I shook her off my arm, unable to bear the thought of her request. “You are not some lowly servant. You are thequeenof the fae and those twisted would love to see your head on a pike.”
“Then I’ll go by myself. You’re being very stubborn.”
“Stubborn?” I yelled. “My job is to keep you safe. What do you think will happen if the Lich King’s army finds us? They will torture you.”
“Listen to me. After Kyros killed King Axias, I had a visitor. A vampyre. One of the courtiers from the twisted. He gave me a message from the Lich King, along with this.” She pulled a transporter rod out of her pocket. “The Lich King offered to help me regain the throne in return for a favor.”
“You can’t trust him. He is pure evil.”
“I know, but we don’t have the means to stop a dragon.”
“Dragons bleed just like us,” I said through gritted teeth. “The previous king was able to kill one.”
“He had an army of magi. We don’t.”
“This plan is absurd.”
“It’s more than that,” she said. “The Lich King can give me something that will protect Kane forever . . . He can make him immortal.”
“By turning him into one of the twisted?”
“No, something different. A different type of magic. It’s called the phylactery stone. I’ve been reading up on it for years after the Lich King’s emissary visited me.”
“What does he want in return?”
She turned away from me. The wind blowing her long hair. “He didn’t say.”
“Moira . . .” I ran my hand across my head, thinking. “This will solve nothing.”
“Kyros was in my bed . . . touching me.”
Her shoulders shook and I couldn’t stay away from her any longer. Walking behind her, I placed my hands on her sides, wishing I could close the distance, but we had crossed too many lines and I was slipping. Each time I held her, it became harder to let her go. “Did he do anything?”
“No, but he was close.” She turned around, gazing up at me, begging me to listen. “I can’t bear his hands on my body, not after what he’s done.”
“Making any kind of bargain with the Lich King is a desperate move.”
“Iamdesperate.”
It was difficult to refuse her when she looked at me as if I was the only thing in the world keeping her together.
“You are my dearest friend.” She placed her hands on my chest. “I trust you completely and I care for you so much. I wouldn’t risk your life. We’ll be safe. I promise.”
I reached over and brushed her hair back behind her ear. “I would gladly risk mine if it meant saving yours.”
She leaned into my touch, and I ached to pull her against me and hold her in my arms. Closing her eyes, a tear slid down her cheek and I brushed it away. “Trust me. I know what I’m doing. We will both be safe. I’ve lost so much. I will not lose you too.”
“Hey.” Taking her face in my hands, I rubbed her cheeks with my thumbs, gazing into her sorrowful eyes. “Know this, I will never leave you and I will be with you until the bitter end. I do trust you. Not because you are my queen, but because you’re my friend.”
“Tallis.” Her eyes watered, her hands sliding up toward my neck, the air
thrumming with static tension, the need to bring her mouth to mine nearly forcing me forward. But I held back, understanding my boundaries.
She looked at me then as if something was different. As if she finally understood the meanings of my words. How every time I was saying ‘Yes, your majesty’ I’d really meant . . . I love you.
When we were young, I had dreamed of kissing her, even considered trying it, but I knew we would never marry, our positions wouldn’t allow it, and I did not possess the strength to taste her essence then walk away.
Her gaze flitted to my mouth and she licked her lips, the gesture sending a rush of warmth through my body. When she stepped forward, I stepped back, knowing the moment we crossed that line there would be no going back. Not for me. I would never be able to let her go.
