I surfaced to find Thorne gazing at me, his sky-blue eyesheavily lidded, chest glowing. The expression on his face almost predatory.
Heat pooled low in my belly, answering the hunger in his gaze. I fought the urge to dunk my head back under to cool my cheeks.
“So.” I cleared my throat. “Who taught you? Was it Alaric?”
“Alaric?” He scoffed. “No. He was always occupied with royal business. My parents, too. It was a servant who taught me.”
Right. Thorne and Alaric were royalty. At times, it was easy to forget when surrounded by so much destruction. This mountain kingdom had been their home.
“What was it like?”
“What’s that?” He canted his head in a dragon-like gesture.
“Pyrrhus in all her glory.”
His half-smile tightened, a flash of pain darkening his eyes, which he quickly masked. “Pyrrhus was a place of wealth and prosperity. With the trogg’s help, we mined beneath the mountain, exporting valuable crystals. Our citizens flourished here.”
“What was your role as prince?”
“My role was a stifling one. Alaric, being firstborn, was groomed from birth to inherit the throne. While I, being second, was expected to serve in whatever capacity the kingdom demanded. Once our sire died, Alaric ruled, and I performed my royal duties, attending meetings, overseeing the mines. It was all terribly boring, frankly.”
“Come now. It couldn’t have been any worse than scrubbing Lady Penelope’s bedpan.”
He hitched a shoulder. “I longed for adventure, not government. Often, I’d shirk my responsibilities to find it.”
I pursed my lips. “Let me guess. Women, drink, and debauchery.”
“Not necessarily in that order.”
I laughed, floating on my stomach now with his help. This I managed with only a bit of coughing and sputtering.
Again, I surfaced to find that sultry gleam in his eyes. The one that sent a jolt of electric straight down my center.
“What did Alaric think of yourexploring?” I asked to cover my reaction.
“He believed I was the bane of his existence. Unlike me, it was far more difficult for him to slip away. Father…” he hesitated, “was strict about Alaric’s training.”
“Ah, sibling rivalry,” I said in a sage voice Yaga would have been proud of. “So, what exactly happened to this kingdom of plenty?”
“The citizens of Pyrrhus had grown too comfortable,” he said, his words rumbling with restrained emotions. “We believed we were untouchable. We were wrong. Wendigos invaded the mountain, destroying our meager defenses before we even realized they were here.”
“You mean, it was The Dark One who attacked you?”
He winced. “Where did you hear that name?”
“From Yaga.”
“That figures.” His dark brow furrowed. “The wendigos used the mining tunnels to breach the castle. In our hunger for wealth, we’d dug the foundation of our demise. Somehow, they’d discovered every pathway, using them to their advantage. They knew things about our kingdom only entrusted to a rare few.”
“I’m so sorry, Thorne.” The same monsters that devastated Nefarr attacked Pyrrhus. No wonder the brothers had been so prickly discussing them.
“I wasn’t even here when it happened. I was carousing in another kingdom when I heard about the attack. By the time I’d returned, the damage was done. Pyrrhus was destroyed and…”
“Alaric was a beast.”
“In my grief, I swore an oath to remain at his side. Swore to see him whole with my final breath. I’ve kept that promise ever since.”
“You made a mistake.”
