Page 43 of King

I wring my hands, fighting back tears. What he’s saying makes sense. I’m glad he can finally let go of any doubts about why he grew up without us. But my heart aches knowing he ever had to wonder.

“I’m also glad you weren’t hurt in order to bring me into the world,” he says before I can steady my words enough to voice them.

“After learning of my father’s other role...” He clears his throat and looks away from me. “It seemed he was fond of the queen. With the way Paren described how the queen and other fae treat shifters, I had little hope you were okay.”

I’m surprised to know they already knew of his role as consort, but his admission is what crushes me. I’m touched that he cared enough to worry about me but devastated that anyone could ever think that of Durin.

“He’s the one who was hurt,” I whisper.

The tears I’d been holding back escape, leaving warm trails down my cheeks. I let them fall for Durin. He suffered and felt ashamed because of what happened to him. He tried to stay away, thinking his trauma would somehow infect me. Instead, he ended up saving me from the same fate he’d been suffering through all along.

“I can see that now,” Vaegon says, tossing the grass in his hand aside. “I’m not innocent,” he continues. “I hurt my mate in ways Durin would probably hate me for. I’m sorry for thinking that way about him.”

I’m not sure what he means about hurting his mate. Sheclearly adores him. I appreciate his apology, but I can’t fault him for what he thought. He didn’t have very much information to go on.

“It’s okay. I understand,” I reply softly. “I’m sorry I wasn’t there for you.”

“You have nothing to be sorry for,” he says, rising to his feet and offering me his hand. “I may have suffered longer to this point, but I think your wounds are deeper. They’ll take more time to heal.”

My hand trembles as I reach for his. He pulls me up with a firm grip and looks down at me with compassion. It’s not love, but it’s more warmth than I would have expected.

He lets go, looking a bit unsure. “I’m going to find my mate-group. I’m not sure what to call you. It doesn’t feel right to call you by your name, but I have a, uh…”

“A mother,” I finish for him. “It’s okay. I’m glad you do,” I say honestly, even though it chips off another small piece of my heart. “You can call me Rue. That’s fine.”

“He considers it for a moment, then nods. “Okay. Goodnight, Rue,” he says before turning to leave.

I sigh and turn away, too. Back to my mate, my greatest blessing in this life. My only hope and prayer is that after all the suffering fate has put us through, it lets us be together when the battle is done. In life or death, I don’t care, as long as we’re together.

Chapter 14

Durin

“What do you need?” I whisper to Rue as she walks through the door.

She looks so drained. I expect her to head straight to her bed. Instead, she heads for the little bed our son slept in for only a few short hours before he was taken from us. I cleared the mess from the shattered chair a while ago, but the bassinet still sits there, waiting for his return.

“Burn it,” she says, staring at the little blanket he was bundled in.

I step up behind her and wrap my arms around her tense frame. “Will that really help?” I ask, concerned she might regret this later.

“It will,” she insists. She turns in my arms and presses her face into my chest. “I can’t bear the scent of him.”

I forget how sensitive shifter’s noses are. Rue must be catching traces of him on the blanket and mattress. They hold the scent of him as a pup. A pup who’s never coming back. I see why that reminder would slow her healing.

I nuzzle the top of her head, then guide her gently backward to the doorway. “Stay here, okay? I don’t want you to get hurt.”

Tears well up in her eyes, but she clenches her jaw and nods me on. I caress her cheek and turn to do what she asked.

When I reach the bassinet, I discreetly burn a small section of the blanket off. Regret is a heavy burden to carry. If I can at least spare her from that, I have to try. I tuck the piece inside my sleeve and let my magic flow. The bassinet ignites and is quickly swallowed up by hot, blue flames.

I contain the fire to prevent scorching the walls of the hut. Everything else turns to ashes, settling softly on the floor. Rue wipes her face and takes a deep, steadying breath.

“Thank you,” she says before turning her back on the room and pulling me out the door. She ignores the meal the elves left for us and heads into the bedroom.

Pleasing her body to distract her mind is something I’ve gotten good at over the past few months. I’ve cherished the intimacy, even if it seemed more therapeutic for her than romantic. But this already feels different. Her eyes shine with life when she looks up at me. She slowly undresses herself, something I’ve been having to do for her. Her eyes drop shyly with an innocence that was buried beneath her pain.

She reaches for me with both hands. I step forward to embrace her, but she grabs the fabric of my tunic. With a gentle tug, she opens it wide and slides her hands up my chest before pushing it down over my shoulders.

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