But also wishing it would end because I wanted more.
He tipped his own head down, meeting my forehead with his. “You are a plum blossom,” he breathed. “Beautiful. Precious. Powerful. Bold. Fragile. No matter what happens with me, do not forget this. You deserve freedom too.” My heart exploded at his words, crashing against the magic that contained it. Who could resist such tender affection from someone as powerful as Andar?
He kissed my forehead again, carefully wrapping my head in his hands. He tucked another lock of hair behind my shoulder, and then he silently walked out of the room, ending the fountain of attention as abruptly as it had erupted.
I flopped backward onto my bed, reeling with thoughts and—
And feelings.
My heart pounded and emotions seeped through thin spots in the walls surrounding it, teasing at my thoughts and tempting my hopes. What if he actually cared about me? The possibility thrilled and scared me at the same time.
What if he wanted to stay with me, even after I killed the humans?
What would it be like to be so wanted?
I touched my forehead with my finger. I knew there was no mark, but I felt branded by hope—a feeling I shouldn’t have been able to experience seared into my flesh.
What had he meant by it?
My mind was still spiraling in a dozen new directions when a shadow stepped away from the wall nearest my bed.
Not a shadow.
Another fae. Tall, dark hair, dark clothes that highlighted a lethal grace, and an earring that reflected a hint of moonlight.
I summoned magic to freeze him, but he deflected it with no effort. I opened my mouth to scream, but he spoke first.
“I’ve already blocked all sounds from leaving this room. The fae you travel with will hear nothing.”
I folded my arms, sitting up in bed. It had been a long time since I’d had an assassin sneak into my room, and this one was unusually chatty. “Perhaps the lack of noise will alert him to a problem.”
The intruder shrugged. “Then he will have to deal with the protective wards I’ve set around us before we are interrupted.”
I tried to get a better view of him, but the night was too dark. “Most assassins prefer the element of surprise. Why tell me all this?”
“I am not your enemy.” He didn’t say he was not here to assassinate me. He might not consider me his enemy, but I was not safe.
“What are you here for?” I used a direct question so he could not skirt around it with an indirect answer as easily.
“I am here to decide if you are a threat.”
“A threat to what?”
He stepped closer, not threatening as much as ramping up the intensity. “A threat to Kalshana.”
Now I rolled my eyes. This was the most pathetic assassination attempt I’d experienced. “I am Kalshana’s queen. That is the opposite of a threat.”
His voice was cold and forceful. “Your last reign was marked by cruelty and detachment. Your disappearance left chaos and fear. I am Prince Bylur, and I am working to solve all of those problems. I believe our kingdom will be better off if you do not return.”
I threw off my blankets and stood in front of him, gripping ice daggers that I formed as I rose. It was a good thing I’d been sleeping in fighting leathers. “Then you are here to kill me.”
A violent pounding shook the wall behind him. If it hadn’t been warded with magic, the ice would have shattered. “Your Majesty!” Andar had discovered the intruder.
The prince shook his head slowly. “I don’t intend to kill you tonight. Do you intend to stop my work?”
Did I? Not right now—I had some humans to take care of first. And if this prince did manage to uniteall the nobles, taking charge of them would be easier than if they were all still pursuing their own agendas.
I parroted his words back at him. “I do not intend to stop you tonight.”
