After bathing and dressing in clean leathers, and with my hair freshly braided, I gathered power and warned it to behave.
After ten fucking attempts, I finally flitted to the king’s suite just in time to catch Merrick shimmering into Lorant. He stood in the middle of the room, staring into the mirror.
I did my best not to admire his ass.
“Why the fuck are you always naked?” I huffed, wishing he’d…cover that big cock. Hide it away so it wasn’t such a distraction.
“Where have you been?” He spun away from the mirror and stormed toward me, but stopped a few paces from me, his face florid, his hands clenched at his sides. “I was… We were… Where were you?”
“Somewhere safe where I could think. I specifically told you not to look for me.”
“We did not agree.”
I shrugged. “Nonetheless, I took the time I needed.”
“And?”
“I made a quilt while I was gone, and when I felt it was good enough, I came back. I have more questions.”
“A quilt.”
“Of peace.”
“A wall you plan to hold up between us, you mean?” His scowl twisted his scar.
I scowled too. “Cover yourself, please, and we can proceed.”
“I sleep naked.”
As did Merrick. Another detail I did not want to be reminded of.
“You’re not sleeping now.”
He glanced toward the bed, and while his smoldering eyes told me he was thinking about doing things on that bed that had nothing to do with rest, he wisely held back the words.
“I’ve come to a sort of decision,” I said.
His jaw twitched, but he still said nothing.
“If you want me to stay… If you want me to look into this and share all I learn with you both, then you need to respect the boundaries we’ve already set.”
“There are no boundaries withMerrick.”
“Are you actually fucking jealous of him?” I wasn’t sure if I wanted to laugh or cry, though crying didn’t fix a damn thing. “You’re…” I sucked in a breath and shoved it out. “I can’t believe I’m saying this, let alone somewhat believing it. But it appears you two share a body, though it changes when each of you more or less possess it. You look different. Snarly, scarred Lorant at night, and smooth-skinned, pretty Merrick during the day. He’s truly a sweetie. Kind and thoughtful and gracious and noble and?—”
“That will be enough,” he barked.
I lifted my eyebrows.
His growl rang out, but the scar on his face smoothed, and he unclenched his hands at his sides.
“Merrick is all that and more,” I said. “Face it. When you split, it looks like the fates hands you shadow and ruin, while he gets the full sunlight. He’s complete. Mostly.”
“I’m full. I’m complete. Everything you, my wildfire, will ever need. You’ll tell me this one day.”
I rolled my eyes, though mostly in response to his huffy, arrogant tone that made my core melt and my pulse leap around.
“No wonder this entire court believes you’re two people,” Isaid. “You shift when you’re alone. Everyone inside the castle is bound by this curse, which must make them believe you’re two separate individuals.” I sucked in a shocked breath. “All the kings split.” I wasn’t sure how I knew this for a fact, but his blink confirmed it. “The curse has been passed down for generations, ultimately killing all the Evergorne kings and queens on their thirtieth birthday, plus each of you?—”
