Page 8 of Wrath of the Dragons
“I built you a library in our chambers before I left,” I flatly state.
“Yes, and I’m sure you carrying wood and broken furniture up and down the tower was a sure sign of a satisfied man.”
If Elowen wasn’t upset with me, I’d keep her occupied well into the night, and I tried to sleep on the couch to give her some privacy before I nearly went mad. She can be angry for as long as she needs, but that doesn’t mean I’ll make it easy for her, and I refuse to accept living separate lives behind closed doors now that I know what it’s like to truly be with her. “Couples argue.”
“Not us. We don’t have the privilege of making mistakes. We can’t fail. There’s too much—” Her breathing quickens, and she places a hand on her ribs as her face contorts in pain. “I will not lose this war because of our inability to put on a convincing front for the kingdom.”
“Elowen,” I say her name with a gentleness I didn’t think myself capable of and slowly slide my hand beneath hers, knowing it’s both warmer and larger. “I made you a promise. We will not lose this war.” She lets out a shuddering breath, though I’m unsure if it’s from my touch or my words.
“We cannot afford an internal rebellion. All our strength must be focused on Imirath, especially now that they’re aligned with Thirwen. We’ll be fighting two armies, and I don’t know if Galakin will entertain us now that I’m betrothed to you and not their prince as they wished.”
“I’ll send my condolences if it helps sway them.” She grants me ahalf smile before wiping it clean off her face. “Alexus took the job to spy on the nobles so the situation will be easier to monitor with a man on the inside. Internal conflict will be terminated swiftly and without mercy.”
She nods as the tension in her body slowly loosens. Her face is mere inches from mine, and the warmth of her skin burns the tips of my fingers like hot iron. “No matter what you do, it won’t change the blood in my veins. People will always care about that. You should—”
I quirk a brow. “I should care? You know I’ve never cared about your relation to Garrick.”
Her cold fingers wrap around my wrists and remove my hands from her body. “Perhaps you don’t right now, but…”
Talk to me.
I can practically see the walls she’s trying to build between us again. This doesn’t sound like her.No.It sounds like Ailliard. She never told me what he said to her the night she killed him, but I’d wager it had something to do with that.
“I’d never judge you for who your father is, nor where you come from.”
“Why?”
Because mine was the worst man I’ve ever met.
“Because they never deserved you.” I shake my head. She may be Elowen Atarah, princess of Imirath, but she’s always been so much more than that. I’ve seen her soul, and the darkness within it just makes the light that much more beautiful.
She sucks in a sharp breath and tries to stand, but I rest a hand on her uninjured thigh to keep her down. She needs to rest, and to keep weight off her bad leg, but she tries again, and it will only hurt her more if she struggles against me.
“W-what happened to your eye?” She stiffly walks toward a cabinet in the corner, pulling out a tin and a rag.
“I lost focus and got hit while fighting.”
“That seems unlike you. You’re not one to get distracted.”
“No, I’m not,” I say, my eyes locked on her face. Denying her aid ison the tip of my tongue, and if she were anyone else I would without hesitation, but I swallow my discomfort as she dips the rag into a bowl of water and comes closer. “I own a tavern in the slums of Verendus. I bought it with the money I made as an assassin and increased my profits by smuggling goods and putting a fighting ring in the basement.”
“Why?”
“Renting a room felt like throwing money away, and I needed a place to meet with spies.” I shrug. “I was also tired of not having a way to make money unless I worked for someone else.”
“And you fought in the fighting pit tonight.”
“I take a tonic to disguise my features, so nobody knows it’s me.”
Her throat bobs as she swallows. “Is that why you’re richer than other commanders?”
“And some kings.”
“Then why bother working your way through the army? You could’ve bought one with the amount of money you must have.”
“Money doesn’t buy loyalty, blood does, and mine has spilled beside my soldiers’. I needed a steadfast army to stand between us and Garrick once I found you.”
She tips her head to the ceiling before uncapping the tin of salve. “And you expect me to believe you did all of this strategizing and didn’t factor the marriage clause into your plan?”
