“Yes.” The word lands between us with weight, because it really was that simple. I consider his lines about truth and integrity and everything he assumed when I wasn’t present at the alliance negotiations. I’ve been sitting here wondering if I’d survive the humiliation, but I suddenly realize that he’s been worried about something entirely different: that my appearance this morning was part of something nefarious, instead of desperate and innocent.
His eyes are too intense. I have to look away.
“What did you discover?” he says.
“I didn’t know you were...you.” I reach out and tap the worn, scarred leather over his forearm. “You certainly aren’t dressed as a king.”
He catches my hand, lightning quick, and I remember the way he did the same thing in the atrium. Like before, I can feel his strength, but his grip isn’t painful. It’s warm. Soothing.
“I fight alongside my soldiers in battle,” he says. “If I look like a king, I become the primary target.”
I look at his hand on mine, and my heart thrums. Some of it is fear—but some of it isn’t. “The rumors here say that your touch burns,” I say.
He looks right back at me. “It can.”
That’s sobering. I almost pull away.
But he turns my wrist, using his other hand to push back my sleeve a few inches. There, on the pale skin of my forearm, a few dusty blue marks reveal where Dane grabbed me last night.
Maddox Kyronan’s eyes flick back up to mine. “A man doesn’t need magic to cause harm, Princess.”
I swallow.
“Thank you for taking the time to speak with me,” he says.
“We’ve set a course,” I say.
That makes him smile—and there’s nothing cunning about this one. His eyes have lit with surprise, and for an instant, the flicker ofhope his expression is almost boyish. It makes me blush in a way that I feel to my core.
“Forgive me for interrupting your morning,” he says. “I’ll leave you in peace.” He lets go to stand.
But this is the most peace I’ve felt since I woke up, and I want to beg him to stay.
As he straps his weapons into place, he says, “I’ll have Sev—Captain Zale—bring you the contracts so you can review them before our meeting. If you wish to have any terms struck, send word by midday.”
I stare at him, because this is said with such cool practicality that I almost can’t comprehend it. “You will?”
“Yes. Strike the entire section about your...ah,prescribed services, if you wish.” He threads the sword belt through the buckle. “Ididn’t add those passages. I’m not going to bind anyone to my bed with acontract.” His gaze darkens. “Your brother said it was all you were willing to offer. I thought it might be an affront to reject it.”
Of course Dane allowed him to think I was involved with the negotiations from afar.
I stand up to face him. “What if I want to strike the whole thing?”
The king’s hand goes still on a strap of leather, and he looks at me. “Then we’ll strike the whole thing, and we’ll begin anew.” He finishes with that buckle and steps close again. “My people are in need. I want to help them.”
He means that. He truly means it.
“We’re in need, too,” I say.
He nods. “I know. We can help each other.”
The air shifts between us, and for the first time in my life, I feel likeIhave a shred of power, instead of everyone in my life keeping it out of reach. I feel capable instead of forgotten. I thought this alliance would mean yielding to this man, but instead, it seems to mean taking control of something. Somethinggood, somethingmeaningful.
But I can’t get ahead of myself. My father is dying. The alliance might well be a farce. Maddox Kyronan wants the best for his people—but I’m not sure Astranza can offer it for very long.
So I take hold of my skirts and offer him a curtsy. “Thank you, Your Majesty.”
He reaches out to take my hand, and despite the rough edges and common armor, he proves he’s still a king. He offers me a perfect courtly bow, and when he straightens, he doesn’t let go of my hand.
