Page 10 of Between Wrath and Mercy

“He will help.Wewill help. Of course, Emmeline.” Lavenia glanced over to Dewalt for what I assumed to be approval. He wasn’t looking at her, though; he was looking behind me, toward the doors to the hall. I felt my skin prick as I sensed his presence behind me. The servants in the back of the room dropped to their knees, and I remembered myself. Sliding down to my knees and turning toward him, keeping my head down, I gave myself time to catch my breath and calm down.

“Lady Emmeline, stand up. You’ve never once knelt before me—why start now?”

Chapter 5

Hemusthavebeenin Ardian today.

The thought came to me as I eyed the light brown mud coating his black boots. In all my imaginings of what would happen when I arrived at Ravemont, I never got to the part where I’d actually see him and have to speak to him. I swallowed audibly. I needed to get up and face him. I didn’t know what I’d do if he said no, but I knew I had to ask for Elora. A small part of me felt I’d deserve it if he said no. Even if I did deserve it, I wouldn’t let him. I couldn’t. I’d been so hateful to him, but the events of that night still haunted my dreams.Hestill haunted my dreams. He owed me.

I stood and raised my eyes to the prince. Despite the grand room we were in, his presence was formidable, seeming to take up more space than he truly did. He’d always towered over me, but the last time I’d seen him, he was all arms and legs. Now, the broad shoulders of a warrior tapered into a trim waist and long, thick legs. He pulled off his cloak, revealing a thin, black shirt, and I couldn’t avoid seeing the taut muscles in his back press through the fabric as he turned away from me. I brushed away the strands of hair in my face, suddenly aware I’d never braided it back that morning. I probably looked like a wet dog. A bloody, wet dog. As he turned back toward me, I lifted my gaze to his face, studying all the ways it had changed. His jawline was less rounded, more square than it used to be, and covered in stubble. His golden-brown skin was less smooth, dappled in scars that told a story I found myself desperately wanting to hear. He’d cut his hair shorter, no longer the mass of curls I was used to. Although I could see the crinkles at the corners of his eyes and laugh lines around his mouth, it was hard to believe the man in front of me laughed much at all. I was shocked at how imposing he appeared now. Gone was the slim, young man I remembered, and in his place was someone who I could only describe as powerful. I counted my heartbeats as I tried to balance my fear and attraction in my mind. Fear of what he could do and fear he wouldn’t help me raced through me as strongly as my pulse thundered in my ears.

Goddess help me.

When I saw his eyes, I realized he had been doing the same thing to me. His gaze was roaming over me, and I started to feel myself flush. I was sure I looked so different from the last time he saw me. When I left Brambleton to come here, my mind had skipped past this reunion and what it would entail. When his eyes finally met mine, deep green like the olive grove we’d once run in, I realized I’d been holding my breath. I held his stare as I inhaled deeply. He did not smile, and I could see his jaw was clenched, his temple throbbing. He did not move. I felt the heat rise to my face, remembering the last words he’d said to me.

You are a cruel fool, Emmeline.

I heard Dewalt mutter something to Lavenia, both of them standing behind me. The woman stifled a laugh, and I wondered what could possibly be funny in this moment. Rainier turned to look at the two of them, standing off to the side next to Nana.

“Leave us,” he ordered in a low, quiet voice. I went rigid at the sound. His voice was deeper than I remembered. This was the voice of a man who commanded armies and destroyed Folterran forces. Lavenia and Dewalt skittered out of the room like two chastised children, and out of the corner of my eye, I noticed Gemma leading Father out, the servants ahead of them. The prince walked across the room to the ottoman his sister had perched on and took a seat, looking up at me expectantly. When I sat down across from him, he passed me a handkerchief, watching me with an expression I couldn’t quite place.

“Clean yourself up. Coming here covered in blood was unnecessary but an effective tactic, nonetheless. I will help you get your daughter back.”

I stared. I wasn’t sure how long he’d been standing behind me, but he must have heard my explanation. I’d been bracing myself, waiting for all the cruel things I had imagined him saying to me over the years. All the questions, all the accusations. I’d been ready for it. I’d even been ready for his refusal. I was not ready for how quickly he acquiesced. Nor was I ready for the tone he took with me—the cold detachment in his words. His eyes were narrowed on me in what I could only interpret as suspicion. Did he think I’d shown up covered in blood on purpose? I felt my blood heat.

“It is no tactic,Your Highness. I came here directly after I was attacked. I must admit I left my jewels and satin at home.”

His eyebrows lowered as he glared at me, watching me wipe the rain and blood from my face. I immediately regretted the level of disrespect I’d just shown him considering he was my best shot at finding Elora. The fact he thought my disheveled state might have been some sort of act offended me more than he likely thought it would. He took a deep breath before he spoke, looking down at his hands dangling between his legs, opting not to reply to my last statement.

