Page 118 of Merciless Is My Crown

I restrained myself from flicking his nose. “Your ego is just hurt.”

He winked. “You’d better fucking believe it is.” A chorus of shooshes went up before he turned around and bared his teeth at the now-silent room while I winced.

“That means we only have five days to get into Solarys then decide how to get close enough to the king to kill him.” Tavion’s blue eyes hardened to ice chips. “You also informed her Raz was doing the honors of putting the Shadow King in the ground.”

“I did say that.” I tried to keep the worry from my voice but couldn’t. Our odds…kept getting worse. With every step we took, our chances of survival grew slimmer and slimmer, and we both knew it.

Still, I straightened my shoulders and pasted a smug smile on my face. “I told her exactly what each of us will be doing. Can’t leave our boss out of the loop, can we?”

Tavion’s lips tickled my ear, his hand skating back up my leg, except this time I didn’t stop him. “Does that mean none of us will be doing those jobs, or did you actually give away your master plan to that monster? You know she can read minds, right?”

“Oh, trust me, I know,” I told him tartly, turning to the next page. “I simply have an entirely different backup plan, and one never knows when they might have to put their plan B into motion. Especially after some arsehole comes along and changes all the rules.” I grinned, and something in my chest lifted when Tavion matched it with an irreverent grin of his own.

“What’s this plan B, may I ask?”

“Oh, I think you’ll like it.”

I paused, air whooshing out of my lungs as I finally found what I’d been looking for. I read the passage twice to make sure I understood, then closed the book and tucked it under my arm. “I’ll fill you in on the details on our walk upstairs.” He slung his arm over my shoulders as we left, every eye following us.

“We are on a tight deadline, after all.”

I hauled the book back up to our room, hoping for some quiet time to read the text more thoroughly, only to find Raziel and Zor pacing like caged animals and Tristan reclined on the bed, cleaning his nails with a knife.

“Fucking finally. Where were you two?”

“In Stormfall’s stuffy library being constantly scolded by a bunch of tight-arse witches.” Tavion sauntered in behind me. “I’d hoped to have the bedroom to ourselves, but I have to say, you three look…rejuvenated.”

“We’re ready to leave.” Zorander was outfitted in some cleverly made combat gear, long dark hair pulled back from his face, dark eyes glittering in anticipation. “Tonight. Now.” His gaze dipped to the book clutched in my hands. “We’re only taking what we need.”

“Torin knows a back way in, past the northern troops,” Tristan volunteered. “She swears it’s safe.”

“Why is that not surprising?”

“Because nothing should surprise you when it comes to her,” Raziel said tersely. “Once we’re past the lines, we’ll make the final jump to Tristan’s from there.”

My fingers curled around the edges of the book. I’d almost gotten used to being here, to having some place safe to call home for a few days. My throat tightened. “Are you all back to full strength? Because we could afford another day of rest.”

Zorander stepped closer, studying my face, then lifted the book out of my arms. “We cannot delay any longer, Anaria.” But beneath the patient gentleness in his voice was that tone of pure command. A general leading his armies into battle. “We can’t afford to battle the Oracle and Serpens both. Let’s go set Solarys free.”

I swallowed, my nerves suddenly on edge. “Freedom didn’t turn out so well for Tempeste, if you remember.”

“We know more about what to expect this time.” He checked his weapons with a fierce, humorless grin. “We have a better plan. You have a better plan, Anaria.”

I dropped my voice so only he could hear. “I’m scared, Zor. Really, really scared. It’s not just us this time. And knowing what happened last time makes me wonder…if what we’re doing is right.”

I rushed on. “All those innocents in Tempeste, they paid the price. And all those soldiers, they spent their last days as Reapers.” The knot in my chest pulsed, and even Zorander’s arms didn’t keep me warm.

“I just…I want to give people a chance, Zor, not doom them to some terrible future.”

“I know.” He gathered me closer. “This time it’ll be different.”

He buried his face in my neck, and we stayed like that, clinging to each other as I tried to convince myself this time would be different.

When he pulled back, Zor’s face was deathly calm. “You are our heart and soul, like it’s been for millennia. I’m done fighting destiny, done pretending the past isn’t our future. We are yours. Yours to command in whatever battles you wish to fight. And if you don’t want to fight those battles…” He smoothed my hair back.

“Then we’ll find a place in this world where the Oracle and her brother will never find us,” Raziel murmured, a fierce light burning in his eyes. “On the other side of the world, across the sea, there are other lands.”

“And leave these people to their fates?” My heart twisted and I realized how selfishly I was behaving right now. I’d waited my entire life for enough power to change this world, and now that I had it…I was hesitating.

---