CHAPTER NINE
Astrid
Zipping back to my father’s kingdom will not solve anything, and I know that. However, I do need to see them before they show up on Rave’s doorstep with an army. I know they all have to be pissed, especially Bane, who was adamant about me only leaving when I wanted to. So, instead, I go fishing with Vale, who apparently spends a lot of his free time doing just that whenever he’s not training with his sword.
“Should we be doing this when it’s so dark?” I ask, staring up at the bright moon. “And when vampires are around?”
“I don’t know… you’re the adult,” he reminds me, which means we are in deep shit because I’m usually getting myself into some sort of trouble. He shines his torch light. I suppose as a void, he’d have to be used to not relying on magic. Holding up my palms, I close my eyes and envision what I want to create—a bright orb forming. It rises above our heads until we can see all around us.
“You’re going to chase away the squid with that,” he points out, staring at it with awe.
“Does your mom know where you are right now?” I ask, stepping away from a loud frog near my feet.
“No, she thinks I’m in bed,” he replies casually, cheering when he pulls up a fish on his line. “Look at this one.”
“Very impressive,” I reply with a wide smile. “Grab your fish, and let’s get out of here.”
We aren’t far from the castle. In fact, I see it from here, but if anything happens to Vale, I know how bad the situation would be and what it would look like for me.
We walk back side by side, his fish in the bucket we brought with us, his little rod leaning on his shoulder.
“I had fun tonight, Vale. And thank you for getting me out of the room,” I say to him as we step back inside the castle, where he leaves his rod by the door.
“Any time.” He beams.
We stop at the kitchen, where he hands his fish to the chef to cook for him.
“I’ll walk you back to your room,” he then announces.
My eyes widen at this little kid’s show of chivalry. “You’re a lot like your father, you know that?”
He laughs an adorable, musical sound. “I get told that… a lot .”
We stop at the front of my prison, but then I keep walking to the next door and open that one instead. This is the room that had become ‘our’ bedroom before he put me in my old room to hold me captive. “I’m not going back in that room.”
“I wouldn’t want to either.” Vale nods, coming in behind me. “I’ll break you out again if you need me to, so don’t worry.”
I study him as I sit on the edge of the black silk-covered bed. “And why would you do that, knowing it would upset both your parents?”
He takes the spot next to me. “I feel bad about what happened. And I don’t like seeing my dad sad. And he’s been really sad since you left.”
Shit.
You’d have to be evil not to like this kid.
How could Rave think that I’d banish him?
“Vale!” I hear Vera yell from down the hallway, and my head snaps to him. “I think we’re about to be in big trouble.”
His blue eyes widen as his mother appears at the door, her dark eyes simmering with fear and then anger as they land on me. “What are you doing in here with… her ?”
She tries to step through the door but comes up against an invisible wall. It seems Rave even warded out his son’s mother from his room.
My lip twitches. “Vera, lovely to see you again.”
“I wish you never came back,” she snarls, her eyes gentling as they turn to her son. “I was so worried when you weren’t in bed, Vale. Come on, let’s go home.”
“I’m staying here tonight,” he replies, sliding to the edge of the bed. “Now that Princess Astrid knows everything, I don’t have to hide anymore.”
Smiling, I gently ask him, “Why don’t you go to bed and come back tomorrow?”
“Don’t tell my son what to do,” Vera yells, pointing her finger at me. Her red hair falls over her cheek, and she lets it stay there. “You’ve ruined everything for us, you know that? And I don’t care what you say or do, Vale will be the next king!”
Not wanting to talk about this in front of a child, I don’t bother engaging with her. But seeing her reminds me why I left this kingdom in the first place. The castle is more Vera’s home than it is mine. I’m the outsider here.
“What are you doing here?” Rave says as he stops in front of Vera. He turns and looks toward Vale and me, sitting on his bed together, his brow burrowing. “Vale?”
“Sorry, Dad,” his son says, shrugging. “I took the princess fishing. It wasn’t her fault, so don’t be angry.”
My eyes go to Vale, and he winks at me. I can’t help but laugh softly. This kid is charming and so much like his father. Rave steps into the room, leaving Vera at the ward boundary. “You know it’s not safe to go outside at nighttime.”
