Page 154 of Grim and Oro
I am not king. I don’t have authority over him. But I am his brother, and so I give him an order. “Either marry Aurora or call off the engagement. Make a decision.”
He avoids meeting my eyes as I leave.
BROKEN PROMISES
TEN YEARS LATER
I never see Egan and Violet together again, other than for official business.
Until the night I’m at his door, and it opens before I can knock. Violet stands there, startled, her green eyes wide. A second passes. Then, my gaze moves behind her, to my brother. He isn’t wearing a shirt.
His mouth tightens. He knows I’ve seen them. Truth can’t be undone. His eyes stay fixed to mine as he walks over, takes Violet’s hand, and presses his lips to her knuckles.
“I’ll find you later,” he says, in a soft voice I’ve never heard from him. For a moment, his gaze shifts to hers.Love. That, I think, is what it looks like. Dread churns in my chest. Violet moves past me, out the door. I close it behind us and slowly turn to my brother.
“You’re angry,” he says calmly, as he walks toward his balcony—the largest in the castle.
“No,” I say, my voice steady and cold. “I’m shocked. I’m wondering if maybe I never knew you.”
That makes him turn around. His expression is pure hurt. “How can you say that?”
I step forward, my hands in fists, fire flaring within them. “Because the brother I know would never endanger the island like this. Would never risk the end of peace like this.” I shake my head. “You’re set to be married inweeks. After prolonging your nuptials for years. Yousaid it was for the good of the kingdom. You know how bad it would be to piss Aurora off.” Starling is now almost purely responsible for manufacturing all our weapons and energy.
In times of peace, that wouldn’t be so important ... but Grim has told me his father never took his sights off Lightlark. He’s also told me that he wouldn’t be surprised if his father was planning to attack, with or without him.
So, we’ve been preparing for the worst. Building up our forces. Aurora is a huge part of that.
“How can you put everything at risk now? For ... for your ownfeelings?” I step forward. “A king’s duty is his entire life,” I say, my voice shaking with rage. “Yousaid that.Yousaid that a king has to give up his own desires for the good of the kingdom.”
Lies. They were lies, clearly, though at the time, they were truths.
Egan’s face is sad. His voice is tired. “I’m not as strong as I thought I was. I’m not as heartless as Father tried to make me. I’m not the king I wanted to be,” he says. His eyes bore into mine. “But you will be.”
That makes the fire in my palms waver. I couldn’t have heard him correctly. “What?”
“I’m going to call off my wedding with Aurora. I’m going to step down as king. And you are going to take my place.”
I take a step back. “No. I willnot.”
“You will,” he says. “You’re right. This land deserves a king who can put its needs first. Who can make tough decisions. It deserves you.”
“I don’t want it,” I say through my teeth. “I don’twant to be king.”
“That’s precisely why you should be.”
No. I don’t want this responsibility, this role, this cage. Egan has always known that. And now ... now he’s forcing it upon me. “You would give it all up? Everything our parents worked for? Your duty? For a woman?” I shake my head. It seems impossible.
Egan’s smile is almost pitiful. “One day, you will understand.”
“I willneverunderstand,” I say, meaning it with every part of me. I would never let a woman get in between me and my duty to the people. I would never put this burden on my brother.
“Perhaps,” he says, looking both pensive and sad. “And perhaps that will make you the greatest king yet.”
My legs dangle off the edge of the cliff.
Wild Isle is quieter than the rest, especially at night. I come here, sometimes, to think. Sometimes I have company.
Grim groans as he takes a seat next to me. “They said you would be out here. Didn’t feel like losing again?”
