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A possessive growl reverberated through me, like a wolf guarding a carcass. “I’m sorry you lost your friend.” I powered through my anger that begged for a release. “But I don’t care who he was to you; no one touches you like that and gets to live.”

She placed her hands on my chest, absorbing some of my anger. “I know he shouldn’t have hurt me like that, but you can’t hurt someone just because they hurt someone else.”

“No? But isn’t that what we do, you and I?”

Her eyes widened at my admission. The truth of who we were at our core exposed.

We hurt people all the time.

“Can I show you something?” I asked, pressing her hands harder against my chest, her fingers curling into the fabric of my shirt.

“Yes,” she whispered, peeking down at the black smoke beginning to rise around us.

“Hold tight,” I grinned, repeating the words I’d told her before portaling us the first time, as the night sky cleaved in two around us.

The briny scent of the ocean welcomed us through an open window of the cottage. The sound of sea birds cawing in the distance adding a note of happiness to the already vibrant scenery.

Pulling away from Bryn, I watched as she took it all in, the remaining shadows of my power seeping back into me now that we’d reached our destination.

“Where are we?” she asked, looking around the small sitting area surrounded by sandstone walls. The white sand and turquoise water visible from every window.

“My secret place.” I smiled, taking in a deep breath of the sea breeze. “Well, my almost secret place. You know about it now.”

She smiled at the ocean, then at me.

“This is where I come when I need a break from . . . everything,” I explained.

“Are we still in Esmerelda?”

“No, we’re on Five.” I motioned for her to follow me outside, so she could see more of why I’d chosen this place to be my secret refuge. “The oceans here are more tropical. Different from the dark waters of the Esmereldean Seas.”

“Any famed pirates here?”

I laughed. “Aye, though kinder than those in Esmerelda,” I said in an accent, reaching out to grab her with my fake hook hand.

She laughed, reaching for me, burrowing against my chest. “This is why you always smell of the ocean.”

This was news to me. “I do?”

“Yes. I find it comforting.”

I breathed in the perfume of her hair. “You’ve always smelled like flowers. I’ve missed your scent. I’ve missed you.”

She looked at me shyly, her cheeks tinged with pink beneath her freckles. The green of her eyes bluer here, playing off the color of the water.

“What pains you that you come here to escape it?” she asked, her voice heavy with worry.

I shrugged. What didn’t pain me these days? “The state of the worlds, mostly. Everything is shifting, and I keep trying to get ahead of it, but I’m struggling. The Rogues threaten everything that’s good. And they are so blind with hatred they can’t see the good. Some days the council is the same, with their need to control everything.” I pulled Bryn tighter against me. “The Deks, their power. It’s unlike anything I’ve ever seen. I often wonder what my parents would think of them, how they would control the situation if they were alive.”

Bryn sighed. “I’m sorry they’re not here to help you carry those burdens. I can see how heavy it is to wear the crown.” She looked up at me, her face drawn. “What if I’m not like the Bryn I was before? What if I can’t handle the pressure like you can?”

I laughed. “Clearly you can see I’m not handling it quite so well. We are only human, Bryn. We can only try our best. Decide what we believe is right and wrong and then fight for our beliefs. All I can do is try to make this world a better place. To make all the worlds a better place. And I know you’d make a difference by my side. And I would be there with you, every step of the way. You would never have to stand on your own.”

Bryn looked out across the ocean, over the lazy waves that calmly crested with white foam as they met the sand. “You would make quite the politician on Six. Your words are moving.”

“Don’t get me started about your politicians.” I made a face of annoyance, drawing another laugh from her. “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you I could take you back to Six sooner. I just wanted the chance for you to see all of this.” I glanced at the water. “For you to have all the facts before you made your decision.”

She stood on her tiptoes, angling her head so her lips brushed against mine. “Thank you for finally opening up to me.”