Morgan stiffened. “What in the hell are we doing, Rylo?”
“We are discussing your brilliant international negotiation skills,” Rylo said, and he couldn’t disguise the smile on his face. He had no doubt that she’d won him an alliance with a man who hated him. With Morgan at his side, he’d be unstoppable in this realm.
“I mean between us. You were furious at me when I left, and then you kissed me with so much tenderness I could taste how much you care about me. Now you’re threatening to hurt Savine because he scratched me,” Morgan said, pulling her feet into her seat and turning her body to look directly at him.
Rylo felt called out by this woman whom he wasn’t supposed to care about, and yet, despite his better judgment, he’d let her sink so far into his mealy, tiny excuse for a heart that he didn’t know what to do with whatever emotion he felt when he looked at her. He didn’t know how to stop the way his breath caught when she looked at him with her jade green eyes, or the moments he made her smile unexpectedly.
And yet, she was capable of lying to him. He already assumed she must have done something to Elio. Something so horrible she was unable to admit it to him. He already knew it in his heart that Morgan killed Elio.
But he wanted to hear her say it. He wanted to know that she was sorry for what she did; that she wouldn’t hide things from him if he chose to give her his heart. And that was just what he was willing to do.
He wanted to give her his heart if she would have it.
But not until she could be honest with him.
Morgan looked at him through sleepy eyes, her head reclined on the side of the armchair, her body curled in around itself.
“I’ve often enjoyed the pleasures that come with being king. Women willing to bed me when I desired company. I’d never be as foolish as Savine to choose a vow of celibacy. I’ve sleptwith women in my court and foreigners. But I’ve never shared my heart with anyone. The connection has rarely gone beyond a physical relationship.”
The scowl on Morgan’s face was adorable, and he fought the urge to lick away the furrows on her brow as she said, “Why are you telling me this? I don’t need to know about your past relationships.”
“Yes you do. Because you see, I never trusted them. I never wanted to trust one of them. But with you, I feel myself putting up my guards and warning myself to not let you into my heart fully. But, don’t you see? I’m always desiring to break down those guards and give you my heart on a platter. To shout that it’s yours to take. To squeeze and devour as you please. Doing that requires trust. Trust that I want to have in you, yet I know you are deliberately keeping something from me. Aren’t you, Morgan?”
Morgan buried her face in her hands, but Rylo caught the guilt in her eye as she hid her face.
He felt a cool wash of shadows caress his mind and he opened it to her, letting her into the bright warmth of a mind.
I can’t even say it out loud, but I think you already know. I killed Elio. It was an accident. I used a spell that drained his essence while going after the relic, and I am forever sorry for taking your friend from you. It’s no excuse, but I didn’t know the spell would do that.
“I suspected you were responsible for his death.”
Rylo felt cold inside, empty and hollow. This brave, intelligent woman was his friend’s murderer.
He needed to give himself space, to be alone in his thoughts. He stood up, opening the door to the hall before walking out into the crisp air of the night without sharing another word with Morgan.
The stars were glittering above, a sea of gleaming beacons all calling to him. Elio’s body would never be presented to the stars, as was the Nepheli tradition. Rylo said a silent prayer to the Goddess that his soul had been accepted into Arcadia, not left to wander in the infinite darkness of the caverns, or castaway to the Abyss.
He didn’t notice how long he stayed in the chill of the night air, but when he returned to his library, Morgan was gone.
Chapter 49
Savine
“If you’re going to war, I’m going with you, Savine. You can’t make me stay back,” Kyla argued. They’d been having this back and forth for far too long, but his stubborn sister didn’t seem to understand that a battle was no place for a pregnant woman.
The north wind howled against the windows of his office and his essence swirled under his skin as he looked at the tiny bulge revealing itself from Kyla’s flat stomach. “I can’t believe Garnel would agree to this.”
“Hyacinth has assured Garnel I’m just as capable as I was before being pregnant. And I let him know I wouldn’t leave hisside. We’re better together. Now you tell me when was the last time that you won a battle without my skill set?”
She had him there. He’d always relied on Kyla’s ability to manipulate the other side’s emotions. That was partially why his newly unified army had so many former loyalists who looked at his sister with such fear. She’d forced them to live in their worst nightmares, just as his father once had done.
Two evenings ago, the trees had relayed information that Goldoth was amassing troops outside of Onyx Caverns. The thought of facing the Goldoth forces, along with any weaponized witches they harbored, terrified him. He’d carried the weight of the souls he’d lost for over twenty-five years, and the burden of their loss was something he could never forget. Moreso, how could he convince his warriors that this war was theirs to fight?
He’d yet to make his final decision as he analyzed the resources his warriors had at their disposal. It would be close—thanks to Jasper’s personal stockpiles of supplies—he could ensure his warriors had enough to eat through the winter, but only if he no longer provided supplies to the folk still desperate for support. Every day there were folk coming to him in the throne room, seeking assistance as winter began settling into the steep river canyon. Abyss damn him, he’d even needed to turn folk away recently, knowing he may need all the supplies he had stored for the war with Goldoth.
If he chose war, he was choosing this conflict over the health of his nation. Yet, if he didn’t act now, he would surely be bringing the power of Goldoth to his borders.
It felt as though there was no right answer.
