned me into a tree. You could have done a thousand things that weren't sending me out to be torn apart by your court."
Silence fell between them, both breathing hard.
"You're right." The words came out quiet, almost lost beneath the gentle lap of water.
She blinked. "What?"
"You're right." He wouldn't look at her. "The punishment was... disproportionate. I was angry, and I reacted without—" He stopped, exhaling sharply through his nose. "I should have listened and given you a chance to explain before I passed judgement."
The admission was unexpected and Briar felt her anger waver, confusion rushing in to fill the space.
"Then why?" she asked, the fight draining from her voice. "Why did you do it?"
He was quiet for a long moment, his hands curling into fists beneath the water. When he finally spoke, the words came slowly, like each one had to be dragged from somewhere deep.
"Because you terrified me."
She stared at him. "I... what?"
"You." He finally met her eyes, and there was something raw in his expression. "What you make me feel. What you make me want. I've ruled for centuries, Briar. I've made alliances, waged wars, outlasted enemies who had centuries more experience than you have years of life. And none of them, not one, has ever made me as vulnerable as you do without even trying."
"I don't understand."
