"Don't be ridiculous." He waves me off and sits on frost covered boulders carved into the likeness of a chair. "There's no need for us to avoid one another. Especially since you're so set on marrying Aurelia. I suppose that will one day make us family."
I lean against the cracked pillar. "Sounds like you have something you want to get off your chest."
He mulls over his words before stating, "You are protective of her. So am I. I don't want to see her hurt."
"I'm not the one you need to worry about."
Thrane reclines, nodding. "Yes, Bastian has proven himself difficult. He will come for her again."
I shrug, doing my best not to show my actual concern. "I'm not worried about him."
"You should be." His eyes slice over to mine. "Don't be ignorant enough to believe he will abandon her quietly. He is a predator. That won't stop because she denied him for you."
A fierce determination ignites in my stomach. "I won't let him take her."
"His mission has upgraded from rescuing his fiancé to retrieving the heir of Enver Sol. Whatever you might think Bastian is capable of, you are gravely short in your expectations. He will become a thorn in your side. The ghost that haunts your sleep. I fear Aurelia won't have the heart to do what is necessary when the time comes."
"You mean kill him?"
The faintest smile graces his lips. "That's exactly what I mean."
"Forgive me, I grow tired of you tiptoeing around what you want to say. So speak plainly."
Thrane chuckles, though there's no trace of joy in his face. "You may not wield fire like your Tronoivan brethren, but you certainly have the fiery disposition." He stands, squaring his shoulders to mine. "Aurelia has a good heart. Despite everything the Midorians put her through, she won't have it in her to put them down."
"Why are you telling me this? Why not speak to her?"
"As her betrothed – as her protector – it will be your job to do what she cannot." He shrugs. "And maybe she will heed your voice more than mine."
I scoff. "Not likely. She's the most stubborn woman I've ever met." I rub my hand up and down my jawline. I haven't shaved in a couple of days and the hair prickles beneath the pads of my fingers. "Why don't you kill him? You're her kin. And you seem to want Bastian dead just as much as I do."
"I killed Armas Basilius for her. I do not question my willingness to gut the Beast of Midori."
"You question mine?" I furrow my brow.
He sighs, either bored with the conversation or exhausted by it. "I do not question your willingness to scorch this earth for her. I want to make sure we understand one another. What must be done should she fail to agree."
I hesitate only a moment before nodding my head. "It wouldn't be the first time I've had to bloody my hands."
"Of that I have no doubt." He looks across the valley at Stelara gleaming under the sun's rays. "I will have to return soon. I used to be able to go wherever I wanted without anyone batting an eye. Now as king, I can't take a piss without someone wondering where I've run off to."
I laugh. "I do not envy you."
His left eyebrow raises, quickly followed by a smirk. "If you see Aurelia before I do, please pass her a message. I'd like to meet with her at Fendruil. It seems Drexel is not taking well to Armas' death."
"Why do you not call her Shaye?"
He stops from his descent. "That is not her birth name."
"It's the name she still goes by."
He swivels to face me. "To you, perhaps. She will always be Aurelia to me."
"Why not just – "
"Someone needs to remind her of who she is. She's not a lost and wayward princess. She's a Basilius-Sol." His voice is clipped and ripe with irritation. I've pressed a button, unleashing his wrath.
"She can be both a Basilius and a Sol while still remaining Shaye."
