Page 109 of Kingdom of Death and Hope

“Do you know how dangerous that was?” Kieran asks. “Do you know how worried I was when I heard from several people that they spotted you? Do you know that I rushed out of a meeting to get to you and make sure you were okay? Do you know how scared I was when I felt the fear through the bond?”

“I know it was dangerous, but I’m just tired of sitting in the castle when I could be doing something!” I throw my hands up in the air. “I know it was dumb and I know I shouldn’t have done it, but I wanted to help.”

Kieran steps forward and cups my face in his hands. “You are my world, and if something were to happen to you, then I don’t know what I would do with myself.”

“Kieran.”

“Promise me that you won’t do something like this again,” he mumbles. “Promise.”

“Will we work together?” I ask.

He sighs. “We’ll work together for this. We’re going to find her. I know you want to and I want to as well.”

“I promise.”

CHAPTER 38

“You spotted her?” I yell as I walk into the throne room. “Were you going to tell me you spotted her?”

Kieran stands up from his throne and meets me in the middle of the room.

“I had to hear it from Henry by accident as he talked to another guard about keeping me in the palace until you can track her down.” I lower my voice when he gets closer to me. “Why didn’t you tell me? I thought we were past keeping anything about Avira a secret.”

“I was just about to come tell you the new update, I promise. You can ask anyone in this room and they will tell you the truth,” he replies. “Elias came to me just now with another update. That’s why I couldn’t come to you in time to tell you.”

“I trust you,” I tell him. “I just… next time have a guard come and get me. I want to be part of this since I have to kill her.”

“Sweets.”

I shake my head. “No. I know you want to keep me out of things, so I’m not stressing and worried all the time, but being on the outside, not knowing anything, is far worse. My mind is constantly on her. I don’t have a moment where she doesn’t cross my mind. Is she going to come and get me right now or will she show up when I finally forget about her?”

I take a deep breath in and slowly let it out, trying to calm myself down. We are in front of people and we both agreed that we wouldn’t get into any arguments with people around.

“Next time I’ll have a guard come and get you if it’s something serious,” he finally says.

“For anything, not just something serious.” I give him a pointed look. “Promise me.”

He sighs. “I promise.”

“We are a team and you leaving me out of things doesn’t make me feel like we are a team. It makes me feel like I am inferior to you,” I say.

“Adeline, that was not my intention.”

“I know it wasn’t, but we promised to communicate with each other and I needed you to know this.”

“Thank you for telling me and I’m sorry that I made you feel that way,” he says.

Kieran pulls me into his embrace, and I allow myself to relax.

“Is there anything else you want to tell me?” he asks.

“Can you give me the dagger so I can keep it on me at all times?” I ask, looking up at him.

Kieran gives me an unsure look.

“Please,” I say softly. “What if she appears in front of me and I have time to kill her? If I don’t have the dagger, then I may die.”

Kieran growls. “You are not going to die.”