A Vow So Bold and Deadly (Cursebreakers, #3)

by Brigid Kemmerer

I push away from the table and return to stare out the window, resting my fingertips against the icy chill of the frame. The cold is startling and stabilizing, and I take a deep breath. “Go if you must,” I say. “My guards will likely welcome the—” Hands close on my waist, and I gasp. “Shh,” he murmurs, holding me still. His breath touches my hair, the skin of my neck. His hands are always so gentle, but I can feel his strength. My heart gallops along in my chest, but I want to lean into him, to let his arms close around me and capture my thundering pulse. “There will be talk,” he says, his voice low and intent. “Even if I do nothing more than stand guard inside your door while you sleep, your guards and servants will talk. There will be no quelling the rumors.” I think of him on the field, facing Solt, doing what he can to control my soldiers without defying my wish to rule without violence, trying to maintain control without giving the impression that he’s countermanding me. I consider everything Nolla Verin said and wonder if I’ve been crippling everyone around me with my own self-doubt. I’ve spent so much time worrying about what everyone else wants, worrying about how they see me, that I haven’t given a moment’s thought to what I want. “Then let there be talk,” I finally say. “Lia Mara—” “I don’t care.” I turn in his arms and look up at him. “Wait. Do … you?” “It would be difficult for your people to think any less of me.” Grey frowns. “But I do not wish for them to th...

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