The corner of Kaden’s mouth lifted, but the smile did not reach his eyes.
“Sorsha and Adriel,” he said suddenly, as though he’d just remembered that they had been fighting.
“They’re fine,” I said quickly. “Well . . .” I grimaced. “Adriel was laying into Sorsha. I guess she was responsible for a shipment of Drathen steel from Cragsmuir. She wanted to arm the villagers.”
“Sounds like my sister,” Kaden muttered, rubbing the back of his neck. “She may be the reason the fatalities weren’t worse.”
He didn’t sound angry. On the contrary, he sounded impressed.
“Adriel said it could jeopardize your bid for the crown.”
Kaden swallowed. “He isn’t wrong. Adriel is seldom wrong about these things. But at least she did something to protect my people. That makes her more deserving of the crown than me.”
“I see you fighting for them,” I said quietly. “Even if no one else does.”
“Fighting for them how?” He scoffed. “By biding my time as I plan to undermine my father and go to war with their king?” He shook his head, a look of disgust shadowing his face.
Snow was still falling, sticking to his lashes and clinging to his hair.
“I have not behaved as a king should,” he muttered. “I knew Alfrigg was persecuting my people, and I did nothing about it.”
I opened my mouth, then closed it again, smoke making my airways itch.
I knew there wasn’t anything I could say to reassure him. To bolster his faith in himself or to make him feel worthy of the throne. Perhaps Kadenhadn’tbeen acting in the best interest of his people. Still, I couldn’t see how he could have overthrown Alfrigg without revealing his plan to his father, thereby forcing a war on two fronts.
While I admired Sorsha’s attempt to arm her people, I understood Adriel’s anger. Understood that the Drathen were vulnerable, living under a king who would see them exterminated.
Suddenly, the enormity of our task hit me full force, eclipsing my fear for Kaden. Killing Semphrys felt daunting enough. Overthrowing a tyrant king with an army of thousands and stealing the throne of Anvalyn felt enormously out of reach.
But I wasn’t going to say any of that. Kaden was already drowning in darkness. I would not be the one to pull him under.
For as long as I breathed, I would be his light, his blade — whatever he needed as he fought the shadows.
I was his mate, and he was mine to protect.
So, I sharpened my expression to one of steel as I looked up into his dejected face. “Stop feeling sorry for yourself,” I snapped. “You are the rightful heir to the throne of Anvalyn. You are the son of Elowynn, uniter of the faerie peoples, and the future king.” I jerked my head in the direction I’d come, toward the villagers mourning their dead family members. “Your people are hurting. They need to see you as their leader — even if you don’t believe yourself worthy.”
Kaden’s eyes widened as he stared at me, a strange mix of emotions swirling in their stormy depths. Shock and indignation. Gratitude. Strength. Everything that he was feeling seemed to shake the grief and self-loathing from his expression and replace it with determination.
Slowly, he reached for me, and I didn’t pull back as his rough, calloused hand came around to cup my neck. He bent his head, locks of dark hair falling into his eyes as he planted a gentle kiss on my forehead.
Then he released me and turned toward the street, tucking away his wings — banishing the demon prince and replacing him with the future king.
Chapter
Nineteen
LYRA
Despite Sorsha’s wish to remain in Klodäsch to help the villagers, we agreed that it was too dangerous for us to stay. The last thing the beleaguered fae needed was a visit from Semphrys’s demons.
Still, they’d seen how we’d driven Alfrigg’s soldiers out of the village and insisted on stuffing our saddlebags full of supplies for the journey. Adriel had insisted on paying for the horses Kaden had rescued from the burning barn, but they’d gifted me a handsome fur-lined cloak and hadn’t accepted any silver for the boots I’d found to replace my flimsy borrowed ones.
We decided to take the mountainous route through the ice caves of Drafar to reach the Forest House. Though it would add a full day to our journey, Kaden was less likely to know where we were going.
It was late morning before we stopped to water the horses. Snow had fallen during the night, capping all the fir trees in a fluffy white powder. Sunlight glistened off thesnowbanks, and my freshly healed wound twinged as I dismounted my chestnut mare.
An awkward silence hung over our group. I didn’t think Sorsha had spoken a word to Adriel since their argument. Kaden had been uncharacteristically silent as well, and I knew his loss of control during the battle still bothered him.
