Page 114 of The King is Dead
Public humiliation.
“Turo, I’m sorry,” I started, dropping my face into my hands. But then I forced myself to raise my chin and meet his eyes, because he deserved at least that much. “I know this is a shock—”
Turo was shaking his head, his eyes wide. “Impossible. We would know. We would have seen—”
“You have,” I said firmly. “You’ve seen my inability to stay away from him, and his from me. You’ve seen him loyal even when I took him away from his people.”
Diadre was the only one who wasn’t shocked by the news, but her eyes were wide at the astonishment on everyone else’s faces.
I wanted to kick her under the table when her lips twitched towards a smile. At least she was smart enough to stay silent.
Jhonas, her brother and my former Defender and trainer, blew out a breath, shaking his head. “That would explain a lot,” he said carefully.
But Turo just stared at me, horrified. “How?When?”
A piece of my heart shattered when his voice broke on that last word and even though I kept my voice calm and steady, I pleaded with my eyes for him to forgive me.
“We discovered the bond back at his camp. But he was unaware of our traditions, and I wasn’t sure he could be trusted.”
Melek grunted, but I kept going.
“I brought him here and waited to tell you all until I was certain he was ready to take his throne with loyalty to me and our people. I… I would have denied the bond if he was unwilling or disloyal. He didn’t know that I was Queen, or our traditions for selecting a King. I didn’t tell him until he was already imprisoned.”
I swallowed hard as every set of eyes in the room locked on me in shock.
Turo visibly shook, his face turning red and the vein in his forehead popping. “So now we are handed to a King who will overrun us with Nephilim?”
“No,” Melek growled, leaning over my shoulder towards Turo. “You are divinely appointed a King who is doing everything in his fucking power to keep peace between our people.”
Everyone’s gazes snapped to him at that, and I saw their minds ticking over, replaying his words from the meetings they’d attended, reconsidering every word Melek or I had said about his trustworthiness.
Only Turo remained locked on me. “Why didn’t you tell me—I mean, us?”
“Because he wanted you to know him before you were forced to bend a knee,” I said softly, begging him to hear the truth—the mercy!—in that sentiment.
Turo huffed and tore his gaze from me, turning away, his expression still stunned, but the shadows of grief flickered in his eyes.
“I’ll admit,” Melek rumbled. “I did not seek a crown and was… resistant to the idea at first. But your people are honorable, and Yilan is my mate. I cannot deny that it is a calling from God.”
Jhonas and Granbull both nodded. Hughes still looked stunned, but he clawed a hand through his thinning hair and said nothing. Poor Shen looked like he wanted to sink into the floor anddisappear. I supposed that this would either make or break the poor man who thought he’d just come here to be mentored into an Advisor.
“So, I take it this means that you accept the crown?” Diadre asked carefully.
I nodded, as did Melek. He put his hand on my shoulder and even though I felt Turo flinch from the sight, it strengthened me to have him offer that gesture of togetherness.
Questions, low and slow, but pertinent started peppering the air as each of the Advisors queried me or Melek, trying to get their head around the things we’d been processing for a week now.
I tried to be patient. Tried to send reassurance to Melek through the bond. But I couldn’t stop looking at Turo who paced the floor at the other end of the table, shaking his head.
Suddenly, right between questions from Jhonas and Granbull, Turo whipped to face us and pointed an accusing finger at Melek.
“Is this a true bond? Or some kind of magik?”
“There isnomagik,” Melek growled.
Turo’s lips peeled back from his teeth. “You frightened her, back at the Bonfire—I saw her eyes. She was terrified—”
I broke in, praying that these two wouldn’t come to blows. “It wasn’t him. Melek doesn’t frighten me. Not in the slightest.”
