Page 89 of Black Sea

Araton quickly moved his hand to the hilt of his dagger, but I only let him draw it a single inch before giving him a look so lethal that he froze, gazing at me in dismay.

Unfazed by my brother, Amlach kept his burning eyes on Erech and growled, “My mother took her own life after you denied her the chance to return to her people for years.”

Father inhaled brusquely, caught off guard.

“She was painfully unhappy among humans,” Amlach said, his deep voice filled with hatred. “And you even banned her from visiting her family’s village.”

My father briefly closed his eyes, as if he were carrying too much weight for his strength at that moment. Then he released a heavy sigh and wore an unyielding expression. “Unfortunately, she chose her fate the moment she left our kingdom.”

“She was one of you!” Amlach yelled. “And you abandoned her out of fear of what? That I was like that guy you all defeated together a thousand years ago? Well, sorry to disappoint you, but I’m just an ordinary man with peaked ears.”

“That is for sure,” the King of the Elves said in a deadly tone. “Otherwise, I would have come in person to slaughter you in the cradle.”

“Father!” I shouted in shock.

A scornful half-smile touched Amlach’s lips. “And you say we humans are the villains.”

That sentence felt like a dagger to my heart.

For my father, it was simply the signal that the meeting had ended. He nodded to the soldiers, who then directed the horses toward us. “Escort the King of Men to the quarters that have been prepared for him,” he commanded in Elvish.

No, no, no. They couldn’t take him away. I had to talk to him. I needed to understand, breathe in his scent, scream at him, feel his hand in mine, slap him, hear his sensual voice in my ear.

I needed him close to me.

I needed to stay close to him.

So much so that, as I watched him get back in the saddle, I felt like my lungs weren’t taking in oxygen but flames.

Flames pushing me toward Amlach.

Unable to resist that strong impulse, I started to move, but Araton shifted slightly to the side to block my way, piercing me with the same glower I had given him before.

I looked at him with greater anger, then my gaze flicked to Amlach. He just smiled sadly at me and winked—and I felt like it was for the last time.

The soldiers trotted off, and I could only stand and watch as Amlach disappeared down the other end of the bridge.

“Come, my daughter.” Father offered me his arm, his face a mix of sternness and concern. “Your mother is waiting for you. And you have a lot to tell us.”

I huffed a yielding breath, slid my arm into the crook of his elbow, and walked with him toward the palace. The noise of my brother’s horse’s hooves and the one I’d traveled on followed us as the sun sank behind the mountains of Lake Caran.

54

I finished discussing everything Amlach and I had experienced with my family by dinnertime. Before joining them at the table to answer whatever other questions they might have, I chose to go to my chambers to remove my clothes, still scented with the salt air of the Thalion Sea.

I wore a long-sleeved dress in light blue and blue shades, adorned with gold floral decorations, and fastened some gold hair clips to gather the locks on the sides of my face.

I had just grasped the door handle when I felt a sharp sensation piercing my chest like an arrow.

I froze, holding my breath.

I brought my other hand to my heart.

Amlach.

No, my family would wait. Now I had to go to him. He was the one I needed to bombard with questions. He was the one who had to explain why.

I exited my wing of the palace and stepped into one of its many grassy courtyards. Small fires flickered in tall wrought-iron braziers, casting light on the saplings and stone-and-glass benches, which had white-flowered plants climbing over their backrests.