The tether, the pulse of it, had yanked him deeper than he ever meant to go. But it was the sharing that undid him. Even in the dreamscape, even without waking memory, Maris had wanted both of them.
The agony of that truth shredded him in silence. It wouldn’t have been so gutting if she’d simply belonged to Kael.
But now she was caught between them. She had reached for him in her sleep. Let him see her, feel her, claim her for a moment.
The sudden push from her dream was jarring. Awakening to shouts near her chamber, hearing her screams of terror. He thought the short pleasure of her was being ripped from him by Kael. And in that instance it had nearly broken him to realize he might never touch her like that again.
Not if she chose Kael in the end.
Alarik knew then that losing her would be the end of him.
Chapter forty
Dinner with a Storm
-Kael-
The echo of thunder and wind rolled in as if summoned, rain lashed heavily against Calyrix’s black spires. Kael sat at the end of the dining table, flanked only by his shadows. Across from him lounged Thauren, storm-crowned and sea-born, as impossible to predict as the waves he commanded. His heavy metal armor steamed slightly near the hearth, streaks of salt crusting the leather straps. He hadn’t bothered to change into more appropriate attire, not even after traveling leagues from his mist-wrapped islands.
“So this is what war tastes like,” Thauren mused, eyeing the goblet of bloodwine in his hand. “it seems to be a bit sweeter than I recall.”
“Enjoy it while you can,” Kael muttered, eyes on the black-veined map between them.
“Oh, I plan to.” Thauren leaned back, ankle crossing knee, sharp green eyes scanning the war markers. “I brought my finest tacticians. My ships will be here once word spreads by the messengers. It will take a month or two depending on the tides and channels.”
Kael gave a short nod. “You didn’t have to come yourself.”
“No,”Thauren said. “But I wanted to look you in the eye when I agreed to help steal your lover back.”
Kael stiffened. His hands, splayed on the map, curled into fists.
Thauren’s grin faded. “You know what I want from her."
“She will swear her power to protect Virellia’s shores from the gods’ once she’s safe, I will ask nothing more of her.”
Kael’s jaw flexed. “She will offer you what you seek.”
Silence crackled between them, only broken by the slow drips of rain against stained glass.
“She’ll hate it,” Kael said after a pause. “Another kingdom demanding from her —Another leash.”
“She’ll understand,” Thauren replied. “She’s no fool. And if the gods are truly shifting toward her… she’ll need every ally she can get.”
Kael said nothing, but his thoughts whirled.
Alarik had her now. Had her in that cursed palace of Nerium, draped in sea mist and lies. But she was still bound to Kael, he could feel it. Distant, flickering… but there. Her emotions had been muted lately, muffled like breath underwater.
Until last night.
A sharp spike of heat had ripped through their bond. So fast he almost thought he’d imagined it.
But he knew deep down he hadn’t.
He slammed a wall down in his mind to stop the memory from consuming him. His rage was useless without precision.
“You’ve changed,” Thauren observed from across the table, sipping his wine again.
Kael arched a brow.
