“If your brother marries the Volcan princess, and I wed you, Arbinj will have ties to both Volca and Tundrayn. It’ll be stronger than ever.”
“Yes,” he says quietly, gray eyes flicking back and forth as he watches me pace.
“Faramir will be king of Arbinj and Volca. And when I become queen … you’ll be king of Tundrayn. Your father means to control my kingdom while giving nothing of his own power.”
“Yes,” Zev repeats, hands clenching and unclenching at his sides.
My feet lead me to the large window. I stare down at the capital, gears shifting in my head. “And if I refuse to marry you…” I muse quietly. “Your father could have me thrown intothe dungeons. Killed. Or worse.” My eyes cut to Zev’s. “He won’t let me return home.”
Zev comes to stand beside me. “No. He won’t.”
I take a deep, shaky breath.
“Your father wants me to refuse. Wants me to give him a reason.”
Zev nods. I can’t read his expression—he’s completely stoic.
I’m silent for a long time, staring out at a city that hates me.
I can’t return home.
I couldn’t even if I wanted to. I won’t disappoint my people.
I came here for peace. For Tundrayn.
There is only one path forward.
“Yes.” My voice is quiet. Determined. Zev’s brow furrows, and I add, “I’ll marry you.”
He blinks. His mouth moves like he wants to argue.
“Mayah…” he says softly. “You don’t have to do this.”
“But I do. If I refuse, there will be no alliance. Your father will make me vanish. Or he could attack Tundrayn. That is, if my father doesn’t attack first. War will ravage the realm. Ihaveto marry you.” A thought occurs to me, sudden and unwelcome. “Unless … unless there’s someone else.”
“No.” He shakes his head firmly, mouth contorting into a grimace. “There’s no one else. It’s just—” Anguish mars his handsome face. “It should be your choice.”
I place a hand on his arm. “Thisismy choice,” I whisper softly, gazing up at him. “I’m choosing to survive.”
His face looks pained, as if that wasn’t quite the answer he wanted.
I step closer until our boots are touching.
“Well?” My voice is a quiet murmur. “Will you marry me, Zev?”
So many emotions cross his face, I can’t read them all. But the last one is steely resolve, tempered by tenderness.
He cradles my face, calloused hands gentle on my skin. His forehead rests against mine.
Then—“Yes.” A breathless rasp. A hard swallow, his gray eyes brimming with affection. “Yes, I’ll marry you.”
The intensity in his eyes is so overpowering, I nearly tear my gaze away. He traces my cheek reverently with his thumb.
“I should have done this the night we danced beneath the stars,” he murmurs, his breath fanning my lips. “Know that it will always be my greatest regret.”
And then he kisses me.
Chapter Twenty-Six
