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“In the unlikely event that you don’t join us in the afterlife, there will be consequences. Grave consequences.”
Her own amber fire burned even brighter. “Change the world, granddaughter. And heal our kingdom.”
“I don’t know what you did,” I ground out. “But you don’t get to leave me here without you. You will fucking come back to me, or I will follow you and drag you back myself.”
“Some fae woman has been handing over creatures from her territory for years. Calls herself a warden or something.”
“Once you cross the line into a certain level of idiocy, you lose the right to self-determination. And that is especially true for those responsible for protecting children.”
Slowly, Jorvik raised his arms. “That was fast, Your Majesty. Your cousin made it seem like you were somewhat…challenged when it came to intelligence.”
“Listen to me, wildcat. Our story doesn’t end when this life does. You’ll be mine in the next life––and the life after that. If you hadn’t wielded time, I would have waited as long as it took to see you again.”
This was all Prisca’s fault. That bitch got beneath my skin. She made me care.
An arrow flew toward his unarmed back. I slashed at it with the last of my power—just enough to throw it off course. Turning, Calysian raised one eyebrow as it dropped to the ground. His lips pulled up from his teeth in a snarl. Irritation gleamed in his eyes. “That’s another life debt.”
“It doesn’t matter. Intention matters. Make me owe you again, and I’ll kill you myself.” I showed him my teeth. “Try.”
“And where were you when he was rotting in that cell?” I hissed. “My best friend broke in to the castle and saved our lives. What did you do, except turn and run? Did you enjoy building your new life, while knowing Demos would never experience such joy again? Did you even think of him?”
Lorian let out a low, vicious snarl. He was becoming a little…feral as time went on with no sign of my power.
“The fates have seen fit to push us together more than once. One day, when I need you, you will help me with my own goals.”
It would be difficult for him to find me on another continent. But still, the entitlement in his voice infuriated me. I said nothing, and he seemed content with my silence. Likely, he’d decided I would fall in line with his decrees. He truly was an idiot.
But it wasn’t those orders that made these soldiers steal and rape and kill. No, they did those things with a sick kind of pleasure—and that pleasure was evident in the whooping cheers of a group in the distance, followed immediately by terrified screams from several women.
“I never asked to be part of your little group. I’m here to win this war and leave. So stop trying to make me care about you. All of you.” She turned and stalked out.
“You think feelings are a weakness. And sometimes, they are. Sometimes, those feelings eat at everything you thought you were. But a life refusing to feel, to love? That is worse than a weakness. That is a travesty. To refuse to feel the full range of emotions, to deny yourself joy in an effort to protect yourself from the loss? I may not know much—may have no true glimpse of the future the way my mother does—but I know without a doubt that one day, the tiny moments of joy you keep turning your back on? They’re the moments that will keep you alive.”
This was my best friend’s day, and if she hadn’t yet noticed just how Demos was struggling, I wouldn’t be the one to point it out. She deserved at least one day of true happiness.
“I vow to be the roots that ground you, the branches that help you reach for your dreams, and the shelter that forever keeps you safe. I will love you in every life.”
“You say that now. Titles aren’t meaningless, Lorian.” I shrugged. “I was a fae prince, and now I’m Prisca’s mate and husband. I know which titles mean more to me. Which titles I wear with pride and will until the day I die. Besides, she has a title of her own.” “Her title as the hybrid heir?” “No.” I bared my teeth. “Mine.”
“So give one of them to a fae you trust.” “You are a fae I trust.” “My loyalty is to the hybrids.” He gave me a faint smile. “Yes. But we are still allies.
The slap was the displeasure of a queen who knew Stillcrest wanted to feel some kind of punishment. But the hug… That was my best friend. The girl who had sat next to me on the roof of the bakery in our village as we made our own clumsy blood vow. The woman who had tricked her way into Regner’s castle and saved me from certain death.
I might have been given the ability to see the dead, but I didn’t have to see these soldiers. I saw the people I killed because I harbored guilt for those deaths. Because despite my pretense at accepting my title of the Bloodthirsty Prince, I’d always loathed it. And I’d allowed Prisca to defend anyone who dared to name me as such. It was a weakness—that guilt.
“Do you know what happens to those who allow innocents to die for their own convenience? They soon find that convenience is replaced by the cold fingers of guilt tightening around their throats each time they attempt to sleep.”
I waited for him to snarl at me. Instead, his mouth slammed down on mine. Demos’s kiss was a punishment. He bit my lip, soothed it with his tongue, and then swept that tongue deeper, demanding entrance to my mouth.
“Do better than me, cousin. Be the ruler I wished I could be. Bring our people home.”
“There is one who can remove that power from you,” she said. “One day, he will come to you for help. But it will not be for many years. In the meantime, I give you this advice… The dead have only the power you give them.”
I kept telling myself there would be more time later for me to become the man you deserved. I was sure that once we won this war, I could do this properly. I could court you.”
“Bravery is a choice. However, you can’t wait until the moment you need to be brave to reach for that bravery. Because if you haven’t been purposefully tending to it, building it up, you may find that it is not there when you need it. You must stoke the fires of courage little by little, day by day, so they are burning bright long before you ever need them. And you fuel or douse those fires—fanning the flames or snuffing them out—with the words you say to yourself. And with the words you allow others to say about you in your presence.”
No, I’d crippled myself. Which was much, much worse. I’d made myself helpless. I’d made myself a victim.
Allowing the feelings to swamp me if they wished—because I could handle them—I reached for my power. And it leaped at me like a puppy who’d been left alone for days. I snatched it to me, but I didn’t need to. My power was strong and deep…so deep, it was as if it had just been waiting for me to acknowledge it once more.
I’d never agreed to play by the gods’ rules. I didn’t care that they said what I had done with my power was forbidden. All that mattered was what I could do with my own power. Whatever possibilities that power gave me were mine to exploit. I was done feeling guilty for using what I’d been born to wield.
“Sin.” He took my arm. “I wanted you to rest. Today will be a long day, and you looked so exhausted. Besides, I liked seeing you sleeping in my bed.” My cheeks heated, and he gave me a slow grin. “The next time I get you in my bed, you won’t be sleeping for hours,” he murmured, and my thighs tensed.
“You’ve always been a prince. Besides, my best friend became a queen and mated the Bloodthirsty Prince. That’s far more impressive.”
“Nelia knew you needed to die here. She gave her life to ensure it would happen. To ensure you would help the others find the amulet and kill the king.”
“Let it be known across all four kingdoms. The human power was returned by Madinia Farrow.”
I’d once believed there was nothing heroic about war. Now, I knew it brought out the best and worst in everyone. When I thought about heroes, I thought about Natan and the precious hours he’d given us. I thought about Conreth, saving Prisca’s life. I thought about Telean, fighting in the only way that made sense to her. I thought about our people risking everything to keep the hybrids hidden in those caves alive.
