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He was barely on his feet before he collapsed back onto the couch. Asleep? More like unconscious. What was in that sleep draught that it could work so quickly, with him hardly finishing the entire cup?

Still, my relief was palpable as I lifted the king onto my back and brought him to his bed, covering him with his blankets before rushing over to the secret door. When I opened it, Cali was standing there, waiting. She’d already healed herself, but that didn’t mean I’d forgotten what he’d done. I led her in quickly, though neither of us could help but look over at the king as we passed the bed to enter her room.

As soon as we were shut inside her room Cali rushed to close the gap between us, and I caught her as she tripped on her robe. She buried her face in my chest, her tears finally giving way.

“He needs me to sustain his immortality,” she murmured against me as I rubbed her back. “Without me he’ll die, like the rest of us.”

“Don’t stress yourself over these things now,” I said against the top of her head. “It’s been a difficult night. You’re welcome to sleep in my room again.”

She was quiet, before saying, “If I run now, whatever sick game this is, he will have won.” She pulled away to look up into my face, new anger and determination in her eyes. “He needs me, Beric. He’ll literally die without me. We have the upper hand.”

“That’s no reason to put yourself in danger. You have nothing to prove.”

“My problem was that I tried to face him alone.” She took my hands and squeezed them. “Well, I’m not alone anymore. And I won’t be chased out of my room again.”

“If that’s what you want…” I sighed, grabbing an armchair from the corner and moving it to sit right in front of the door to the adjoining room.

“Beric.” She sighed. “You can’t stay up all night.”

“I’m used to it.”

“You need your rest as much as I do. Anyway, I know I was crying before, but I really am fine now.”

“With respect, my lady, let me do my job.”

She smirked the slightest bit. “If you insist, my lord.”

As if on cue, I felt my face warm with a blush. It was hard to describe how simply speaking my title was the most enticing thing she could ever say to me.

She bounded from her bed and went to the wardrobe, pulling out a thick folded blanket. She draped the blanket on my lap, tucking it around me, and I leaned close to sniff her vanilla-scented hair, holding her head still to better take it in.

“Beric,” she admonished, then stood upright to assess her work. “There’s no way he’s waking up in the next ten hours, at least. I hope you’ll try to sleep a little.”

“That would defeat the purpose of sitting here.”

She sighed. “I see your point, but you could at least try to make it sound less like a fact and more a romantic gesture.”

I grinned a little. “I’ll try.” I watched her crawl back into bed, my longing to be closer to her unbearable. “What was that, by the way? The sleep draught. It worked so quickly I thought it might have induced a coma.”

“To be honest, it’s not really designed for humans,” Cali said, with a smirk. “It’s a sedative most commonly used on giant beasts of prey.”

CHAPTER 39CALLIOPE

I jolted awake at the sound of my heavy door, recovering as I watched Faline and Eliza enter. I hadn’t expected Eliza, and it gave me hope that perhaps she hadn’t taken real offense to the tantrum I’d thrown the other day, of the treachery I’d accused her of.

The three of us all seemed to look to Beric at the same time, who was now lying across the chair, legs hanging over one arm, head resting on the other. He’d glanced at them, just to be sure of who had entered, then went back to staring at the ceiling.

He was awake, but there was barely any light in his eyes. He’d truly sat in vigil the entire night. Given all he had to protect me. I didn’t care that he insisted on calling it part of his job—no one had ever risked himself for me the way Beric had last night.

Faline, however, did not find the gesture as moving as I did. “I think you’ve done enough for one night, young man. Off with you.”

Beric sighed, then shoved to his feet slowly. “Let me first check on His Majesty.”

“What does he have to do with—?”

She huffed as Beric shoved the chair out of the way of the door and went through. My chest ached a bit—I think I held my breath until he returned to my room. He looked at me and nodded. “Still sleeping.”

“Is that all?” Faline shooed him out into the hall, whacking his back with a folded hand fan. I only had the chance to exchange a small smile with him before she shut him out into the hall.