“Cian.” I brushed a fingertip against one of the inked vines below her sleeve. “He will never torment you again.”
“Gods.” Skadi covered her mouth, then shoved against my chest. “Why! Why did you do that, you bleeding fool?”
“Why!” My voice climbed. “Because he came for you again, Skadi. He tried to tear us apart, because he put his damn hands on you. That is why. You are angry he’s dead? You feel pity for him?”
“Stop it.” She practically hissed at me. “I am not angry he’s dead, I’m furiousyoukilled him. You . . . you broke the alliance and they will . . . they will try to take you from me.” Skadi’s words came in broken gasps. She was panicking.
Filthy, still overheated from slaughtering a man, I wrapped her up in my arms. “It would take the army of the gods to take me from you. Even then, I would find a way back to you.”
Skadi’s brow pressed to my chest, her shoulders shuddered. “Why must you be such a nightmare?”
“Would you have me otherwise?”
She shook her head. “Be gentle and kind and nightmarish. I want every piece.” Skadi lifted her chin. “But they will come for me now.”
“They will never know.” I stroked a thumb over her lips. “Cian disappeared. Unfortunate, but seas are unpredictable. Perhaps he should have kept his ass out of our kingdom.”
Skadi almost smiled. “They will suspect?—”
“Then let all of Natthaven suspect.” I kissed her, it was hard and sloppy, but unmanaged anger from the night and delirium from no sleep was taking hold. “You deserve a better man than me, but I will not apologize for defending my wife. What he did in the past was enough to kill him at least twice over. But by sabotaging this vow last night, he played his final hand. I wish I could say, for your sake, bloodlust was tamed, but Arion will earn the same fate when the moment is right.”
Skadi studied me, eyes dancing between mine. She was frightened. I could taste it when she kissed me sweetly, when she helped rid me ofmy bloody clothes, when she gathered them to be destroyed while I scrubbed away the blood.
I sensed her fear when she stroked her fingers through my hair until I drifted toward sleep.
Fear was there, but also the beautiful viciousness of my bride when she whispered as I fell asleep. “You are mine, Nightmare. I will devour worlds to the Nothing if they take me from you.”
“Niklas has been studying the powder,” Daj said, face hard as steel. He slumped in his official throne, drumming his fingers against the arm, looking entirely murderous. “It was not fatal, but strong enough you could’ve slept for two bleeding days, and it was not made here.”
Skadi sat beside me, fiddling with some of the silver rings around her fingers.
“Elven made?” I pressed.
Maj offered a small shrug. “It’s what they suspect. Some of the herbs seemed derived from foliage on Natthaven.”
Well, shit.
Skadi gave me a shadowed look. Two nights since I’d slaughtered Cian, but the fear remained.
“Do I want to know where you boys went the other night?” my father asked.
“Better if you don’t.”
The king arched a brow, but nodded. He knew. There was no way he didn’t. Few things escaped the notice of the king and queen in their kingdom.
“Alek, Mira. I do not think it is best for you to be in Klockglas right now.” My father turned to me. “In fact, perhaps you ought to take your wife to the Southern realms or Night Folk lands for a time.”
It wasn’t a terrible idea. I took hold of Skadi’s hand. She startled, no mistake still trapped in the fear of the unknown. “Would you want to go to Mira’s kingdom until more time passes? Get away from the worries?”
“We need to return to Natthaven soon enough,” she whispered. “What is the point in hiding if we must return to keep the alliance?”
I lowered my voice. “We are not held to any alliance, Fire. They broke it as far as I’m concerned.”
“You’ll enjoy my kingdom, Skadi.” Mira said brightly. “We have the most curious fae, if you ask me. The sort from the folk tales with their tricks and glamour magic.”
“After what happened last time, we should demand Eldirard bring the fading isle to our shores,” Sander snapped. “If he refuses, then we refuse to send Jonas and Skadi. That, or they go with half the Rave Army.”
“Both formidable options,” I said, trying to keep the tone light.
