Now he tells me…
“Why? Are you afraid it’s going to bite you next?” I masked the moment with a playful smile, but he didn’t let it go.
“Tell me if something is wrong,” he said, his tone unwavering. “You can’t remove the ring on your own. It has to be taken off by the same person who applied it.”
“It’s a shame it’s not prettier, then.” I squinted at the ring, dismissing his concerns once again. “At least it was easier to apply than my other ring. That one could only be bestowed by someone who loves you.”
I held up my other ring but couldn’t focus on it when the man behind it stole my attention.
“I hadn’t thought about that since you told us the truth about Damon,” he said softly, his gaze fixated on the jasper stone. “It makes a lot more sense now, knowing that it was applied by the queen.”
He stretched out the other ring to me, and I took it silently. He held out his right ring finger the same way I had, and I wondered if he had felt as nervous putting my ring on me as I felt now.
I slid it on his finger, feeling my new ring warm in response.
“I always wondered…” he said quietly, our hands still lingering together, “how such a vicious man like Damon could love anyone, but now I realize he never did.”
Perhaps he never will.
I pulled my hands away, the movement slow and unsteady as my hands twitched once more.
“He certainly never loved me,” I said, brushing my thumb against the new ring and testing the stone with a soft tap.
Atlas’s attention flicked to the limestone, and he tapped it back once to return the test. My finger jolted with a clear buzz of the ring.
“In fact, Damon hated me. I was the one thing that always held him back, the weakness he could never be rid of.”
“That weakness kept you alive.” He lowered his hand, our rings now successfully bound to each other. “The prince may be dead, but I’m far more afraid of the princess he left behind. Those women should be too.”
He stepped past me, leaving behind only the lingering warmth in my fingers as he approached the door. He’d been here long enough; it was wise for him to leave. Even if I wanted to talk to him more…
“I’ll help however I can with the rings, but the rest is up to you.” He stopped by the door, brushing his finger across the iron band while only teasing a touch against the stone. “You better win this, Diaspro. If I’m going to murder my wife, it had better be you.”