“Isla, that wasn’t—”
“Send me back!” she cried, turning from him and drowning in her shame. Why had she done that? How twisted did she have to be tokissthe man who’d taken her family?
“Please, listen—”
She heard him step toward her and she whipped around, holding one hand out while the other rubbed at the back of her neck. “Don’t touch me, don’t tell me your lies, just send me away. I can’t do this.” Her voice broke.
His nostrils flared as his eyes flickered back to bottomless black. He looked furious, but at himself or her, she couldn’t tell. She didn’t care. He gave her one last glance full of broken desperation before turning away.
She blinked, and her world went dark.
When Isla opened her eyes, she was back in the bed with Bri, her fingers closed around the vial of blood and her lips seared with the taste of the king.
“Finally! What the—”
“Hush!” Isla clapped a hand over Bri’s mouth, her eyes darting to Rynn’s form on the ground across the cave.
Bri bit the palm of Isla’s hand, making her jerk away with a hiss.
“Would you care to”—Bri lowered her voice at Isla’s pointed glare—“tell me what just happened? I thought you were dead! I woke up and your head was hanging on your shoulder, white as a sheet. I’ve been shaking you for forever!” Bri finished, her eyes frantic. “And what isthat?” She looked down at the vial of Sebastian’s blood.
Isla’s fingers shook, images of her visit with the king still playing in her mind. She didn’t have the emotional capacity to try and cover her tracks or placate her best friend, so she settled on the truth. The whole, ugly truth. How Sebastian had given her this vial of blood to contact him, and she’d kept it from everyone. How she’d been so worried about her family that she’d used it in the middle of the night to see if the king would take her to them. How the last couple of times she’d seen Sebastian, he’d been softer. That was the only way she could think to describe him. Still arrogant and self-assured, but almost like he was trying to force that aura of cruelty when in reality, he—like her—might be a pawn.
But in whose game? And how could she be sure her theories were right?
Bri almost shot out of bed when Isla told her they’d kissed. “I may have said you needed to get out more, but this wasnotwhat I meant,” she joked.
Isla’s mouth gaped open. “You’re not…mad?”
“Do you want me to be mad?” Bri quirked an eyebrow. “Isla, I don’t know what’s going on in that head of yours, but I trust you, and I trust your instincts. If you think there’s more to the story, and this Sebastian—king, dark god, whatever—may not be what we thought, I won’t argue. And I’m definitely not going to sit here and tell you who you can and can’t be attracted to. If hot, powerful, egotistical mystery men are your thing, then that’s fine with me.”
Isla quietly slapped her friend’s shoulder, shaking her head in half amusement, half disbelief.
Bri chuckled. “I’m kidding, and obviously I’m…well, I’m worried for you. I don’t want you running off and putting yourself in danger, Isla. But I can tell you’re ready to spiral.” Bri grabbed Isla’s hand. “Look, there’ssomethingweird going on with this king. Whether he’s being possessed or controlled or can’t get a grip on his power, we don’t know, but I don’t think we’re seeing the full picture.” She paused. “And…I don’t think you’re seeing the full picture with Rynn, either. I should not be giving relationship advice, but you need to be careful. Withbothof them. Don’t give that heart of gold up too easily, okay?” Bri smiled warmly and squeezed Isla’s hand. “Now, if you want to give anything else up—”
“Gods, Bri, you always have to ruin it,” Isla snorted and buried her face under the blankets to keep Rynn from waking. At the thought of him, she sobered. “Please don’t tell anyone. I can’t…I have to figure things out for myself.”
Bri hesitated and chewed on her lip, then nodded. “Of course, I won’t say anything, but promise me you’ll tell me before you go off and meet with him again. I almost had a heart attack, and I could at least cover for you next time.”
“There won’t bea next time, Bri,” Isla said indignantly. But with a knowing look from her best friend, Isla slumped her shoulders. “Yes, I’ll tell you.”
That satisfied Bri. She smiled and fluffed her pillow, then laid back down next to Isla. “Night, Isla. Love you.”
Isla smiled and closed her eyes. “Love you, too.”
Chapter Forty-Four
Kai
Despitethetensioninthe air and the constant vigilance she was forced to keep in case King Sebastian showed up unannounced, Kai was always at peace on the open waves.
They’d left the mountains of Aataran behind in the early hours of the morning three days ago and traveled swiftly to Vyros, reaching the port town in a single day. The horses stayed behind in the care of a stable hand in the main village. Isla had a rather difficult time saying goodbye to her childhood horse, but if all went well, they would be back for him soon. Their group had joined August at the rocky harbor in Vyros, along with August’s nephew, Damien, and the crew that would be helping them cross the Wyndsor Sea.
Kai was still rather hesitant about putting these innocent humans in harm’s way and had made sure August knew the potential danger they’d be facing. It would hopefully be an easy trip to Iona and back, but now that Sebastian was after the dagger, she didn’t know what to expect. While she didn’t disclose all of the details, shedidtell August that they’d probably be angering some very powerful people for the sake of ending the reign of fear and injustice that had taken over the kingdoms.
“Miss, sometimes the powerful people in this world need to have their boats rocked a bit,” had been his response.
They’d sailed out of Vyros the previous morning with plenty of supplies and cautious optimism. There had been no more incidents with King Sebastian since Jade had injured him in the mountains, and perhaps it was simply the fact that she was encompassed by her element on all sides, but Kai finally felt like the tides were turning.
