Chapter 19 #2
“So could you have,” I said my voice low but sharp.
“Two thrones, actually. Did you forget? You could have been married to the Crown Princess of Ivalon if you’d only shown me kindness when I needed a husband.
Not even your father could have denied the power you would have held.
” I pulled away, enjoying the view of all the delicious tension tightening his neck and jaw.
“Deep down, isn’t there at least a little bit of regret for disregarding me for so long? ”
Angering him probably wasn’t the wisest move, but I couldn’t pass up an opportunity to see him squirm. My secret was still safe so long as he had something to gain from keeping it.
“Power can be gleaned from many sources, Princess,” he responded with a low growl. “There’s more than one route to claiming a throne.”
Another prince started approaching from behind him, one who shared a great deal of his likeness. “I couldn’t agree more,” I said, smiling politely at Atlas as he stepped into our frosty huddle.
The twins didn’t even look at each other, making it a little strange to have such similar faces staring at me in tandem.
“Come to celebrate your champion's loss?” Lochlan asked his brother, seeming more interested in watching the victors dine then facing his brother. “I hate to tell you, but I don’t think she’ll be permitted to share a toast with you.”
He stuffed his hands in his pockets and walked off toward the victor’s table, leaving me with Atlas and what I anticipated to be a rather brutal scolding.
“Thank you for your help,” I said, attempting to soften him a bit.
“A lot of good it did,” he grumbled. “That was a risky move. I expected you to share half your kill with Mara, but all of it? Are you mad? There’s no way of knowing you’ll be able to score in future events.”
“The same goes for Mara,” I said firmly, my defense reflecting limply off his resilient disapproval.
“Don’t be so worried, I already ran the numbers.
They haven’t shown us the overall rankings yet, but between my high ranking in the last competition and my low ranking in this one, I should be somewhere in the middle now, and so should Mara. ”
“But that’s not where you belong,” he rasped, the husky depth in his voice echoing through my shivering form. “Our deal was that you win, not die. Do you realize how close you came to being killed because you were more focused on Mara?”
“I only survived Sybil because Mara helped me,” I argued, and his anger dropped as suddenly as the edge of that cliff. He seemed to chew on my words but still didn’t like the taste. “She needs me, Atlas. And sometimes I need her too.”
“There are people I need, too,” he said tightly.
A nasty breeze swept through the courtyard, flicking my hair from my shoulders and whipping the cold air over my exposed neck. Another fierce shiver rippled through me, bad enough that I couldn’t stop from clutching myself until the shaking lessened.
The wind persisted, and I shut my eyes to keep the snow flurries out until I felt something heavy and warm weigh down my shoulders. I opened my eyes, my body relaxing as Atlas placed his toasty fur cloak over me, pulling it snug around my torso.
“A-are you allowed to do that?” I glanced around the courtyard, trying to see if any guards were racing over to rip the cloak from me.
“Don’t see why I couldn’t,” he said in a completely unbothered tone. “As long as you don’t try to eat it, you should be fine.”
I raised my shoulders to brush the soft fur against my cheeks, gratefully absorbing as much of the warmth as I could. The cloak smelled like fireplace smoke and pine, as if he’d last worn it around a winter campfire.
“Thank you,” I said as I felt life flood back into my frozen fingers. His fitted leather tunic didn’t look nearly warm enough to wear out in the cold, but he didn’t seem to mind the wind in the slightest.
“Don’t thank me until you win,” he said, his eyes tracing me, seeming captivated by the sight of me wrapped up in his cloak. “You can’t lose, Diaspro.”
“I’m not losing,” I reminded him, thinking back to the scores.
“But you’re not winning either.” He was so stubborn.
“I will,” I argued. “I just need to protect Mara first.”
He sighed, the sound almost animalistic as he lowered his pretty little head. “Do you still believe you can find them?”
The enchanted letter flashed through my thoughts, and I fought the urge to tell him everything I’d learned. He wasn’t Ivalonian, so it was too risky to share the Guardian’s secrets with him.
“Yes,” I said with a bold lift of my chin, earning an eyebrow raise from the prince. “In fact, I plan to contact them soon. I just need a little help from Cedric first.”
“Why Cedric?”
“Can’t say.” I shrugged, earning a frown from him. “You’ll just have to trust me on this one. Do you think you can get Cedric to pay me a visit?”
He didn’t seem particularly pleased by my lack of sharing or by my request, but after a long moment of grimacing, he finally replied. “If I help you do this, will you start taking these competitions seriously?”
His request made the cold sink through the cloak. I knew he only wanted me to succeed, but taking the competitions seriously meant leaving Mara to fend for herself.
“I’ve been nothing but serious,” I said, glancing back at the table where my precious friend was having her needs met.
I sighed, pulling my eyes away from one goal and setting them on the tall one in front of me.
“But I know what you mean. If you help me, I promise to do my best in the next challenge.”
“Not just your best.” He stepped forward, forcing me to look up at him while snowflakes clung to my lashes. “Promise me you’ll fight to win.”
Win…win him as a husband.
My heart stuttered, but I nodded nonetheless. The Guardian could save Mara, but maybe…just maybe, having Atlas by my side could save her too.
“Promise.”