Honestly, being executed would have been a relief from the inconvenient sensation of love at first sight. Or from the jealousy that plagued me as Hayle Taeme had his hands all over her soft, pale skin.
Well played, Goddess.
I stared at the sky and repeated all the reasons why touching Avalon was a bad idea. She was so young; that one was obvious. I was well into my thirties, while she was twenty-three, at most. She was deep in a revolution that could get her killed, and there was nothing I could do to protect her from it. She didn’t seem like the kind of girl who would take well to being locked in my bedroom until the whole thing was over, either. She seemed to be collecting devoted lovers the way some women collected rocks, and despite Vylan’s words, I didn’t think we could all be fulfilled with just moments of her sunshine.
She’d come for me, though.
At the last minute, as my vision had dimmed and I was ready to meet the Goddess and pay for my lack of devoutness, she’d been there. She’d cut me down from the magic of the executioner, which should have been impossible. She’d run into danger—into a situation I definitely would have advised against, if it had been anyone else—to save me. My head and my heart might have been at war, but on that one fact they could agree. Avalon Halhed was braver than any man I’d ever met.
The two young Heirs seemed to be done with their moment, and they were making their way down to the lake, splashing into the water. I watched Avalon out of the corner of my eye, waiting to see how she’d react to what they’d just done. I didn’t doubt she’d heard; they might have thought they were being stealthy, but it was so quiet out here that even the smallest sound carried.
And they weren’t making small sounds at all.
Vylan moved toward her, and I kept one ear on their conversation. Would he lie to her?
“Okay?” she asked softly, and he murmured something back in her ear. She smiled at him. “I couldn’t be happier. I love you, Vox. If my only success in this lifetime is to show you just how worthy of love you are, then that would be more than enough.”
I sighed, wondering if I could sink to the bottom of the lake, because she was perfect, and I was Goddess-damned.
They kissed a little, though the young Taeme kid didn’t even seem remotely possessive. I couldn’t understand this dynamic; I was too old. Too set in my own expectations, in the way I thought it was meant to be.
Lierick Hanovan—that still blew my mind—splashed Taeme, who splashed him back, and then they were racing around the lake like kids. They picked up giant rocks and saw who could run along the bottom the furthest before they had to come up for air. There was a lightness to those two, despite the fact they were single-handedly starting a revolution. It was such a dichotomy, that this was being run by men who were only a few years past puberty, who should be still enrolled in Boellium War College, not raising an army.
Vylan swam over to me, Avalon clinging to his back, grinning as she watched Taeme and Hanovan play. She turned back toward me, her eyes dropping to my throat. The happiness melted from her face, and I hated it. I knew the skin around my throat was a mess; it was still tender, and swallowing was… noticeable.
“It’s fine, Avalon,” I rasped out, completely contradicting my words.Well, shit.
She swallowed hard. “No, it’s not. I’m sorry.”
I gave her a crooked smile, the best I could muster. “You’ve said.”
“I’ll get it back for you,” she promised, and I almost laughed then, if anything about this situation was amusing.
“My Barony might be the least of your worries right now,” I told her softly. I hated that frown on her face. Hated that she was worried about anything at all. I was so fucked. “There’s enough time for worry. Enjoy the moment.”
Her little pink tongue dipped out and ran across her bottom lip. Unbidden, images of her tongue running along my skin raced through my brain, and I was glad I was in cold water.
Vylan cleared his throat, his eyes accusing.
Whatever.
“Come on, Ninth. Let’s go and see if we can drown Hayle in the middle of the lake. I think he might be able to grow gills and become a fish,” he said, instead of voicing his accusations.
Avalon rolled her eyes, but moved with him to the middle of the lake. Vylan used his magic to lift her up and toss her into the middle of Taeme and Hanovan’s game, splashing them all. Her laughter echoed against the cliffs that surrounded us, and I found myself smiling along.
I might be a pawn in a bigger game, maybe even a cosmic one, but that didn’t mean I couldn’t enjoy being a pawn, right?
Moving back to the rocks, I lay back on the large, flat boulder in the warm sun and watched them play. This was where I was meant to be, and I’d protect them with everything I had, even if I couldn’t be a part of what they were creating.
I was dozingin the sun, the best rest I’d had in days, when they finally emerged from the water. Vylan was air-drying their clothes in such a casual display of power that I couldn’t even fully comprehend the ease with which he did it. He had four elements, according to rumor, and was strong in all four. Which was why he could heat his air, or boil your blood, or turn your limbs to iceblocks.
It was terrifying for one person to have that much magic.
Avalon climbed up onto the flat rock beside me, covered in Taeme’s oversized shirt as her own got dried. “Hayle said he can arrange for a Third Line boat to take you back to Eaglehoth, if you’d like.” Her voice was carefully neutral, and I observed her silently. She wasn’t trying to sway me one way or another. It would be just my luck if this… obsession was unrequited.
Instead of asking her if she wanted me to go back, like a stalker, I just shrugged. “I don’t think I can go back until this is done. You stopped the execution, but the conviction still stands. I am still guilty of treason in the eyes of Ebrus, and now so are you.”
She stayed silent, looking out over the still waters of the lake. After a moment, she turned, opening her mouth, and I knew it was an apology about to roll off her tongue.
