Page 77 of The King's Queen

Derrín slumps in his seat, and Kya drops her espa. It clatters to the floor, doing nothing to slice the tension in the room.

“Amír will be in charge and-“

“No.”

I blink. “No?”

“Where you go, we go. You got that, mister?” Kya seethes, tears pricking at the corners of her eyes. “You are our family. We have no one here that cares for us or we care for. We will follow you to the end of the earth and back.”

“The end of the earth is far away.”

“Then so be it.”

The front door slams open. “I hope you all weren’t making any drastic plans without the other two members of your party.”

Amír stalks in, completely drenched through and shivering, with Vera following close behind her. I am by her side in an instant, checking for any sign of injury or illness. She sneezes softly, but she appears to be unharmed apart from that.

“Where have you been?”

The pureblood diverts her gaze to the floor. “You already know the answer to that.”

I can’t ignore the streak of jealousy that grips at my back, clinging like a shadow. She has been out in this weather for three days, searching for him.

I groan inwardly. As much as it makes my stomach coil, I can’t hold her at fault. There was a time before me where he was her everything, and even if their relationship is not romantic anymore, it is easy to see that she still values his companionship greatly.

“Did you find him?”

Verosa shakes her head, sending a soft spray of water droplets flying around her face like a halo. The droplets catch the firelight, sending a short streak of flame dancing through the sky.

“I am sure he will show up. He might just need time to process everything that has happened.”

“But what if he doesn’t? What then?”

My hand reaches out on its own accord as if to cup her cheek, her breath pausing. In anticipation maybe, but something small and dark says it’s fear.

She’s afraid of you, the voice taunts.They all are. They should be. I let it linger a mere centimeter from her skin. Skin that I imagine is so soft that if I dared touch it, it might break. If she heard me say that, she’d probably give me a bruise that would last a month. I should know by now she’s not delicate. And yet I want to hold and protect her as if she is.

“Yes?” Her lip quivers with anticipation, her words coming out as more of a sigh than a question. Her eyes are already halfway closed, her constellation of freckles nearly covered by a hazy blush. How easy it would be to just close this space between us.

I should have said,Stay. I want you to stay. Don’t go back to that hellhole, stay with me. Let me be yours, and I promise I’ll take you everywhere you’ve ever wanted to go. Let me free you. Stay with me.

“The palace has been in an uproar. You’d better head back before they send out another search party.” I say instead. Her eyes snap open in an instant, and she steps back away from me. Silver lines her deep blue eyes, and I pretend not to see the hurt in them.

“Oh,” she says, her voice much shriller and more strained than before. It plucks at my heart strings and makes my long to reach for her again, but I restrain myself. “I’ll see you tomorrow then.”

“I should walk you back. It’s late.” I try, but she holds her hands up in front of her, her cloak hood already pulled up to hide most of her face.

“No, no, I’m fine. I got here on my own.” She pauses and turns to show her face graced with a devious smile. “An uproar, you say? I like the sound of that.” Without another word, she spins on her heels and leaves. The howling wind closes the door for her, and the scent of wisteria follows it. With a heavy sigh, I force myself to acknowledge the other gawking presence in the room.

“Follow her.”

“On it, boss.” Kya whispers, stepping out from the shadows to the door where Vera once was.

I’ve never been a religious man; it goes against my very existence. If the gods are real, I’m sure they’ve already turned their back on me. The hybrid bastard in love with a pureblood. The very thought makes me laugh, but it sounds cynical even to my ears. If the gods are real, I’m sure now that they must have a very sick sense of humor.

I’ve never thought about prayer before, not until recently, that is. Mother used to have me pray at night when I was a child, but those were always half empty words. Prayers for safety, prayers for father, wherever he was, for the sick, for forgiveness for sins committed and sins yet to be done. I said the words as I was supposed to, but I wouldn’t call recitation prayer. But Verosa makes me want to scrape my knees in a pew and beg for something better. To make me better. If the Laei are real, she must be their proof of existence. Nothing else could ever be as devastatingly beautiful as her.

The door barely creaks when Kya returns, her red makeup slightly smudged with the rain. Without a word, she sets to untying her boot laces and leaving her long espas sitting on the table. There is no blood decorating their slender sheen.

---