“Now, you have a choice to make.” I dipped her as the melody called for, arching her back away from me while keeping what parts of us I couldpressedtogether.
OnceI’dpulled her up in one elegant move, she met my gaze and arched an eyebrow—a question without having spoken.
“You can abandon your old life, including whatever brought you on your mission here tonight, and tell me everything you know while serving at my side…” Itook a breath,letting the weight of my words sink into her. The type of dedication I was asking for.
“Or?”shepushed, continuing to step and move in perfect rhythm with me and the song.
Dipping my head so my lips barely brushed the shell of her ear as they moved, I purred, “Or,I can out you right here, right now.Don’tworry, I appreciate your confidence—I’dtell them to make it a swift death. Youwouldn’teven get to see the inside of Gatlyn Castle’s dungeons.”
I smiled asI felt her shouldersstiffen ever so slightly—the only reaction I noticed, besides the defeated, angry glint in her eyes when I pulled away.
The song tapered off as the melodycame to an endin a single, drawn-out note.
“So?” I inquiredsoftlya heartbeat after the song ended, the crowd clapping all around us.
I watched, fascinated, as she subtly studied her surroundings. When she finally seemed to realize just how badlyshe’dfailed whatever her mission might have been, she sighed heavily.
Then she kneeled.
She looked up at me expectantly, although I had been bargaining on having to watch her die tonight.
When I clearedmy throat loudly, what little of the crowd’s attention thatwasn’talready on us shifted our wayatthe sound.
Choosing my wording for this next part carefully, I finally spoke.
“Do you, Valenia of the North, vow to serve me for the remainder of your days and protect me with your life, until one of us returns to the Stars?”
If Iwasto keep an eye on this beautiful stranger, this was the best way to do it.She’dbevowedto me, unable to harm me, andshe’dalways be nearby.
For that reassurance, I could drown out the sound of my doubts and anxieties.
Valenia, whose shoulders had been squared back and her dress elegantly pooled on the floor around her, responded strongly and with that unwavering confidence I knew I could mold.“Yes, my king. I vow this.”
I smirked as I listened to her speak. It seemed theold traditionof vows was still well known, as gasps and chatter rang out from the crowd. That, and the old standard of not having females in a place of power.
“Then rise, and take your place as my Right Hand,” I commanded.
The female kneeling before me bowed her head beforerisingto her feet and taking her place by my side.
Now, shewasmine. If she were to ever break her vow, it was death on sight—no questions asked—by the hands of any Northerner that could get their hands on her. Only the ruler of the North could excuse her—and we both knew Iwasn’tdoing that.
Though I felt sure it wouldn’t come to that.
“Anybody who needs to speak to me now goes through Valenia of the North first. She shall be as my spoken word and my action.”I looked out at the disgruntled, enraged faces in the crowd. “And if anybody believes they’d be a better fit for her position, please, feel free to try and take itfrom her.”
Chapter Sixteen
“We should be right about… here,” Laurence said, pointing toward a spot on the map before us, his finger resting on the outskirts of the northern part of Wittuck Woods. The Northern border patrols had lessened slightly, but we’d still decided as a group to pair up and shadow wield across while it was dark out—just in case. The section of the forest we stood in was across the border that separated the North from the South.
A border that I had—once again—crossed.
Sometimes I found it difficult to believe that I had, at one time, never wanted to leave Hollis.I’d still only seen a portion of our world so far, and yet I couldn’t imagine going back to having such a narrow view of life and our realm as a whole.
“We’re almost to our rendezvous point,” Rayven added, motioning to a small dot just above Laurence’s finger that signified where we would be setting up our collective group meeting place.
We’dleftCairnylabout a day ago. Quinn had stayed behind to care for Ezra—withvery detailedinstructions fromChess, of course. Besides Quinn and Ezra, we were also missing Teagan, who had stayed behind to not only keep an eye on Margo, but to hold down the fort while the rest of us were away.
Theremainderof us—Callum, Caelia, Rayven, Matea, Chess, Laurence, Byn, and myself—were going to find our own clues about our missingfae.
