Roman held her stare for a moment longer than he should have. “I hate him. The Wolf. For many things. But if he has known you, and you are not the reason he went to war, then I hate him even more.”
Vaasa’s lips parted, but no words came to her. What could she say? How could she explain the way her chest tightened in anxiety when she’d heard Reid was injured, the way she wanted to pull the blankets over her head and hide from it? Because she knew—she knew she was exactly the reason Reid had crossed the border.
He didn’t want the Asteryan throne. He wantedher.
And here she was, staring at the previous love of her life.
Vaasa whispered good night just as Roman closed the door. The moment it latched, she leapt up from her makeshift bed and pressed her ear to the wood. Footsteps moved down the hall, away from her, and she let out a long breath. She replayedthe entire interaction, simultaneously enraptured and disgusted with herself. Quietly, she settled on the couch once more.
Vaasa stared at the fire as it crackled and considered all of what Roman had said tonight.
Thoughts of Reid being injured enough to retreat from battle haunted her. And then Amalie, eyes flashing white with something unknown, the rage with which she’d stared at Ozik. Her mother’s necklace, a puzzle piece she certainly needed to find.
Lord Karev’s invitation tomorrow night.
Vaasa’s fear turned her empty stomach into a pit. She hadn’t wanted to lie to Roman, but her choices felt narrow. Another piece of her disappeared as she became exactly what she’d been raised to be. Manipulative, a backstabber, someone who believed their own lies, or at least their reasons for telling them.
But what if she wasn’t the only one? A larger question lingered in her mind, one detail Roman had yet to mention. How did a man who was supposed to be dead earn the very position that put him in proximity to her?
At theexactmoment the Asteryan throne hung in the balance.
Lord Vlacik was trying to use force. Lord Karev was trying to use charm.
Was Roman trying to use her heart?
CHAPTER
14
Idon’t believe we need to stand watch tonight,” Koen confessed, leaning against the railing ofThe Red Corsairand staring out at the vast, churning sea.
Reid didn’t disagree. Splitting the night between Koen and himself was a pointless endeavor. Even if Sachia’s crew did turn on them, their group was pathetically outnumbered. A single guard wouldn’t make a difference. “If they wanted to kill us, they would have already,” he agreed. “Or perhaps they’re waiting until we make port.”
“Perhaps,” Koen mused.
Reid turned to get a better look at his friend. The closest thing he had to a brother. Koen’s adoptive father, Kier, Reid’spredecessor as headman, had been a close family friend to Melisina. It only lent to a closeness between Reid and Koen as well. They had never once been able to escape each other, but the truth was that Reid had no interest in escaping Koen. In fact, he wasn’t certain anything could separate them for long.
Which was why he knew when something troubled his friend. “You’re worried,” Reid noted.
Koen slid his eyes to Reid and adjusted his spectacles. “Only a fool wouldn’t be.”
“Neither of you needs to be out here,” Sachia said, sauntering down the stairs from the deck where she and Reid’s mother had just been training. Her shoulders had dropped and her jaw had unclenched; Melisina was teaching her to release the magic slowly instead of allowing it to build to a breaking point. So far, it seemed that many of the techniques his mother knew applied to Sachia. Yet the feel of their magic was vastly different; Sachia’s made the air around them sharp, whereas Veragi magic felt more like prying, seeking threads. “You should get some sleep. It takes energy to infiltrate the capital of Asterya.”
“You speak of treason, Pirate,” Reid said. “It is not infiltration when I am the rightful emperor.”
She scoffed. “You’re a jilted divorcé at best, Wolf.”
Reid shook his head, though Koen let out a small chuckle at the pirate’s boldness. Sachia would have gotten along swimmingly with Kosana, had the commander been here. A calm comfort had overtaken the crew at the group’s presence. Even Jonáš had already begun to spend time with them willingly.
Reid didn’t know how to explain it, but he had a gut feeling that trust could be found here.
“We need to cut your hair,” Sachia said. “And shave your beard.”
Reid furrowed his brow, and Koen snorted. “Good luck,” his friend said.
“You look Icrurian,” Sachia reminded him. “You look like Reid of Mireh.”
She had a point. Reid ground his teeth. “How much farther do you estimate?”
