Chapter 13 #3
The man himself exudes royalty, but again, in a calm, understated way that makes me feel at home despite being in the presence of a king.
He’s waiting for us in the royal banquet hall, but I barely notice him at first as I take in the room.
Lanterns burn at intervals along the brocaded walls and in the huge chandeliers hanging above our heads, making the gemstones shine and glitter.
I crane my head up, up, up and find the soaring ceiling painted with beautiful swirling stars, looking so much like the night sky that for a moment, I wonder if there’s truly a ceiling there at all.
I smile, memories of Tobias pointing them out to me all those years ago coming back again.
The Hunter. The Lost Queen. The Bull and the Lamb.
I notice Blackheart watching me and I pull my gaze away from the ceiling. I clear my throat lightly and hike a bare shoulder.
“I like the stars,” I whisper tersely. “What of it?”
“Nothing at all,” he says, a smile pulling at his lips.
His gaze drifts slowly down my throat, across my bare shoulders, lower…
A shiver runs up my spin, heat pooling in my belly and my pulse racing, just as it had when I first saw him waiting for me at the bottom of the stairs at the inn.
He’s in some sort of dress uniform that I’ve never seen before and holy fucking Makers does he wear it well.
It’s tailored to hug his massive frame, black, the same as his usual attire, but this uniform has delicate silver stitching along the cuffs and neck.
A thick black cloak hangs down his back, pinned over one shoulder with a silver broach in the shape of an ice dragon’s snarling mead.
His hair is slicked back and more tamed than I’ve ever seen it, and he’s trimmed his beard and mustache close to his face. He looks…devastating.
So devastating, in fact, that I’d completely missed the final step because of my gawking and nearly broken my ankle.
Copeland had to be called in for an emergency—and very embarrassing—quick healing job.
I’m fairly certain Blackheart was completely aware of the reason for my misstep, but neither of us acknowledged it.
At least not yet. I get the feeling he’s holding on to it to toss in my face at an opportune time in the future.
But I wasn’t the only one caught staring.
More than once in the carriage that King Ryker sent for us, Blackheart couldn’t seem to keep his eyes from roving over every inch of me.
The dress I’d chosen is a deep forest green, sleeveless, with the bodice cut to resemble the top of a heart, and from the way Blackheart’s eyes kept darting downward, he was a fan of the workmanship.
We rode in silence, but I was aware of every small movement he made, every inhale, every hitch of my own breath when I let my imagination run wild with all of the possibilities. ..
It was the longest ride of my life, though it only lasted less than twenty minutes, and by the time we arrived, my fingers were sore from clenching them so tightly in my lap in an effort to stop myself from reaching for him in the dimness, from climbing into his lap and wrapping my arms around his neck, from pressing my lips to his in the way I’ve been dreaming of far too often.
I’ve been dreaming of far more than that, and my cheeks heat as our eyes meet and hold once again, remembering all of the wicked things we’ve done inside my mind.
His throat bobs as he swallows and my heart starts to race.
“Welcome,” King Ryker says with a warm smile, breaking the tension building between Blackheart and me. I quickly shake myself and shift into a deep curtsey, bowing my head, and silently tell Soren to behave himself.
-I will not eat this king, don’t worry. He is known throughout the animal clans across the north for being exceedingly kindhearted, especially to my kind.-
I straighten and glance sidelong at the cat. He’s sitting just behind me on my right, making it perfectly clear that he’s there to protect me.
-What does that mean? Especially your kind?-
-There was an epidemic of poachers hunting the frost cats in this area. Many, many of my kind were taken or killed. King Ryker put a violent end to them. He saved many of us and even gave us lands protected within his kingdom to live and recover.-
I look at Ryker with a new respect. He beams at the cat and Soren dips his head in respect. The two stare at each other and I would swear they were having a conversation.
“Magnificent,” Ryker says in soft exaltation. “Absolutely magnificent. He is your familiar, yes?”
“Yes, your majesty.”
“It’s been so long...” He shakes his head, smiling, as if a familiar returning is the best news he’s ever heard.
“May I?” he asks, gesturing towards me and I don’t know if he’s asking me or Soren, but we both incline our heads in acquiescence.
