She shook her head. “No, I will never allow it to be. I was set against it when I thought you despised me. Now that I have your love again, I won’t give it up. I promise you, Lare, I will do everything in my power to end it. To be with you instead. And that’s only if he returns—”
She knew at once she’d said the wrong thing. All remaining desire drained from Larylis’ face as he took another step away from her.
“That’s not what I meant,” she said.
“It is, though, isn’t it?” His voice was cold now. Empty. “That’s why you sent him on some ridiculous quest for the Heart’s Hunt, right?”
A spike of anger surged through her. “You can’t blame me for not wanting to marry him.”
He studied her for a few moments. “You’ve said that before. The evening of the poetry contest. I thought then…I thought it had been because of the scandal. Because of Menah’s debt. All this time…you’ve been cruel tohimbecause ofme.”
“I never chose to marry him. Our parents arranged it. But it’s you I want to be with. I’m tired of letting them keep us apart. I was able to bear it these last three years only because I thought you didn’t love me.” She closed the distance between them, reaching for him. “Now that I know the truth, I can’t—”
“No,” he said, stepping out of her reach. “I…I’m not like my mother. I will not do what she tried to do.”
Mareleau balled her hands into fists. “You stubborn fool! This is nothing like what happened with your mother and father, because Teryn and I aren’t married yet. I’ll be damned before we ever are. Besides, doesn’t it matter what I want? Why has no one asked whatIwant?”
He looked at her as if seeing her with new eyes. “What do you want?”
The answer was easy. “I want the crown in my own right. I want out of an arranged marriage. And I want you. Larylis, with everything I am, I want you.” She placed her hands on his chest again. “Tell me you don’t want me too.” His heart hammered beneath her palm. She could see his answer written in the depths of his eyes as they flickered to her mouth.
“I can’t,” he whispered, his words gravelly. “I can’t say I don’t want you. So badly I do.”
Mareleau unraveled with relief. Heat spread low in her belly at the timbre of his voice. She tilted her head back, desperate to taste his lips once more.
“But I can’t be with you. I…won’t do that to him.”
Her heart plummeted to her feet as he moved away from her once more. Without another word, he grabbed his discarded jacket and neckcloth off the floor and left.
She wasn’t sure which door he’d used.
Wasn’t sure she’d even watched him depart.
All she knew was she’d give anything to erase the last several minutes they’d shared—that instead of opening her heart, she’d stayed quiet. Angry. Resentful. Any of that would be better than the pain of his rejection renewed.
47
Cora eyed Centerpointe Rock from her vantage point on the hillside. Dawn had just broken over the horizon, illuminating the valley that surrounded the rock and casting a crown of gold upon the hills that stood sentinel around it. The rock itself was an enormous piece of weathered stone with a flat surface. It looked nothing like an ancient ruin from a forgotten war, nothing like a remnant of a fae palace. Now that she knew what it was, she couldn’t help wondering what part of the palace the ruin stood in memory of. Was it once the floor of a throne room? A library? Some ancient fae queen’s bedroom?
Her gaze wandered to the surrounding valley. The ground was green and plush, covered in a light morning frost. On one side sat her brother’s camp, a sea of tents beneath standards of indigo and violet—indigo for the duke and violet for the king. The king’s entourage had been camped there for three days—as long as Cora and her company of Forest People had been stalking the hillside—while the delegation from Selay and Menah had been camped at the opposite end of the valley since two days prior. Today was the day the meeting would commence.
She wrapped her wool cloak tight around her, chilled at the thought of what was to come. The Forest People had a plan that would end in the duke’s death, but it didn’t stop her from agonizing over every way it could go wrong. Cora had come to Centerpointe Rock with a small group of some of the strongest magic users among the Forest People. Roije for his tracking. Druchan for his proficiency at wards and concealing. Their elder seer. Two witches with incredible clairaudience who could listen for threats at a distance. A host of their best archers and spearmen. Several other highly accomplished Faeryn. The latter included Salinda and Nalia, despite neither having an Art honed for fighting or hiding. Cora felt a bit overshadowed by her companions’ statuses, but there had never been any doubt as to whether she’d come along. This was her plan, after all. Mostly.
Cora may not have had firsthand experience with war, but her childhood education in history and warfare had been thorough. She understood what to expect from the proceedings. The meeting would begin with Khero delivering their demands and terms for the two kingdoms’ surrender. If Menah and Selay didn’t surrender right away, they’d be given a short time to deliberate. A second meeting could be set, at which the royals would need to deliver their final answer. If they surrendered, they’d get Teryn back. If they refused, they’d settle on terms for war.
A dark cloud of dread filled her gut. She knew Morkai had every intention of harnessing the magic and becoming Morkaius before leaving the meeting, regardless of what the royals decided. The fact that the negotiations were taking place at Centerpointe Rock—the very source of fae magic—was proof of that. If the two kingdoms surrendered, Dimetreus would be named King of Lela. Until Morkai killed him and took his place, of course. As terrifying as that thought was, it was the outcome she both expected and hoped for. Not the part where her brother was killed but where the royals surrendered. Because—as soon as Teryn was safely returned to his people—the Forest People would act. Morkai wouldn’t get the chance to kill Dimetreus or harness the magic he sought.
But if the royals refused to surrender, it would mean—
Cora shook her head against the thoughts that filled it. Thoughts of Teryn. His fate. What Morkai would do if Menah and Selay rejected his terms. What Teryn had asked of her before she’d fled the dungeon.
Tell my father everything you know. Everything we’ve seen. Tell him to let me go.
A pinch of guilt prodded at her heart. She knew she was working against his wishes, but her plan was better. Her plan would save Teryn’s life and the fate of Lela. It didn’t assuage her guilt, but she supposed it was better than what lingered beneath it—the memory of their shared kiss, of his trickery, of the way her body had so eagerly responded to his.
She bit the inside of her cheek to distract herself from the tingling warmth in her stomach and brought her mind back to thoughts of war.
Her gaze swept toward her brother’s end of the valley. His party was moderate in size—about the same as the combined entourages from Menah and Selay—which boded well, for it meant Morkai might not be planning to strike immediately should negotiations turn to war. Roije and the other scouts had confirmed that no hidden armies were waiting beyond the hills, no secret reinforcements were poised to invade. Then again, the duke could summon wraiths to bolster his numbers. While she’d seen the specters contained only to the charred field, she had a feeling Morkai could conjure them elsewhere.
