He sat back in the chair, eyes appearing tired with grief.
“Queen Eldinar arrived a few hours ago. Riviana conveyed a compromise in the portals between the realms. It grows stronger with every passing day.”
His chest rose slowly with the breath he took. Alarm didn’t break out on his expression like it had with me when I’d first heard the news, but he did look defeated. “Their first plan didn’t work…so this is their second.”
“She and my father are trying to form a strategy.”
He didn’t give me that intense expression like he normally did. The news seemed to chase away all his yearning. “It takes immense energy for them to do that. It’s to the detriment of everyone, even the Covenant. They’re using souls to destroy the barrier, but that means they’re depleting everyone in the underworld. So even if the portal is opened, they’ll be in a weakened state.”
“Well, that’s good news.”
“But the Covenant in a weakened state is still a superior opponent. Did Riviana say how much time we have until the barrier is broken?”
“Weeks, maybe.”
He gave a slight nod. “And the other news?”
I wasn’t sure which one was worse…until now. “When my father told Khazmuda of your involvement in the war, he was really upset. The other dragons are also upset. To the point where…” I didn’t look at his face when I spoke again. “They want to exile you from the kingdom, and they would never accept you as my husband.” I kept my eyes elsewhere because I didn’t have the heart to see his reaction. “They call you…dragon killer.”
Callum was quiet.
When the silence stretched on for minutes, I lifted my gaze and looked at him again.
His eyes were elsewhere, and he wore a look of defeat I’d never seen before. “I understand.”
“I tried talking to Khazmuda, but he refuses to speak to me?—”
“It’s okay,Xivin.”
“He and my father aren’t on good terms either.”
“A father’s love always triumphs over all else. I understand why he’d be able to pardon my crimes to make you happy. But Khazmuda does not share that love, and as an ancient dragon, he sees love and loyalty very differently. He’s right to feel the way he does, and I accept those consequences.” His eyes came back to me. “And I also accept that…I’ll lose you because of it.”
The broken resignation on his face nearly brought me to tears. “I’ll figure it out.”
“It’s okay,Xivin.” Despite the pain he was in, he seemed to care more about my heartbreak than his own. “I understand you’re a blended family of humans and dragons. I understand the bond among all of you is harder than their dragon scales. It’s pure and beautiful, and I would never want to destroy that.”
I’d kept my distance from Callum to process my emotions and figure out a way to forgive him. I wasn’t sure how our circumstances would turn out, but I didn’t think we’d end up in a graveyard. “I’ll talk to Khazmuda?—”
“Lily.”
I felt the tears start to pool in my eyes.
His hand reached for mine on the table. “It’s okay.”
“No.” The tears started to pour from my eyes like a flash flood. “This isn’t what I wanted.”
“It’s not what I wanted either,” he said gently. “I was destined to meet you, but perhaps I wasn’t destined to stay.”
“We can leave together. We can move to the Northern Kingdoms, maybe Riviana Star?—”
“I would never let you forfeit your crown and your family,Xivin. You’re meant to rule the Southern Isles. You’re meant to love your family and be loved in return. It’s the most precious thing in this world.”
“We can make our own family,” I said as the tears continued to fall.
His eyes dropped at my words. “You know how much I want that. But you deserve to have both of your families under the same roof. Talon Rothschild is a good man who deserves to see his grandchildren every day. I would never take his daughter from him. I would never take his grandchildren from him.”
“Then we’ll figure out a way?—”
