“No, all is forgiven. There are bigger things to deal with.”
Sighing, she plopped onto her sofa. “What’s going on? Why the rush? Audryn isn’t even here.”
“She’s my mate. I felt it before she left, and I know she felt it too. It’s the reason I knew she was the one I’d marry.” My words spilled out. I’d sent her away. Our bond was barely tangible. As if that weren’t bad enough, I’d shortened my timeframe for marriage by rendering my father comatose.
“Your emotions have gotten the best of you, Brother. Youjust miss her. She’ll be back next week.” Leanna shook her head. “There’s no need to make such a rash decision.”
My hands pulled through my hair, and I took a seat at Rodrick’s desk. He had laid out a sketch of the castle and a map of our outposts. Had he planned to sit next to my sister on the throne all along?
“Father is unwell—worse than unwell.” My eyes drew to my sister’s tilted head. “He will not wake up again, Mirael has examined him.”
“What happened? He was fine when I left!”
“No, he wasn’t, and you know that. He drifted to sleep while we spoke. When I couldn’t wake him, I called for help.” I hoped my sister bought the same story I’d fed to Mirael. “But I need your help to plan the wedding before he’s gone. I can’t do it without you.”
It was a bit of a lie; I could find staff to help me. In fact, I would need their help regardless of Leanna’s agreement. But I wanted her on board. I needed her support. But most of all, I needed her distracted by the wedding.
“Send out invitations to all kingdoms … except Kuroden.” My mind spun. “Request the royals arrive early and house them on the grounds. I need to hold a meeting. I’m leaving tomorrow afternoon.”
I’d thought of multiple scenarios where I might need to get Audryn early, though my father’s impending death hadn’t been one of them.
“I’ll send gryphons to Rynholm tonight. Then I’ll stop there tomorrow and swap them. That way I can leave some to rest and fly straight through on our backups. I’ll be there the next afternoon.”
“You can’t fly straight through, you’ll be exhausted,” Leanna insisted. “Give it a week. Can’t you wait?”
“Absolutely not. I will not risk our father dying before I marry,” I continued. “I need you to start on everything while I’mgone. Mother can help, but you know what Audryn would want.” I moved toward the door. “Her father needs to be brought to the castle as well. Can you handle that, or do I need to find someone else?”
“No.” Leanna straightened her dress. “I’ll do it. And what of Maris? Shall I dismiss her?”
“She stays.” The corners of my mouth turned up. I told her I’d say goodnight, and I’d make sure I did. “They’ll learn to deal with one another. Make her Audryn’s bridesmaid. Settle her into a room in the royal wing.”
“Permanently?” My sister huffed. “Is it necessary to flaunt your lover so openly?”
I stood and narrowed my eyes at her. “I don’t think you should be speaking to the future king about who he does or does not fuck.”
Leanna's features went flat. “You’re not king yet, Brother. Though your arrogance seems to fit the requisite.”
24
AUDRYN
It took several days to regain my strength, but with Col at my side, I didn’t mind. He’d shirked his responsibilities onto Micah, and we spent our days in bed. Logically, I knew there were more important things he needed to deal with, but selfishly I relished every moment we spent together.
Finally feeling whole, I returned to the seeps with more confidence than before. But it took me the entire day and nearly all my magic to repair a single one. Col spent the day in silence, likely biting back requests for me to stop. Nearing exhaustion, I ended the day, eager to get back in bed.
“Have you ever been in love before?” Col laid gentle kisses against my skin, paying careful attention to the silvery scars marking my body.
I rubbed a finger over the line he’d just covered. Micah couldn’t be sure that my skin would fully heal, but several scars, including the one on my face, had vanished. He had offered to summon another healer for the others, but I declined.
Col traced a lazy finger over my tattoo, stopping to encircle the bee.
“I’m not sure I would’ve believed in love had I not seen my best friend and his husband together,” I admitted.
“And your parents?” Col asked.
“They were mated, so of course they loved each other. Most can only hope to be that lucky.”
“I find it more interesting for the non-mated to choose each other again and again every day.”
