“If I lose control, you need to stop me.”
“Obviously—”
“No.” He stilled at my hard tone. “Let me be clearer. I intend to stay away from Theodore, but if we end up in the same room, you can never leave me. We cannot be alone together. Not even briefly. And if I lose control—if I accidentally use my lure—you have to kill me.”
Lachlan flinched. “Killyou.”
I nodded.
He shook his head, dizzied. “I’m sorry,kill you? This seems a bit extreme.” He scrubbed his face. “You’re asking me to do something that would make my king and close friendandthe woman I love abhor me.”
“I suppose I’m soothed by the fact that you have some qualms about this, even if they are entirely personal.”
He huffed a breath, looking miserable. “Can’t I just knock you out?”
I paused and remembered that dream. The surge of hunger that had gripped Eusia’s body. The burn in her jaw at the thought of being fed. I’d felt that same voracious want in her at the thought of having Theodore’s blood.
“No,” I said, quietly, adamantly. “It won’t be enough.”
My voice must have betrayed the depth of my fear, because Lachlan went rigid. “Enough?” It was easy to forget how clever he was when I was perpetually annoyed with him. His look turned keen, and he drew a step nearer to the cot I sat upon. “Why wouldn’t striking you unconscious be enough to keep him safe?”
“I don’t…” My heart punched at the suspicion in his eyes. “I couldn’t bear… I just don’t want to risk it.”
“Tell me, Imogen.”
“Gods. Fine.” The ship tipped over a swell, and I knotted my hands in my lap. “My lure is… corrupted. There was somethingabout the blood bond that Theodore and I shared that kept my tie with Eusia at bay. Now that it’s severed, Eusia is able to access my lure.”
For a long time, Lachlan was quiet, teeth chewing the inside of his lip. “Access it.Useit, you mean?”
I nodded. “A blood bond lets the bonded share their power—I was able to use Theodore’s. He never tried to use mine. But somehow, I’d guess with the spell she used to forge our bond, Eusia can overtake mine. I used it in that battle against the Serafis and she was able to pull entire crews into the sea. She made them speak her spell. She made sacrifices of them.”
Lachlan’s face slackened. “Oh good,” he said, looking pallid and angry. “That’s good.Bloody—”
“If I’d told you sooner, would you have helped me escape the palace? Would you have helped me get on this ship?”
“Yes. For Agatha, I would have.” He blew out a fast breath, then propped his fists on his hips. “And a little bit for you.”
“I…” It felt like a stone lodged in my throat. “Thank you. I’m sorry I didn’t tell you sooner. I give you my word that I will do everything in my power to get you to her. If my word means anything to you anymore.” I blinked back tears. Getting to Agatha was the only thing propelling me now. “I will stay away from Theodore and keep a hold on myself as best I can, but please, promise me you won’t hesitate if it’s the only way to keep him safe.”
He rubbed his temple. “You damn well better keep a hold on yourself because if I have to kill you, then we have no hope of getting to Anthemoessa.”
I shook my head. “If I die, so does Eusia. So will Anthemoessa’s blight, I expect. Killing me would solve a great many problems.”
Lachlan went uncharacteristically somber at that, but he gave a quiet, understanding nod. He glanced up, where the sound ofmusic and shuffling steps on the main deck bled through the cracks in the wood. “Ready to go snag a bride?”
My chest constricted, but I managed a nod. “Ready.”
We reached the ladder to the upper deck and stopped. It was quiet above—the music had stopped, and only some of the crowd still lingered.
Lachlan stood on the ladder’s first step, peering over the edge of the deck. A moment later, he ducked down toward me. The lantern light from above shone gold over the brim of his tricorn, setting his face into shadow.
“What are you waiting for?” I whispered.
“Let’s set some rules.”
“What?”
He held up a finger. “If you feel your hold on your power starting to slip…” He paused like he was searching for a sufficient solution to the problem. “Tap my elbow twice.”
