Roran was startled. “His sister?”
“He was dedicated to Savion when he was younger. She had no idea that mistresses were killed if they were found pregnant. He didn’t either, not until he saw her lifeless and headless body draining into the blood fountain.
“Niniane is the rightful queen, but Savion killed all the others who answered the call for the crown. Including her soul mate, and then further destroyed her by denying her intimacy and a child. He gave her a drink calledleadiumthat drove her mad, day by day. And when he finally did sire a child… she was so bent into madness that she ripped the child from her own womb.”
“Holy Gods and Savior,” Roran breathed.
“He destroyed her. He destroyed everything about her that could have brought her joy and comfort. When the heart is destroyed, all that remains is madness.”
I looked up at the moon hanging over the water. “She has nothing, Roran. She is a pitiable creature. But that is buried beneath cruelty and revenge. So putting up a sail on our ship to potentially bring the supporters of a ranting madwoman to our decks is probably not a wise course of action at this moment.”
The water lapped against the hull of our boat, filling the night with a gentle, lulling song.
“Why would Savion do that?”
“Why does anyone do such things? Power. Strength. The false sense of security and respect it brings them. And it is all false.
“In the end, it is not how many crowns we collect, or how many pieces of silver, or how many diamonds. Not how big our palaces and temples are, or the number of those who march under our banners. Those are all castles built on pillars of sand.
“What truly matters is our heart and how we have filled it. Savion chose to fill his with hate, cruelty, tyranny.” I turned and stared at him. “My sire was cruel, Roran. Cruel and evil, quite possibly just as mad as his wife. Don’t look away from me, please.”
I tucked my fingers under his chin and turned him to look at me. “You always turn away when I remind you that I am half vampire sired by Savion. Please don’t. My heart is not like his, and there’s nothing either of us can do about it. It justis.”
“I…wish there was a way to change that. Something I could do for you, Kimber.”
I ghosted my lips over his. “There is one thing you can. Just one.”
“What’s that? Anything…”
“Just love me, Roran. Just love me.”
Chapter Fifteen
Kimber
We sailed until the tide ebbed. Using magic, we maneuvered the ship as close to the shore as we safely could. There were several sailing ships not far from the edge of the water.
I guessed the tides didn’t recede as much this close to the river’s inlet. Dropping the anchor, we lowered the dinghy and climbed down the ladder.
“How far do you think we are from Lick?” I asked Aiko as we settled on the seats with all of our packs and weapons.
“About a league,” Aiko said. “It’s actually impressive how close you maneuvered us. I knew you were an excellent sailor. I didn’t realize how excellent.”
“You don’t have to inflate her ego,” Dorian snapped.
I turned to him and stared him down. “Do not presume that his praise would affect the fact that I sailed a ship up a spit of water for which I had no navigational maps, nor the fact that I kept that same ship in one piece during a storm that I had to break with magic.” I turned back to my original position. “I am not you.”
Belshazzar clucked his tongue, and I didn’t know what Dorian did, but Belshazzar laughed hard.
Rilen and Roran each took one of the oars and started to row us to shore as the sun was rising. I watched them as they glided us through the water.
It was fascinating to watch the two of them rowing. The shirts they wore rippled with their muscles as they pushed and pulled on the oars in sync. They didn’t even have to speak to each other to move the oars perfectly, and it seemed even their abs moved in sync.
I glanced at Aiko, who was clearly lost as to what he should think about these two identical, perfect specimens of humanity. I wanted to laugh—I knew exactly what I was thinking, and it was along the lines of,Forget the shore, will this boat stand up to a round of sex?
That was a very different thought than I’d had even a year ago. Now, it was becoming normal for me. When I wasn’t with them, I wanted nothing more than to be with them. There was nothing better than being wrapped up in them.
The look on Aiko’s face was somewhere between desire and confusion. I put a hand to my mouth to stop my laugh but leaned over to him.
