Page 7 of Veil of Night & Flames

I don’t want to. I want to hold my secret close and never let him know what I did. Except I can’t. Not when every person in the castle, and many from outside, will be at the ceremony in just a few hours. For all I know, even dignitaries from other realms will be coming to stand witness.

Will my mother be there?

I push the thought aside. My mother is dead, and neither Heaven nor Hell is among the realms. Chase already explained that to me and Tia. The woman I saw last night wasn’t my mom, dead or alive. That was just a trick of the light. Just Kali talking to one of the castle’s librarians.

Unless that was a lie.

I push the thought away. Honestly, right now I’m so damn⁠—

“Cora.”

I startle. “Sorry.”

Chase takes my hand. “Dammit, Cora, how steep was that price?”

“Compared to getting you back?” I shake my head. “Not steep at all.”

He just looks at me, and I know I can’t put it off any longer. I look down at my hand twisted in his sheets. I can’t bear to see the way he’ll look at me once he knows the truth.

“Cora,” he whispers. “Please.”

“Me,” I say, blinking fast so I won’t cry. “The price was me.”

He uses his forefinger to tilt my head up. “How?”

“I’m his betrothed,” I say, and though my head may be up, my eyes are firmly on the bedclothes. But that’s the coward’s way out, and I force myself to meet the pain in his beautiful golden eyes. “Chase?” His name is a whisper, barely audible. “Chase, please.”

But he doesn’t say anything. Then nothing, then nothing still.

Across the room, the fire pops. He looks at the ceiling for a long second, as if there might be an answer up there. Then his eyes come back to mine, and what I see in them isn’t anger. Instead, he looks like someone punched him in the gut. And I guess that someone would be me.

“I see,” he says.

“The ceremony’s this morning. In a few hours.” I whisper the words, barely audible. “I’m sorry,” I add, only realizing I’ve started crying when he brushes the tears from my cheek. “It was the only way to save you.”

“God, Cora.” His voice sounds like pain.

“I won’t put the realms at risk,” I say, my voice thick. “I swear.”

“I believe you,” he says, but I can tell from his tone that he’s thinking about the loophole. Consummation of our wedding will bring down the barriers, which means there is no way we’ll be consummating that wedding.

But there’s no prophetic ramification triggered by sex when we’re only engaged. And I’d be lying if I didn’t admit that I’m a fan of that loophole.

I say none of that. Instead, I hold my breath, waiting for Chase to call me out. But he says nothing.

Then again, he doesn’t have to. I can see the shock—and the worry—all over his face. Along with a hefty dose of jealousy.

“I had to save you,” I whisper. “I love you. What else could I have done?”

For a moment, I think he’s going to simply blow off my question. Or toss the fact that I like the loophole in my face. Or ask me if I’ve already slept with Adric. If maybe I was doing that very thing while Chase struggled for his life.

So much guilt weighs heavy in my chest that I almost wish he would ask.

But he doesn’t. He just draws a breath, looking miserable. “We’ve all paid too high a price coming here. You shouldn’t be a bargaining chip. I should never have needed my brother’s blood. And Whistler should still be alive.”

I can only nod as fresh grief for Whistler washes over me. Chase is giving us both an out, I realize. And I’m taking it.

“He saved my life,” I say quietly. “That night after the Whitehall party. You both did. But Whistler was the one who got there first—blade out, shoving me and Tia behind him.” I shake my head. “That was so weird. Even though I was almost certain who you really were—well, more or less—I had no idea who or what he was.” I sigh. “Turns out he was a friend.”