“I assume since you have been . . . away,” I watched his body tense as he said it, “she is likely to be the Beloved.” He looked up, waiting for me to nod. “Which means the Beloved is in the hands of our enemies. Even if we did not share ahistory,” he paused after forcing the word out and cleared his throat. “Even if we did not share a history, I would be obligated to assist in retrieving her. Who knows she is the Beloved? Many here?”

“A few of the servants here, yes.”

“And her father is with her?” His eyes narrowed. “Faxon?” I nodded once more. I noticed his jaw clench again. My eyes were drawn to the pale line cutting vertically through his left eyebrow. No hair grew on it. The scar seemed old but was one he had gained in the time since I’d seen him last.

“Is there anyone else you’ve trusted with this information?” Something in his voice made me pause before I answered. He was clearly bothered by something.

“No. No one else.” The quick tilt of his chin was his only response.

“We will rest and leave for Mira before dawn. You, Lavenia, Dewalt, and I will go ahead, and my men will—”

“That’s too late!” My heart grew frantic. “We need to get on the road now!” I felt a shiver roll up my spine, and it wasn’t entirely due to my soaking wet clothes. Even if we left now, we might still not make it before she was gone. I knew it was possible, even likely. Hell, they had already been in Mira for days before Theo got back and was able to warn me. But riding to Mira would take at least two days we didn’t have to spare. As it was, it was unlikely we would get there in time—she’d be gone, on her way to Folterra. Once she was on a ship, the journey to retrieve her would be drastically different. I felt the panic rising in my chest, heartbeat rocketing. I stared down at my hands as they began to shake. A large, calloused hand closed over them, that old familiar tingle of heat rocketing across my skin.

“Em, we will rift there.” His tone was soft as if he was talking to a child. I took a deep breath. Of course. Prince Rainier’s divinity manifested as organic manipulation. Hanwen’s blessing upon the crown prince had been bountiful. He could reform earth, harness rivers, and possibly more useful than the rest, create windows into other locations.Thatwas how he had planned for us to travel in the morning. It was how we’d traveled after we took down the wards that night. I hadn’t thought about it in years—repressed it so much I’d almost forgotten it even happened. I tried to control the shudder rippling through me at the memory. He noticed and abruptly pulled his hand from mine and stood, not looking at me.

“Get some rest. We will leave before dawn.” He stood and walked toward the hall, likely to call Dewalt back in. I rose from my chair and followed after him, hoping to find Nana, needing to find out if I could sleep in my old room. I traced the line of Rainier’s shoulders and neck with my eyes, the tension in them likely mirroring my own. He stopped walking, nearly forcing me to run into him, my arms up between us. He turned to me and grasped my hands in one of his. The intensity of his stare made me want to avert my eyes, but I kept them opened and fixed on his own.

“Over my dead body will another Beloved’s death be on my conscience, Emmeline. Nor your own.” He released my hands as I tugged them back, the intensity and contact too much to bear. I didn’t want to think about the possibility of her death. Part of me wondered if he was truly worried about my conscience, finally understanding the guilt I’d felt all these years. He stood there, staring down at me as if expecting me to reply. His expression held the same tenderness it always had, and the sight of it closed a fist around my heart and squeezed. His hand reached up to my temple, his fingertips gently brushing against my hair before they slid down to my neck, and I froze. The touch was light as he traced the marks on my skin from the attack.

“Did you kill the men who did this to you?” His voice was low and quiet, not quite soft but less harsh than before.

“Yes.” I swallowed. I had no choice.

“You did them a kindness they did not deserve.”

He pulled his hand away from my neck and spun, heading out the door. I waited until the faint heat from his touch had dissipated, until my breathing calmed, before I followed.

WhenIcouldn’tfindNana, I headed towards my old room, hoping it wasn’t closed off. White flowers slip-printed atop a golden-yellow wallpaper adorned the halls—new—and I hated it. The bright yellow almost felt garish, especially paired with the white wainscotting below it. This estate didn’t know that kind of happiness, not anymore. I had gone to my old rooms, the one I’d grown up in, not bothering to go toward the west wing of the estate to find the suite I had once shared with Faxon and a newborn Elora. I wanted the familiarity I once knew. I looked around, taking in the four walls that had been my sanctuary in my formative years. It hadn’t changed at all. Even Lavenia being perched at the end of my bed was not too far out of place due to how often she visited us. She was sitting there, eating grapes and crackers off a platter likely intended for me. This was a common occurrence when we were younger, and surprisingly, it brought me comfort. I slid the tray farther into the center of the bed and sat down on the other side of it.

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