Page 68 of Seduced By Darkness
Will she come?
“I hope you know what you’re doing,” Eris murmurs at my side.
I lock it all down. “I know what I’m doing.”
“Because this means war if you’re wrong.” Her gaze meets mine head-on. It’s what I’ve always admired about her. She’s never afraid to voice her doubts, never afraid to hesitate when it comes to protecting our kingdom—our people. Eris will give her all, no matter what choice I might make. Even if it means standing against me. “And I’m not talking about the border skirmishes and games we’ve been playing with Asturia to this point. I’m talking about brutal battles. I’m talking about winner takes all, Thiago.”
“Then we will win,” I assure her. “You and Baylor are the best we have. You’re the reason that Adaia hasn’t dared launch a full-scale offensive.”
There’s something in her eyes that makes my breath catch. Eris looks away. “You don’t play the games Adaia plays. I don’t play those games. And Baylor certainly doesn’t. When I say war, I don’t expect to be fighting in the trenches, Thiago. The knife will come from a direction we don’t expect.”
I can’t deny it. “Maybe this will bring about peace. A true peace.”
Neither of us believe it.
“I don’t understand this. You don’t make decisions like this. You don’t let your heart rule your head. You’re not thinking clearly. She’s pretty, Thiago, I’ll give you that, but you barely know her.”
“I know enough,” I counter. “She returned Finn to us, despite the fact her mother would punish her if she knew it was her hand that opened that cage. She is brave and honest and kind.”
“She’s the—”
“She’s my promise.” The words snap between us, landing like a blow. “Eris.” I try to breathe through the knot in my chest. “She’s my salvation. Ihaveto believe that. And you alone…. You have to know what that means to me.”
A sudden movement cuts through the tension. A hooded figure appears, right on the edge of the mists.
Vi.
Suddenly none of it matters. She lifts her hands to the hood of the cloak and then lowers it. Our eyes meet, and suddenly none of it matters.
She came.
She came alone.
Baylor stalks out of the shadows and she throws him a surprised look as if she wasn’t even aware of him.
But then my gruff warlord does something totally unexpected. He offers his arm to her. “Allow me to walk you to my prince.”
That he would offer this means everything to me.
I don’t just want Vi to be my wife, I want my friends to welcome her.
They walk together, and I can see her breath catching, see hope and doubt warring within her. She’s beautiful. As beautiful as a moon-kissed night. Indeed, she was made for night, with those gorgeous, wide eyes and the tumble of dark hair spilling down her back. She wears her starlight dress again, and as she walks toward me, the cloak slips from her shoulders, leaving them bare.
“Hello, Princess.”
She glances up at me shyly as Baylor offers me her hand. “Hello, my husband.”
There’s a thickness in my throat as she takes my hands.
All my life I’ve lived for this. I’ve seen her face in every moment. I’ve pictured her so many times I could have almost conjured her from my dreams. When the world felt heavy on my shoulders, when the Darkness within threatened to choke me, I would reach out and bring her to life in my mind. She would turn and smile at me—the same way she did in the image Maia granted me—and hope would blaze to life in my heart. No matter what odds were stacked against me, no matter how much my shadows whispered to me, she was out there. Somewhere. In some time. Waiting for me.
And I just had to hold on until I could find her.
And now she’s here and she’s mine, and yet everything I thought I knew about her is wrong.
She’s shorter than I’d ever imagined.
More watchful and older than her years. Those dark eyes drink in everything around her, as if she’s siphoning the mood of the room before she dares speak. Reckless in some ways, yes. Or she wouldn’t be marrying me. But there’s a tension to her mouthiness, as if she’s waiting for the consequences. Bold and brave enough to dare speak her mind, but prepared for pain. Expecting it. Anticipating it.
