Page 40 of Captive of the Stolen Empire

“Tomorrow will depend upon tomorrow.”

I wove through the furniture until I stood just before him and craned up to look through the eyeholes of his mask.

“Please, just tell me.”

My heart jumped into my throat as he grasped my arms, tugging me closer. Only a handsbreadth remained between our bodies. Heat raced under my skin, threatening to make me forget what I’d asked.

“Who are you worried for, Ilya?” He might as well have asked,Do you suspect someone?

“I don’t want to see anyone else die.”

“Even me?” His hands flexed on my arms.

“Even you.”

I swayed on feet. My mouth parted. If Lucien hadn’t been holding onto me, I may have lost my balance. The revelation had slipped out without thought, but once I said it, I knew it was true. If Ryszard and most of the others died horribly, I wouldn’t mind. But the thought of watching Lucien die didn’t sit the same way it had only weeks ago. If Sorrena required it, I could make that sacrifice, but I’d no longer relish it as I once would have despite who he was and what he’d done.

“I actually believe that,” he said, almost to himself. His voice rang with quiet awe, an echo of the emotions burrowing into my heart. Weighty silence sat heavy around us until Lucien spoke again. “Can you keep another secret for me?”

“I’ve kept them all so far.” I pressed my lips together.

His arms slipped from mine. “We don’t know who caused the mischief, so no one will suffer for it. But our emperor wants to let you all stew over it.”

The heavy weight on my shoulders fell away with a sigh from my lips. “Why do you ask me to keep your secrets?”

He glanced at me from the side, stirring up my butterflies within me. “To see if you are trustworthy?” He shrugged. “Should I not trust you, Ilya?”

No. Not at all.“I want you to. I’ll prove it to you.”If only so you’ll trust me enough to tell me what I need.My brows furrowed. No, that wasn’t entirely true anymore. I didn’t only want him for information, for how I could use him against his emperor and revenge for Sorrena. In his absence, the spark of something else that formed between us had ignited into a fire.

“Changing your mind already?” he teased.

I shook my head and smoothed out my features. “No. I just really don’t want to be your enemy.”

Lucien pushed a stray hair back from my face. His gauntleted hand barely grazed my cheek. “Then don’t be.”

If only he didn’t serve the emperor. He loomed between us like an invisible wall, insurmountable but perhaps not indestructible.

“You have my oath of obedience already—to you and to your emperor. I’ve kept your secrets. What more can I do?”

I yearned to lean into him, to step into his arms and forget who he was and what he’d done, but I couldn’t quite let myself.

“Serve the emperor,” he said. “Be one of us in truth. If you learn anything of note—whispers from the guards or your fellow guests—tell me.”

My teeth dug into my bottom lip. I glanced away, unable to look at him and the hope in his eyes. He wanted what I could never give. “I’d have to learn something first,” I said, dodging his question. I already had, but I certainly wouldn’t be telling him what we planned.

“When you do, you know where to find me.”

I watched Lucien from the corner of my eye as he left.Do you really think I would be yours?

Chapter19

Ilya

For Vespera’s feast, we dressed in her colors. I kept the tradition tonight, donning a dress the color of purple grapes, the kind we fermented into sweet red wine. The fabric gathered over either shoulder, clasped with golden pins shaped like birds, before falling down my body. I wore Lucien’s bangle on my upper arm as well, even though the metals clashed. Ornate leather sandals laced up my calves. For once, I left the Mark of Sorrena in my room. Somehow my chest felt heavier without the gleaming sapphire around my neck. Lucien wanted me to serve the emperor in truth, to be one of them. While I could never serve him in my heart, leaving behind the symbol of my city might give the impression that I could—assuming he noticed.

Per my request, the guards escorted me to Elin’s room. She braided my brown hair in a single ribbon down my back. The loose, pine-green sleeves of her dress brushed against my shoulders as she worked. Afterward, she insisted on loaning me earrings of gold and amethyst similar to the pair she wore. She adored dressing up and had brought an unnecessary amount of jewels with her. She once confided that she longed for a sister to share her things with. The Four had granted her only brothers, and she had lost them in the battle for her city-state’s freedom. It warmed my heart how she let me fill that wish in this horrible place.

Guards escorted us to the large lower bailey. The last rays of orange sunlight crept up the higher towers above, leaving the yard shadowed other than flickering torches carried by guards and grooms. Carriages waited with doors open, horses hitched and ready to ride.

---