I stood and carefully slid my arms under her shoulders and knees, lifting her. She stirred as I tugged her against my chest, her head settling under my chin.
I lowered myself back into the chair with her cradled in my lap.
She fit there as though she belonged, her breath warm on the hollow of my throat, her hair spilling over my arm, soft and golden. I tucked a blanket over her, holding her close.
“You look far too fragile like this, Minx,” I said, my voice rough. “It doesn’t suit you.”
I shifted her nearer, enough that her temple rested over my heart. “Hear that?” I whispered. “It’s still beating, so yours is not allowed to stop.” My voice came out stripped down to bone.
She didn’t answer, but I spoke to her anyway. “You should be smirking at me right now. Arguing. Threatening to smack me for holding you like you belong with me always. That’s who you are. And I…” My jaw flexed. “I’ve no right to want you this much, but fates, I do.”
Her lashes fluttered, though I doubted she could hear me.
I traced my thumb across her hip. “You think I’m the threat inthis castle, and maybe you’re right. I am to anyone who tries to hurt you.”
I sensed Gavelle’s concern and told him she’d be alright.
She’d better be alright.
I couldn’t live if she wasn’t.
“I saw what Maddox did.” I kept my voice quiet, not meant for anyone but her. “The way he looked at you as if your pain might buy him back what he’d lost.” My magic stirred, but I kept it banked. “That debt is mine now, and I always collect.”
I rested my chin on the top of her head. “Sleep, Isi. Heal. When you open your eyes, I want you to see me first. I want you to know that no one will ever touch you like that again.”
Her breath evened, deepened, and I let mine match hers. The rest of the castle could burn, the night could stretch on until the sun bled over the towers. None of it mattered but her.
“Maddox thinks he’s clever,” I whispered. “But clever men forget that kings play the long game. And I never lose.”
He’d soon understand the cost of what he’d done.
I’d never sworn an oath without a witness before. But here in the quiet, with her nestled in my arms, I gave her one she’d never hear.
I will end him.
And I will do it in a way that makes the whole realm remember why they should fear the wrath of the King of Syllavar Court.
38
TREW
The healer’s ward smelled of dried sage, fire-warmed stone, and the sharp tang of something medicinal from the cupboards where Meren kept her concoctions.
I’d been sitting in the same chair for hours, with Isi resting in my arms.
As dawn crested the horizon, the torches burned low. My eyes stayed on her face that remained pale but not as bloodless as before, her lips parted, her lashes as black as ink against her skin.
I didn’t move when the door opened.
Kira came over to stand in front of me, her gaze jerking across Isi before it lifted to meet mine. “We still have Maddox in custody.”
I forced my gaze away from Isi long enough to look at my first in command. “In the southern cells.” It was a statement, not a question. The iron-banded door would take both magic and a battering ram to breach.
Her brow arched. “Naturally. He’s surrounded by our most loyal guards. What do you want us to do to him?”
My jaw flexed. “No one speaks to him but me.”
Kira’s eyes narrowed. She’d been in court long enough to recognize the brittle control in my voice. “I’ll see to it myself.”
