Page 59 of A Court So Dark
“That sounds wonderful. I’m not going to lie. I think we could be happy if we did that, at least for some time.”
“Forever.”
“No, Kalyll. Not forever. If you fail your people, things would sour eventually. You would have many regrets.”
“But what about you?” he asked. “Won’t the same thing happen to you? Won’t your life with me turn sour when my love becomes quotidian?”
“Wow, chill it with the fancy words, King Adanorin.”
He smirked. “It means something that occurs daily.”
I swatted his arm. “I know what it means, and to answer your question… no, things won’t turnquotidian. There is a huge difference between me giving up my calm, safe life, and you giving up yours. When this is all said and done, I can go back to healing, to helping people who need me. But if you walk away now, there’s no going back for you.”
“But what if we don’t make it?” he demanded, a blue glow flashing across his eyes, a clear sign that Wölfe was trying to push forward.
Kalyll fought back and got himself under control, for which I was grateful. His thoughts of leaving Elf-hame to live a quiet life with me were real enough. They stemmed from the side of him that cared nothing about duty. They stemmed from Wölfe.
I took both his hands in mine and looked him straight in the eyes. “Then we don’t make it, but we’ll fight together side by side. Promise me that.”
He opened his mouth to protest. I knew it would be his desire to keep me safe, but I couldn’t have that.
“Promise me,” I insisted, “that you won’t leave me behind while you and the others fight.”
A deep frown parted his forehead. Clearly, he’d already been planning to leave me somewhere safe while he went around slaying his enemies.
“If you don’t promise, I’ll make you a promise of my own, Kalyll Adanorin, and you won’t like it,” I said, my voice firm and commanding.
He seemed to reappraise me, his gaze roving over my face with surprise.
“What?” I asked, feeling self-conscious.
“Nothing, just that you got me properly scared, and that you’re not a queen yet, but you certainly sound like one.”
“Don’t think flattery will make me forget what you owe me.” I put out a hand and tapped my palm with my index finger. “Where is my promise?”
He placed his large hand under mine and deposited a tantalizing kiss right in the middle of my palm.
“I promise, my queen.” He straightened back up as a delicious shiver ran up my arm.
I narrowed my eyes skeptically.
He cleared his throat, and sensing that his slightly sensual promise hadn’t fully satisfied me, he said, “Do not think I make this promise in vain. You have proven that you can take care of yourself. You single-handedly rescued me from the very jaws of the Unseelie Court. The Daniella I first met wouldn’t have been capable of that. So I mean what I said.”
Satisfied, I nodded. “Thank you.” After a moment’s pause, I asked, “what do we do now?”
“It was the question that first assailed me when I woke up this morning. I thought about it, and I think our only option at the moment is to go back to Elyndell.”
I’d been afraid he was going to say that. “If they spot you…”
“We won’t let that happen. We will go at night, find refuge at Naesala’s home since she still seems amicable to our cause.”
“She is.”
“Then it’s decided. We go there. Ask Larina and Shadow to contact the Sub Rosa, and we make our plans.”
We had to wait the entire day in the forest before using the transfer token to go back to Elyndell. I couldn’t say I minded it, though. Kalyll was very hungry and thirsty. They had barely fed him while he was imprisoned, but that patch of forest proved so affable that we had no trouble finding a gurgling stream and bushes replete with fat raspberries, three times the size of those back home. After eating our fill, we made love right by the stream, our mouths and teeth purple from the fruit, our movements languid, unhurried.
We’d never had time to enjoy each other like this, and I was sad when the sun went down, and it was time to go.
