Killian swallowed, and pulled back even more, letting his hands drop from Kade’s face. “You should sleep. You must beexhausted.”
“What? No!” Kade’s eyes flew open, his hands clenched around Killian’s elbows, keeping them close. “You’re here. You’refinallyhere. I can’t sleep now. There’s so much for us to talk about. The last I heard of you was a letter about your pardon. They said you would work off your sentence some other way in the capital. What have you been doing all this time? Why haven’t you answered any of my letters? Wait, no, we shouldn’t talk here. Let’s go to the house. I’ll make us some—” Kade was already starting to tug at Killian when he suddenly stopped dead in his tracks. The budding smile on his face dropping slowly, morphing into one of horror.
“Kade?”
“What is this?” Kade asked, outraged. “What is this? Killi, who did this to you?”
Too late did Killian realize what Kade was seeing. His shirt was thrown haphazardly over a nearby saddle, leaving his entire torso on display. Hisenilon display.
He hadn’t wanted Kade to find out like this.
It was Killian’s burden to bear.
The thick black lines of Killian’senilweaved across his entire body. Twin thick black lines encircled his neck, hips, each of his elbows, knees, wrists and ankles with more trailing down the center of his chest and back, over his shoulders and down the outside of his arms and legs, each piece connected together in a grid splayed out on his skin.
Fyar hadn’t held back, his wording precise to keep Killian on a tight leash. Unable to betray the king unless Killian was willing to doom himself in the process.
Killian took a step back. “It’s not what you think.”
Kade followed him, shuffling forward. He reached out, his eyes locked on the lines that carved trails over Killian’s body.
Catching Kade’s hands just before he could touch the bands around Killian’s neck. Killian lowered his eyes. “It’s not what you think.”
“Really?” Kade’s lip trembled. “Because I think you’ve been made a slave.”
“I’m no slave.”
“You look like one. Killi, this—” Kade choked. “This is more than just control. This isownership. Whoever you’ve bound yourself to…”
Was there any way to salvage this? “It’s not as serious as you’re thinking. I’m fine, I promise. I forget they’re there most of the time.”
Kade shook his head. “You shouldn’t have agreed to this.”
“I had little choice at the time.” Killian raised his chin, it wasn’t ideal, but he refused to be ashamed of it. “It was this, or they went forward with my execution.” It was blunt, cruel, but the words landed. With a broken sound, Kade wrenched backwards, ripping his hands out of Killian’s grasp. “I was sentenced to death, Kade. For what I did to Tyr. That’s not something you can escape without a price.”
“Is this how you secured your pardon?”
Hesitating to answer, Killian mulled over how much he could safely reveal. “It was part of it. Yes.”
“What else was there?”
Killian didn’t answer. He couldn’t. Even if he wanted to, he couldn’t say. Theenilbranded onto his tongue would burn through his throat, leaving him choking and gagging for breath until he drowned in his own blood. He was unable to talk aboutthe vow unless given Fyar’s express permission.
An added layer of protection.
“What are your terms?”
Killian didn’t answer.
“What happens if you break those terms?”
Killian didn’t answer.
Kade was shaking. His eyes too wide. “Who are you bound to?”
Killian’s eyes slid shut. “Fyar Engarathi, the King of Netyere.”
There was a long moment of silence.
