After he saved her.
There was a short pause, his gaze on the near empty bowl in his clawed hand. “The Harbingers took care of all matters in your father’s castle. Argyle has reclaimed its sovereignty. Calveron is no more.”
No more…
She stared up at him.
Rune fed her the last of the porridge. “They have crossed the Gates. Every single one.”
Her heart pounded at the thought, her mind flashing with images of bloodshed in the dining room. Alora banished the memory away.
She gasped. “My brother!”
“We found him,” Rune assured her.
Her heart settled at the news. Though, Rihan was her cousin, Alora could only think of him as her brother.
“The prince is safe,” Rune continued. “As is his mother,for now. But she stands accused of treason for her collusion with Calveron. Caelum has rallied the Lords of Argyle on your behalf. They will denounce Delphi and acknowledge you as Regent. Their loyalty will depend on whether they live to see the future… or fade with the past.”
Alora stared at him, wondering when he had time to organize all of this. More so that her kingdom was free and hers if she wished it. “You threatened the lords into accepting your terms?”
Rune shrugged. “They agreed without complaint. Whether from fear or reverence, it’s difficult to tell.”
Of course it was out of fear. She still remembered how they reacted when the God of Shadows appeared at her wedding to take her away. But after what she witnessed in the dining hall…
Her stomach churned as she recalled the gore and screams. What had happened to the rest of the Calverons? And Prince Eldrik?
Alora couldn’t bring herself to ask but she already knew.
Their deaths had been terrible ones.
Rune took the tray away and she sat on the edge of her bed, watching him.
Then, without hesitation, he knelt beside her. One knee pressed to the floor, cloak pooled behind him like fresh blood. A dark rage simmered in the bond.
Rune looked up, and his voice was shadow and fire. “While you slept, your enemies were dealt with, Alora. Swiftly. Whatever remains of them now feeds the crows. Be it a lesson to all.”
Her heart skipped a beat. “A lesson?”
“A reminder,” he said, his clawed hand delicately caressing her cheek. “That you belong to me. I will do all within my power to annihilate anyone who threatens what is mine.”
Alora stared at him, heart pounding. A shimmer of magic rippled through the air around them and she shivered. Not out of fear, but from the depth of it.
His third and final vow.
A god’s promise.
It was clear then, without question, how much he truly cared for her. She heard it in his voice as much as she saw it in his eyes and in every action he took for her sake.
Alora stroked her fingers along his jaw. He shut his eyes, leaning into her touch. Shadows lifted off his silhouette, his features sharpened, fangs pressing against his lips. His brow furrowed as if in pain … from her touch.
He murmured against her palm, quieter still. “I won’t allow the Fates to take you from me again…”
Alora stared at him, breath catching. “When did they take me from you?” she whispered.
Rune’s expression changed, realizing he made a mistake. He stood and like that, it was gone. The warmth. The tenderness. The ache in his eyes. Gone like smoke curling back into shadow.
Rune turned away, cloak sweeping behind him like the closing of a curtain, putting distance between them with calculated ease. Like the space was necessary. He was keeping something from her. Many things. And each one was hidden behind a mask he refused to lower, even around her. Desperation bubbled up her throat, sensing him pulling away again as he had all the other times before.
