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Xaden is mine. My heart, my soul, my everything. He channeled from the earth to save me, and I’ll scour the world until I find a way to save him right back. Even if it takes bargaining with Tecarus for access to every book on the damned Continent or capturing dark wielders one by one to question, I’ll find a cure.
I will not die today. I will save him.
The rarest of signets—those that rise once in a generation or century—have manifested concurrently with an equal twice in our records, both critical times in our history, but only once have the six most powerful walked the Continent simultaneously. As fascinating as that spectacle must have been, I would rather not live to see it happen again.
shadows explode around us, immediately devouring every speck of light in a sea of endless black I instantly recognize as home. A band of darkness wraps around my hips and yanks me backward, then brushes my cheek gently, steadying my galloping heartbeat and quieting my power.
“I could reach the rank of Maven, lead armies of dark wielders against everyone we care for, and watch every vein in my body turn red as I channel all the power in the Continent, and I would still love you. What I did doesn’t change that. I’m not sure anything can.”
“Telling me you’re capable of horrible things while still loving me is pretty much your idea of foreplay.”
“Yours,” he says like a promise, and my breath catches at the intensity in his eyes.
Ah, there’s the hard-ass everyone else gets. I don’t fight the urge to smile. There’s a huge part of me that likes that I’m the only one who gets his softer edges.
it’s not like Aetos cared who any of us were fucking last year—” “So not true.” Ridoc snorts and shoulder bumps me.
“‘Rebel’ is so…outdated. We prefer the term ‘revolutionary,’” I inform Aura, taking a measured step in her direction and welcoming the crackle of sizzling power in my fingertips. “And if you’re going to wield, then it’s me you’ll be dealing with.”
“You dare—” Aura turns to fully face me, yanking off her other glove. “I dare.” I lift my open palms skyward, and heat streaks along my arms as I release a wave of power, forcing it upward and letting it go.
“You see, Dain’s too honorable to wield in a challenge, but you’ll find that my sense of morality has learned to…waver.”
“Violet,” Rhiannon warns softly from my right. “Shh, it’s more fun when she blows shit up,” Ridoc whispers.
“I can see it sometimes,” Cat says, pulling up her hood as she walks ahead of me. “Why he chose you. Nice speech. Took you long enough to step in, though.”
Right. Plan B: treason. Guess that path chooses itself.
You three”—he points at Rhi, Ridoc, and me—“don’t touch anything.”
Relief pricks at my eyes, and my vision wobbles. “Do not dehydrate on my account,” he lectures.
You might be angry when you realize I didn’t wake you to say goodbye. But it’s only because I no longer fully trust my ability to walk away. —Recovered Correspondence of His Grace, Lieutenant Xaden Riorson, Sixteenth Duke of Tyrrendor, to Cadet Violet Sorrengail
“If I’d been there, beyond the wards, I would have drained the very earth to its core to keep you safe.”
I’ll use Tyrrendor to protect you, not you to protect Tyrrendor.”
Article Eight, Section One of the Basgiath Code of Conduct.
“Everyone, welcome our newest member of your leadership team. Professor Riorson,”
“I am yours and you are mine, and there’s no law or rule in this world or the next that will change that.”
“This is a closed meeting,” Lieutenant Forgot-his-name says, drawing his dimpled chin back in indignation. “I forgive you for failing to invite me,” Xaden replies, sinking into the chair on my left.
Xaden cracks his neck. “‘Don’t worry’ and ‘Dain’ do not belong in the same sentence.”
“I’m either completely in love with your boyfriend or utterly terrified of him,” Ridoc says under his breath. “Not sure at the moment.”
“And you’re going to teach us how to defeat you?” Aaric asks from behind us. A corner of Xaden’s mouth slowly curves upward. “I can teach you to try, but there’s only one person capable of taking me down one day, and it isn’t you, Graycastle.” My cheeks heat as heads swing my way.
“You have to learn the difference for both our sakes.”
“Only you.”
“You need to be able to find me.”
“Because you’re the only one capable of killing me.”
