“No one ever asked me if I wanted to marry him. The king justassumedhis pet would do whatever he wanted. So he told me I would marry Remington.”
I hated that my voice wobbled on the last word, that my eyes grew blurry as I stared into the flames.
Sandalwood, his favorite scent, poured off the crimson-clad king in droves as he loomed above me. He twisted his hands in the air, a stream of red magic flooding out of him. He held out his palms; the magic forming a sphere in his hands.
I flinched. I’d seen what balls of magic like that could do to a person. No one ever survived.
“It is time,” High King Edgar said in a firm voice.
“My king?” I asked.
Please, no. It can’t be. Not yet. I’m not ready.
He stalked over to me, his brow raised. This close, the sandalwood made me want to throw up. “One week from today, when the sun rises, you will marry Remington. Do you understand me, pet?”
I swallowed, staring at the black stones scattered through my tower. Inside my chest, my heart raced.
I had known this day would come and yet now that it was here…
I wasn’t ready.
“Yes,” I whispered. My voice was weak, but the answer seemed to appease the king. “I’ll do it.”
“Good.”
He stomped out of my room, and I didn’t move.
One week.
Wiping my hands under my eyes, I blinked rapidly. I would not cry. Not after I’d gotten away. He had given me one week, and I’d taken it. During that time, I had gathered the courage required to break the leash binding me to the king.
I’d escaped. Stayed alive. Gotten through Thyr. Not only that, but I had magic. I wasn’t born Without, as I’d originally thought. I’d summoned Myhhena. Power resided within me.
I’d already made up my mind. I wouldnotlet the king take me back.
For a long moment, the only sound in the cavern was our breathing. The fire crackled, filling my nose with the scent of ash and burnt wood, as I forced the thoughts of the Crimson King out of my mind.
Xander cleared his throat. “Why does the king call you his pet?”
My head snapped up. I hadn’t meant to let that slip. Clenching my fists at my side, I snarled, “It’s my turn to ask a question.”
Xander’s face hardened at the tone of my voice, but I couldn’t quell the anger rising within me. It was easier to be angry. Easier to yell and snap and be mean. Easier to avoid the question that meant revealing my pain. “What is so important about the map you got from Jo?”
A long sigh escaped Xander as he stared at me. He ran his hand through his silver-white hair as he stared at something on the wall behind me. “Can I trust you?”
I narrowed my eyes. “Is that another question? You haven’t answered mine yet.”
“Please, Aileana,” he whispered. There was something in his tone that made me look up. His eyes were soft, imploring, as he studied me. “Just answer this last one. Can I trust you?”
The air in the cavern felt weighty, and I realized that this question was important. Somehow I knew the way I answered this would change the course of my life forever.
Sucking in a deep breath, I met his gaze. “Yes,” I whispered. “You can trust me, Xander.”
His shoulders seemed to loosen at that admission, his entire body becoming more slack. “Thank you,” he breathed. “You can trust me, too.”
And I realized it was true. There had been so many opportunities for Xander to hurt me, to betray me, to rid himself of me, but he hadn’t taken any of them.
Even after I had stabbed him, he had stayed.