Page 156 of The King's Man
“And you. Me. Melek. Yilan—everyone. They knoweveryone.They know things of us that we don’t know about ourselves,” he said tightly. “At times, being under the eyes of Lucifer feels as revealing as standing before God Himself.”
I sucked in. “You’ve met him?”
“We’ve all met him, whether we realize it or not.”
“No, that can’t be true. I’d know if I—”
“Trust me, Dee. I am half Fallen—more halves than anyone else, for that matter. Our wings are a manifestation of our Fallen bloodline. The way we can use them to obscure ourselves… it’s a function of their subterfuge. They can imitate anyone or anything they wish. You’d never know you were in the presence of a Fallen unless they want you to.”
“Then how can we fight them? If they have Gall—he wouldn’t even know it was them, right? Is that what’s happening? Have they pretended to be Melek or… or someone else he trusts?”
“I don’t know. All I know is that we have to find out,” he muttered, squirming again like his back was hurting. His grip on me tightened, his hand cupping my ass and pulling me harder against his side.
But even though I knew he didn’t want to talk about them, I was compelled to.
“So… they run Ebonreach?”
He shook his head. “They haven’t. Do they now? Who knows. Until this war, Gault ruled Ebonreach without contender after he killed his half-brother.”
“So you really don’t know what we’ll find on the other side of those mountains?”
“Not a fucking clue, sadly,” he muttered. “But I find myself grateful that Ebonreach—and particularly the Palace and grounds are made for subterfuge. None of the Neph truly trust each other—or rather, it’s rare. Every building, every hall, everyouthousehas an escape route. With your skills and the exits built into our culture, I know you can be safe. If something happens, if I’m taken or the Fallen descend… promise me you’ll run, Dee.”
“What? No! I’m not—”
“I’m not asking you to betray Yilan or Melek. I’m asking you tosurviveuntil you can find a way to help. Noble sacrifice means nothing if it removes you from this world. From me.”
“Oh really? MisterI’d die to keep you safe?You think you’re the only one who can make that kind of vow?”
I tipped my head up to meet his eyes, because I was serious.
But when he locked eyes with me, his expression was pained. “Dee, if I walk into Ebonreach and my choices get you killed, I will die not long after.” His tone said it was inevitable.
My breath rushed out of me—I felt the same way, but hearing it from his lips made the risk seem far too real. “But you said—”
“I will fight. I willtry.But… the soulbond is real. The thought of you leaving my presence and facing down danger seedspanicin me. I am not a panicker,” he said dryly.
“I don’t know… when your wings pop out against—”
“We will not speak of that again,” he muttered.“Ever.”
I chuckled, but the mirth passed quickly. I sighed and snuggled into his shoulder again.
“I don’t want to think about this,” I said honestly.
“Neither do I, but God has given me a mate who seems quite willing to throw herself into danger without even mentioning it to me first. Perhaps the Fallen won’t kill either of us. Perhaps I’ll die of a heart attack next time you make a plan and don’t share it with me.”
“Then… let’s plan together,” I said simply.
“We can’t plan until we know—”
“You can tell me what your home is like. You can make me understand how your people work. How to avoid the… the worst of them. And we can make many plans, Jann. All the plans. We can look at the problems that might arise and plan for each of them. That way, even if things go in ways we don’t anticipate, we’ll always know where to look for each other.”
He glanced at me from the side and looked like he might argue, but then he sighed and rubbed his forehead, eyes closed, like he was thinking.
“Tell me what to expect when we get there—what’s the city like?”
He huffed. “It’s much like our war camps except with more polish. There will be far bigger numbers—thousands. But not all are interested in women and reproduction. NoteveryNeph is a threat to you, Dee. But so many are… Still, few would dare challenge me for you. And we have ways of marking you. I know you abhor the practice, but when we get there, youmustlet me provide for you so in the event that you are revealed to any of my men or enemies, theyknowyou’re mine.” Then he growled and shook his head, as if he argued with himself. “No, no. It’s too risky—no, once we’re inside Valgorath city, there can’t be any little jaunts without my knowledge,” he said firmly.
