Savine took her hand in his. His large hand was so much warmer than hers, like he was hardly affected by the driving wind. “He may think Latiah views his broken oath with you as an act of war.”
Avery’s eyes widened. “We can’t go to war against my sister!”
Savine shook his head. “I have no intention of fighting another war. I’ve fought for nearly twenty-six years and have no desire to return to battle. There’s far too much reconstruction here that I would never dare to engage in another conflict.”
Relief stemmed down Avery’s spine. “Do you think Morgan will be safe with Rylo?”
Savine shrugged. “There are rumors she’s been in his private rooms. She’s most likely as safe with him as anywhere in Nephel. Perhaps more safe, considering his interest in keeping her close to him.”
Avery sighed. “Okay. She’ll be fine. She knows what she’s doing.”
Chapter 29
Morgan
Morgan couldn’t get comfortable on the floor of the cavern. The dripping water and the scent of rot reminded her too much of the abandoned mine shaft. Around her, winged fae were trying to get comfortable too. Some seemed to be sleeping, but others were quietly lying on the cold, hard ground.
She caught Rylo’s gaze across the cavern, studying her. He sat against the stone walls, resting his head. His wings were splayed out in an awkward angle. They seemed like a huge inconvenience most of the time. Morgan stood and walked across the cavern, sitting beside the Sun King. She leaned her head against the wall, looking into his golden eyes.
“Can’t sleep?” she asked.
“I could ask the same of you.” Rylo reached out his hand and traced Morgan’s collarbone. His fingers were cool and made her skin prickle.
“We’d all be sleeping better if we could have flown to a hotel. You may want to consider investing in real estate. Maybe get better accommodations on all these flights. Who’s ever heard of a king sleeping in a cave?” She batted his hand away from her.
“A king who likes to travel quickly and without fuss,” Rylo said, flexing his fingers like he could still feel her touch on them.
Not much had happened between them since he brought her to his room on the Night of Feasts. They’d kissed and the flame from that damn fairy wine had burned brighter. When Rylo noticed her increasing arousal, he stopped kissing her, built what amounted to a pillow barricade between them, and told her to get some sleep. It was easier said than done as she struggled through her need for his touch.
Eventually, she was almost to the point of tears when he reached his arm across the pillows and began slow, gentle strokes across her back and shoulders. He’d sung her a slow, soft melodic tune that seemed filled with longing and remorse. The tension she couldn’t shake slowly began to dissipate with his caress until she drifted off to a deep, dreamless sleep.
But nothing between them happened the next morning, or the days that followed. She worked for hours in both libraries each day, running into Rylo occasionally. They made plans for their journey to Goldoth, but it seemed like there wasn’t much to the attraction he’d shown her that night.
Morgan accepted her unwanted feelings she was developing for him weren’t actually reciprocated.
“When will we arrive in Goldoth?” Morgan asked.
“Technically we crossed into Goldoth today. We made it across the Wastewater several hours ago. Tomorrow we will enter the Onyx Caverns and meet the King Maglar.”
Morgan scraped her hands across her forehead. She was trying to let go of her nerves that kept her feeling worried about meeting another king.
“When can I have my gun back?” Morgan asked. Rylo hadn’t given it to her before they took flight on the eagan, and she doubted he would give it back.
“Why not now?” Rylo said, smirking. He reached into the bag at his side and pulled out Morgan’s handgun.
Morgan pulled the clip out of the gun. She’d used three or four bullets when she shot Jasper. Too many, she knew now, but she’d had such a rush of adrenaline that she couldn’t help it. To her horror, there were no bullets left.
“What the hell, Rylo? You shot the rest of my ammo!”
Rylo cocked his head to the side, giving her a confused look. “I’ve no idea what you are saying.”
“The gun! You shot all my bullets. There should have been ten or eleven left in this clip, and they’re all gone!” She could feel guards moving in close. Rylo lifted a hand for the guards to stand down, unconcerned by the tone coming from the kingslayer.
“I still don’t understand what you are accusing me of doing. Yes, I tried your weapon. It worked perfectly fine when I used it. I told Selene to continue tests. She said you may need to imbue it with your magic before it fires again, but that shouldn’t be a problem for you.”
“The gun doesn’t work without bullets. They aren’t something I can just create out of my shadows or any magic! They’re human made, and now I don’t have any if I need them.”
She shrieked and her shadows began streaking out of her, filling the cavern with inky darkness, extinguishing the fire inthe center of the room. The fae in the room cried out, but Morgan ignored them. “What if I need to use it to stay alive?”
