“You’ve been paying attention,” I say.
She shrugs. “Most of this I’m sure the king knows, but I wanted to make it clear he can count on me to pass updates along as they arise. You’ll tell him?”
“I will,” I say, and with a satisfied nod, she melts back into the line of people waiting to pay fealty.
I smile to myself. It’s safe to say Naia’s moved on to bigger things than our betrothal. It almost seems like she’s vying for a spot as advisor to the new king.
“And what in the name of Ralus didshewant?”Ana comes to stand by my side, her hazel eyes fierce as she glares in Naia’s direction.
“She’s heard some gossip about people who might move against Fairon now he’s king. She just wanted to pass it on. Why?”I level a questioning look at her as I sense a touch of a certain spiky emotion across the mooring.“Don’t tell me you’re jealous?”
Ana makes a dismissive scoff.
“Of that harpy? Not likely,”she replies swiftly.
I give her a knowing smirk.
She tosses her hair over her shoulder.“Dig a little deeper and you’ll feel how much I don’t care about that woman. Why should I? You’remine.”
The last thought comes with a deeply possessive note I love to hear.
“Feeling territorial, are we?”I say to prod her into more of it.
“It’s just a statement of fact.”She meets my gaze, pinning me in place with the heat of her look.“And after this ceremony, I will take you back to our room and remind you exactly whoyou belong to. Slowly. Thoroughly. Until you can’t even remember your own name, let alone that shrew’s.”
Warmth rolls through my veins, and I grin at her hungrily.
“Careful, princess, I’ll hold you to that promise.”
“You can hold me against anything you want,”she replies, looking straight ahead.“As long as you’re buried inside me when you do it.”
I make a choking noise, and she laughs out loud, pleased with herself.
“I probably don’t want to ask what’s so funny, do I?” Alastor says, coming to stand beside us, having just publicly sworn his oath to Fairon.
“Maybe not,” Ana says. “How are you feeling? Did the dryads?—”
“Yes, for the fifth time, I’m fine. The dryads had me patched up within the hour,” Alastor says with a sigh. He’s annoyedwith himself for succumbing to my grandfather’s magic, but it took Ana intervening for Fairon and me to escape it too, so he shouldn’t blame himself. And he certainly shouldn’t be snippy with Ana.
I’m about to point out it washerwork that saved him from Respen in the first place when I catch her eye, and she gives a little shake of the head.
“Leave it,”she says gently into my mind.
“He should know who brought Respen to his knees yesterday. Most of them haven’t worked it out yet.”
“And I’m fine with that. I mean…I don’t know if I want to explain it just yet.”
I nod, accepting her request. But still, I wonder. I felt her magic through the mooring when my grandfather fell. I knew it was her doing, I just wasn’t exactly sure how.
It was later she explained she’d worked out how to dim a celestial flame rather than rejuvenate it. It makes sense—two sides of the same coin. However, the power suddenly coming to her in that moment caught her off guard, and even after I promised we’d figure out her new capabilities together, I can tell that it disturbed her.
I let it lie for now, confident she’ll open up to me when she’s ready.
As the line of nobles starts to dwindle, I get increasingly impatient for it all to end so Ana can get to work fulfilling her promise from earlier. But it seems my brother has other ideas. Captain Odaire appears at my elbow.
“His Majesty would like you to come with me.” He looks over to Ana. “Both of you, if you’d be so kind, Your Highnesses. There’s something he wants to show you.”
We follow Odaire out of the throne room, toward the king’s quarters. I suppose this is how it’s going to be now Fairon is king. Instead of pulling us aside himself for a quick chat, he has to delegate.