I swear I can feel Blackheart laughing lightly beside me but I don’t dare take my eyes from the king as he steps forward.
I watch in shock as he dips into a low bow and kisses the back of my hand.
I blink, wondering if Ryker is a bit mad, like Dorian.
That’s a sign of the utmost respect across all of Hypathia. But why…
“Thank you,” Ryker says, straightening again and clasping both of my hands in his.
My brow furrows. “I was told what you did at the mountain—all of you,” he adds, looking to Soren and Blackheart in turn, “but especially you, my dear. I heard that you dug into those rocks with your bare hands until your fingers bled, and even then, you kept digging. You even screamed at this one when he tried to stop you,” he adds with a smile and a twinkling in his golden eyes as he glances to Blackheart.
Heat creeps up my neck and into my cheeks.
“Oh. Well, I…” Have no fucking idea what to say to that.
He smiles wider, skin crinkling beside his eyes.
He’s what I imagine a loving grandfather to be like, though of course I have no personal frame of reference for such a thing and he’s too young for that.
An uncle then, perhaps. Regardless, I feel instantly comfortable and safe with him, his warmth seeming to wrap around me like a soothing hug.
“I know you were mostly fighting to save the young girl, but I know what you said, about helping everyone trapped within, good people trying to feed their families. I know that you said you wouldn’t leave any of them trapped, my people included.
” I don’t know what to say to that, so I remain silent while he studies me.
“You are much different than your reputation would have me believe,” he finally says and my heart thuds against my chest. Of course Tesni never would have helped those people, not unless it served her own purposes somehow or unless they could pay some outrageous sum.
Even then, if she couldn’t use her Gift to help, she most certainly wouldn’t have lifted a finger.
I sigh. I wouldn’t change what I did, but I’m not helping myself by continually slipping in this ruse. It was one thing to stop trying so hard to be a raging cunt around Odessa and the others, but I should probably do better about keeping up appearances for the rest of the world.
Blackheart is still as a statue beside me, watching the exchange and thinking Makers know what.
“I am in your debt, Tesni de Moreau. Should you ever need my assistance, you must only ask.” My eyes fly wide at that.
A debt owed from a king is quite a thing.
He winks at me, reading my stunned reaction easily, and I huff out a laugh.
He turns to Blackheart. “I have thought long and hard on where Tithmoore will fit in this war. I am afraid that remaining neutral isn’t an option any longer after reports I’m hearing from my eyes and ears throughout the continent. ”
My stomach twists at that, wondering what types of reports he’s hearing. Is Helios still keeping out of things? Are Math and Cece alright? Makers I need to get to them, to make sure they’re safe, to tell them to run, even without me.
“I’ve been around for a while. I know how bad things used to be and though I have great respect for the changes that have been made, I remained unsure.
” What in the hells is he talking about?
“This woman has swayed me.” Ryker glances back to me but continues speaking to Blackheart.
“She has shown bravery and selflessness and unyielding loyalty, despite the circumstances in which she finds herself.” He turns back to Blackheart.
“If she can trust in you, then so can I.”
Blackheart swallows but otherwise remains completely still. I glance between the two men. Is Ryker saying what I think he’s saying? He extends his hand to Blackheart.
“Tithmoore stands with Duskthorne.” I inhale sharply, and Blackheart extends his own hand.
The two men clasp each other’s wrists. “I’ll come to Duskthorne soon to work out the details with…
Dorian,” he says, smiling at Blackheart in a way that makes the Commander grin back.
A real smile unlike I’ve seen in all these weeks.
A smile that transforms him into a different person, one that makes it hard to breathe he’s so handsome.
A smile that shreds through any last line of defense I’ve deluded myself into thinking I still had.
Blackheart cuts his eyes to me and I reach up to twirl my hair, suddenly nervous that he could read my thoughts too easily, only to remember that I’ve pinned it up loosely at my nape.
I curl my fingers into a fist and clear my throat lightly, giving him a bland smile back.
He narrows his eyes but looks back to Ryker, the two of them sharing another look that’s most definitely familiar.
These two obviously have a history of some sort, sharing in small jokes that only the two of them understand.
Soren chuckles inside my mind and I narrow my eyes at him.