Niko swears, clenching his fists at his sides.
“What does this mean?” I ask, already dreading the answer. I was so caught up in my own shame, I wasn’t able to see Pan’s intentions clearly. It was foolish to take his threats at face value,when all the stories speak of his cleverness, of his plans layered beneath plans, and the joy he takes in tricks.
“It means,” Niko grits out, “that when he returns, he will not be alone. He is rebuilding the Strayed, and strengthening himself with their magic. And he will no longer have to guide them through one at a time.”
I shudder, remembering the feel of Zenni’s magic—euphoric and terrible.
“I thought it took years for him to siphon a powerful child’s magic.”
It’s Marina who answers.When his supply was endless and he was nearly always full, he sipped. But starved as he’s been…there is no telling how quickly he will drain them.
Zenni’s wry smile flashes through my mind along with ice cold rage. I will find a way to tear the Aeternalis apart for what he’s done, even if I cannot kill him. I am well-learned in all the ways to make a person wish they were dead, and I intend to use every bit of my knowledge.
A similar fury is mirrored in Tiernan’s expression. “We’ll be ready for him,” he growls. “We’ll make him pay for everything he’s stolen. Everything he’s done.”
Niko gives him a weak smile, his exhaustion apparent in every slumped line of his body. “I’m afraid I’m not quite up to vengeance this evening, but I appreciate your fervor.”
Tiernan nods. “I’ll bring some food to your chambers.”
“Toourchambers,” Niko corrects gently despite his apparent weariness, and my heart swells in my chest.
Tiernan wiggles his brows, sighing dramatically. “Nothing like a couple of slit throats here and there to bring lovers together.”
Mine was a slit throat. I’d call Adira’s more of an impaling,Marina adds unhelpfully.
I glare at them both, muttering, “I need to find friends that aren’t so well-armed.”
Marina’s face scrunches in disgust.How boring.
Niko’s hand spasms in mine, and I know he needs to rest before we can begin to untangle the mess of the kingdom. There’s so much to sort out, but beyond my worry for the island and my magic, lies a far more intimate one.
“How is Sam?”
Tiernan gives me a reassuring smile. “He’s okay. He’s recovering at the Grove, probably enjoying every moment of Adira fussing over him.” He cocks his head thoughtfully. “Like I said…nothing like a little violence to really make love bloom.”
I swallow. “But he’s really okay?”
Tiernan squeezes my shoulder. “He’s okay, Willa. I promise. I’ll take you to see him in the morning if you wish, but right now, you should get some rest.”
I release a breath in an attempt to release my guilt with it, repeating Niko’s words in my head:That darkness is not yours, Darling…and those deaths are not yours to claim.
With a nod to Tiernan and Marina, Niko wraps his arm around me, and steers me into the entrance hall. The lantern lights along the walls sputter and leap wildly, as if in celebration of their king’s return. And though Niko doesn’t appear to notice through the haze of his exhaustion, I swear the entirety of the Lunaedon stand at attention to welcome him home.
Starlight shimmers through the windows, scattering across the marble floors. A similar light is mirrored in my chest, warming me thoroughly as we begin up the stairs together. It feels like both a beginning and an end, somehow.
I glance at Niko, studying the stiffness of his movements. Each step is ginger, like he walks over shards of glass. His ribbons drape behind him, trailing along the floor like the train of an odd ballgown. Worry grips my chest.
“Should I try and use my magic?”
I haven’t since the night I hurt Sam, lest I somehow lose control to the shadow once more. Something that will need to be addressed after we recover, for how am I ever to hold onto the island when I cannot access its magic without it taking even more of myself?
“You aren’t sacrificing a slice of your humanity just to save me from walking up the stairs,” Niko bites out acerbically. “I’m fine.”
Annoyance prickles at my skin, and I nearly laugh at the swift feeling of warmth that follows. No one ever challenges me like Niko does, especially as queen. I’ve missed his smart ass mouth, his arrogant rancor. The way he pokes and prods until he finds the pieces of me no one else is brave enough to touch.
“You don’t look fine, Corpsey,” I muse. “In fact, I’d go so far as to say you look like shit.”
Niko takes another shaky step, shooting me a sidelong glare. “Well, now you’re just being purposely spiteful, because we both know I always look devilishly handsome, no matter the state of my magic.”
