Page 7 of Her King

She is me.

No. She is not me. She is a future vision of me. And she’s wielding power like a living storm. She gathers it around her like a cloak before pushing it out onto the battlefield to strengthen and protect the Fae-born warriors.

The vision snaps, and I fall back, gasping, my knees hitting the stone. Amara’s hand is on my shoulder.

“That was a glimpse of what you become,” she says softly.

“I...” my voice shakes. “I was everywhere. My power didn’t just heal or destroy. It commanded.”

“In the vision, you and Niko were fully merged,” she says. “Fully ascended. That’s who you are when you stop hiding and let the realm see the true you.”

I look up at her, breathing hard. “What if I’m not ready for that?” For the first time since I placed my hand in Niko’s, I questioned my decision to come here.

Her smile is sad. “The prophecy doesn’t care if you’re ready, child. But I do. So ... we train.”

****

I stand in the moonlight on the balcony of our chambers, fingers still tingling from magik. My body aches in places I didn’t know could ache and I am tired in a way I have never been before. Niko appears beside me like a shadow. Barefoot again. Why is he always barefoot?

“You’re pushing yourself too hard,” he says softly.

“So are you,” I counter with a small smile.

We stand there in silence, watching the stars shift.

Then he asks quietly, “Do you regret coming here?”

I don’t answer immediately. My eyes fall to his hand, resting on the stone railing. I lace my fingers through his. My fear and trepidation from earlier have long since faded.

“No,” I whisper. “But I regret how little time we have left.”

His expression tightens. “You know something.”

“I saw a version of myself today,” I say. “One with so much power it scared me. And it felt ... lonely.”

Niko pulls me into him, pressing his forehead to mine. “You won’t be alone. Not while I still breathe.”

I know he is telling the truth. But what happens when he isn’t here anymore? What happens after he dies and I am left alone, untouchable, and immortal? I will be the most powerful being alive in all three realms, but I will be alone and there isn’t anything anyone can do about it.

And in the meantime, both of us could die at any minute. The shadows are growing. And somewhere in this palace, a knife is waiting with my name on it.

I turn toward him with a smile. “It doesn’t matter what I saw. I think we should start living in the moment.” Niko stares at me like I’ve sprouted a third eye. “Between Quietus and the court killers, there is a chance one or both of us won’t survive this.”

He tilts his head, cataloguing every inch of me. “And how do you propose to do that?”

“Let me show you,” I say, taking his hand and leading him into our chambers.

Chapter Six

The Knife at her Throat

Niko

I’ve faced death in battle. I’ve seen it sweep across the battlefield like fog, silent, suffocating, absolute. But this is worse. Death is here, in my halls, wearing a familiar face—and I can’t do a damn thing about it.

Not until I know, conclusively, who is plotting against her, me, and the entire fucking realm. This morning, while enjoying a cup of tea on the balcony of our chambers, someone tried to assassinate my witch. The blade missed Cassandra by mere inches. Had she leaned forward a heartbeat sooner, she’d be gone. I keep replaying it over in my mind, her laugh as she sat beside me after enjoying our breakfast, her cheeks still flushed from our bout of earlier lovemaking, the way she finally looked like she belonged. Until the teacup shattered in her hand and the dagger embedded itself in the chair’s back.

Now she’s locked behind three wards in the queen’s quarters, and I’m standing over the body of the man who tried to kill her. He’s a kitchen servant. Or rather, he was. His throat is slit open, magik-smoked from the inside, a Quietus kill mark. They always destroy their puppets after the performance. No loose ends.

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