He lifts a hand toward the loosened strands of my braid, but never makes it. Shadows blast straight through the wards and hit Halden in the chest like a battering ram, sending the crown prince of Navarre flying backward—straight into the rock wall. Shit.
“Let’s get three things straight, Your Highness. First, I have remarkable hearing thanks to the shadows at your very feet. Second, I don’t control Violet. Never have. Never will. But third, and most importantly—” He lowers his voice. “She really, honestly hasn’t thought about you. At least not since the second she set eyes on me.”
“We could talk about how your non-boyfriend threw your clearly ex-boyfriend into the wall instead,” Rhi says. “Or even chat about how you’ve never mentioned you were in a relationship with the prince.”
“A prince? A duke? Clearly you have a type,” she teases.
“Yes, love, I’m jealous.”
“I’m jealous of the armor that holds you when I can’t, the sheets on your bed that caress your skin every night, and the blades that feel your hands. So, when the prince of our realm walks into my classroom and starts talking to the woman I love with what can only be considered intense familiarity, and then has the audacity to ask her out right in front of me, naturally, I’m going to get jealous.” He brings our bodies flush.
“You’re Xaden Riorson.” I rise up on my toes and press a kiss to his chin. “Shadow wielder.” Another at his jaw. “Duke of Tyrrendor.” My mouth brushes just beneath his earlobe. “Love of my life. You have nothing to be jealous of.”
“This will only ever be yours. You could leave me or even meet Malek, and it still would be. I’ve made my peace with knowing there’s no getting over you.”
“Speak for yourself,” Xaden says, swinging his leg over and dismounting next to me. “Aretia is the second most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen.” He hands me his reins, turning those gorgeous, gold-flecked onyx eyes into weapons capable of melting the underwear straight off my body as he looks up at me. “And my home is the first.” Unh. Yeah, I flat-out liquefy.
“Good job, Aetos.” “Was that a compliment? What the fuck is going on?” Dain asks, his gaze flying to mine. “Did you give him something?”
She wiggles her finger at Xaden. “I heard you saying you’d kill my grandson if he took another step toward your beloved, young man. How illogically, toxically romantic of you. Have to admit, that kind of confident violence isn’t what I pictured when Asher talked about you, but the brown hair, those…I guess they’re brown eyes, and how utterly smitten he predicted you two would eventually be for each other? Well, he described you almost perfectly, Dain Aetos.” Oh, fucking kill me now.
“Just like it’s gone for the last eighteen months,” Xaden answers, losing any and all trace of the niceties he showed Dain an hour ago. “Everyone assumes she’ll wind up with you, but it’s my last name she ends up wearing on her flight jacket in formation.”
“You aren’t Dain.” Xaden shakes his head. “I’m Dain.” Dain raises his hand briefly. “And he is?” Narelle asks me. “Xaden Riorson.” I lift my chin as if I’m answering to my father for my choice. “And he’s mine, even when he’s being a possessive ass.”
“I’m never running. It’s you and me, no matter what.”
I lean left, just enough to see Xaden glance over his shoulder. “Yes, the table is broken. Now, what do you need?”
“You two totally broke it, didn’t you?” Ridoc asks on the edge of laughter. “Like that armoire no one was supposed to notice getting hauled out of her room during first year?”
“I’m Xaden Riorson, the Duke of Tyrrendor.” Xaden inclines his head. “He’s probably expecting me.” Blue Sash blinks, then looks in my direction. “And you are?” Well, shit. My mouth opens— “My consort,” Xaden replies casually. “Violet Sorrengail.” What the actual fuck? My jaw snaps shut so hard my teeth click. I want our bond back and I want it back right now. He can’t just announce things like that without at least a discussion.
“And consort?” I whisper. “We aren’t married.” He fucking smirks. “I’ve noticed. But ‘girlfriend’ is missing that permanent tone.
“The Duke of Tyrrendor,” Blue Sash announces loudly, gesturing to the four steps that lead up the dais on the left, “and his consort, Violet Sorrensail.”