“I can protect her,” Vale replies, puffing out his chest. “I even caught her a fish.”
Rave crosses his arms as he studies us, a flash of amusement dancing in his eyes. “Astrid doesn’t eat fish.”
Vale snaps his head to me. “Why didn’t you tell me that?”
Shrugging, I admit, “I didn’t know you were catching it for me. And I did tell you we could do whatever you wanted to. You obviously like fishing.”
“I do.” He nods, standing and hugging his father. “I’m going to go to bed now. Goodnight, Princess.”
“Night, Vale,” I say, watching him leave with Vera, who throws a dirty look in my direction for good measure.
Now alone, Rave regards me with uncertainty. There’s blood on his tunic, and I know he’s killed tonight. “He walked you out of your room?”
“He did,” I reply, licking my suddenly dry lips.
His gaze follows the motion, and he steps closer to me. “And what do you plan on doing now? Are you going to try and leave again?”
I arch my brow, standing to face him. The air between us thickens, the bond wanting me closer to him, but my stubbornness won’t allow that. “You won’t be keeping me anywhere I don’t want to be, Rave. And if you try to lock me away again, you will lose me.”
“You were so sweet. What happened to you?” he mutters.
“That was when August was looking after me. This is the version of me you have created,” I reply, watching his expression shatter before my eyes—pain, regret, and anger flicker over him.
He swallows, his throat working with the motion. “There are no limits to what I’d do to keep you with me, Astrid. You are mine , and there is no escaping that. The bond might lessen with distance between us, but it will never disappear. We are tied together for the rest of our lives. You might hate me, but I’m yours . And that will never change.”
“That might not change, but other things will,” I say, and his eyes dilate. “You didn’t encourage me to learn how to zip so I couldn’t just leave, did you?”
A muscle feathers in his jaw, letting me know I’m right. “It’s not safe—”
“But now I can zip. I will be free to do and go where I want. And you will trust me to make those decisions,” I declare, closing the space between us until his boots touch my bare feet. “Things won’t be the same, Rave. This castle doesn’t seem like my home anymore. It feels more like I’ve walked into an already made family as an intruder—”
“That isn’t true. You are everything to me—”
I raise my hands. “This is your home. Your friends. Your family. Your ex. Your son. I thought it was becoming mine, but it was all one big lie. One that everyone was involved in except me.”
He runs a hand through his hair but stays silent, letting me continue, “And now I’ve found my own family. My father. My brothers. And my best friend, who you wouldn’t let me see before. I won’t be taken from them.”
“You aren’t living in their kingdom,” he snaps, touching my cheek and then lifting my face to study me while taking a shaky breath. “I fucked up, and I’m sorry I’ve made you feel like this isn’t your home. But it is. Your home is wherever I am. And I’m not letting you go, Astrid. I don’t give a fuck who I have to destroy.”
“And what if it’s me you destroy?” I whisper, my eyes narrowing.
His eyes slam shut, then open slowly. “What are you proposing?”
“I’m free to zip between the kingdoms. No war. No one gets hurt. I’ll visit my family, and I will always come back to you.”
His thumb strokes my cheek gently. “You’re asking me to let my heart go wander, not knowing how safe it will be.”
“You should have taken better care of your heart, or it wouldn’t want to wander,” I fire back, and he flinches.
“How long are you going to keep punishing me for this?” he asks softly, and there’s a flash of vulnerability in his gaze before he masks it.
“You can stop hurting when I do,” I reply, keeping my expression neutral.
He leans down and rests his forehead against mine. “As long as you are here.”
Misery loves company.
“I’ll go and see my father tomorrow and let him know I’m okay,” I tell him, and his head lifts, a shadow sliding across his face.
“You’ll stay with me tonight… in our bed. I need you next to me,” he demands, and I nod slowly.
As much as I hate Rave right now, the bond wants me near him.
But if he thinks anything more is happening, he’s in for a surprise.
No vision will be coming true this evening.
Because if anyone knows how to hold a grudge, it’s me.