Page 47 of The Court of Secrets
“Made by your court.”
“Made for you.” He smirked. “It suits you and only you perfectly. Perhaps you can wear it at your wedding one day in the future.”
I didn’t hold back the laugh this time. “If you think I’m going to get married after all of this, then you’re mad. I don’t want a man by my side. I fought way too hard for my throne to have to share it with someone who will only try to overpower me.”
“Not every man will try to overpower you, love.”
My heart stammered. “I know my people will expect it, but I can’t risk it.”
“Oh, how you’ve changed,” he said with a glimmer of mischief in his eyes.
“I was fed up with being pushed around.”
He grinned. “That you were.”
“So are you going to tell me how you found me?” Curiosity arched my eyebrow.
The corner of his lip lifted. “Winter, you and I are two sides of the same coin. I went where I would go if I’d just been betrayed. Somewhere no one would expect.” He lowered his voice. “When I killed my father, I went to his office too, for a break from the constant interruptions. Everyone kept coming to my chambers for meetings. It was… irritating.”
I chuckled, and some of the weight lifted. “Same. Although, you did do the same to me when you arrived.”
“That wasn’t for a meeting, love. I wanted to be somewhere private with you.”
My cheeks heated. “I need to talk to you about something else too.”
“More bad news? At least it’s never boring when you’re around.” He winked when he noticed my expression. “I’m just teasing. Go on.”
“Tell me that again once you’ve heard what I have to say,” I said, and he walked to the section next to the desk where three armchairs sat around a circular table. My father used to play cards at it with Ashur, who’d fled after Edgar fell. I sat in the one across from him and rolled my head back, feeling tension tighten in my shoulders. Thumbing the back of my neck, I briefly closed my eyes. “The story you told me about Evangeline and the Necromancer… Well, it turns out I find myself in the same predicament.”
His eyes widened. He leaned forward, placing his hands on his knees. “You’ve been using sacrificial magic again? When will you learn to stay out of trouble?”
“No. I wish I had. At least there would be a reason as to why he’s attached to my soul like a parasite. It was when Morgana brought me back from the dead. He attached himself to me.”
He nodded, then sat back. “Necromancy.”
After I relayed everything to him, from Morgana giving me the potion to my meeting the necromancer in my subconscious, he blew out a tense breath. Seconds ticked by while I waited for a response. Anything. “Blaise?”
“Don’t use your magic,” he advised. Something I already knew.
“Morgana isn’t either. She said she doesn’t want to give him any more power than he already has.”
“She’s smart.”
“Too smart. She wants me to lock her away if she loses control.” Tears swam in my eyes. “I’ve never seen her like this before. She’s always been so strong.”
“She is,” he said simply. “He’s just stronger.”
“I’m going to request the banned books from the archives to be brought here.”
He clicked his tongue. “Not a good idea if you don’t want your priest to question you more than he already is.”
“You know a lot for someone who lives a kingdom away.”
He gave me a look. “I have eyes and ears everywhere, love,” he said nonchalantly. “Now, here’s the plan. We will have the books brought to us, but we will only send those we absolutely trust.”
“I only have Adius… and Marissa, I guess, but I don’t know her that well. I’m inviting Nissa Avery to be my lady-in-waiting, but I wouldn’t trust her to look after a plant.”
He smirked. “We will send the ones you trust along with my spies and Amara.”
