Chapter 57
Fifty-Seven
Hydrous Phosphate
The moment the door clicks shut behind me, my muscles tense.
Soren lingers by my side, but must sense something in Adrian because he ambles over and curls up at the foot of the bed.
I know Adrian isn’t going to hurt me—well, I know I could kick his ass if he tried—but being back in this room with him is a stark reminder of the last time we were here together.
When he told me he knew how Linnick died and kept it from me.
When he admitted to killing his own father.
When he tried to force me to become his queen.
Adrian clears his throat from behind me.
“I made sure to put Graylen in the room next to us so he could travel through the hidden passageway without the guard knowing,” he says quietly, looking anywhere but directly at me. “I’ll sleep in my old chambers, and he can sleep here. We’ll switch before the morning.”
I raise a brow. “And if someone comes in before that?”
At this, Adrian finally glances at me. “They’d have to have permission to enter.
” He shrugs and walks over to the door we came through, turning the lock into place.
With his back to me, he adds, “Keys are stored in the captain’s quarters on the first level.
In the time it’d take them to unlock it, we’d be able to switch back. ”
I snort. “That sounds safe.”
Adrian looks at me over his shoulder, his face relaxing as he nods in agreement. “I used to think nothing could touch me here.” He sighs and faces me, staying near the door and leaving a wide berth between us. “I was wrong.”
I nod, because what else is there to say? I’ve tried to tell him how he’s misunderstood things for weeks now.
“About a lot of things,” he continues—almost rambling—as he rakes a hand through his hair.
“I was raised to see the world as I wished it to be—a kingdom that’s perfect and loves its king, a neighboring realm that’s evil beyond repair.
And you.” His gaze briefly flicks to mine before he turns toward the frosted window.
“You’ve been trying to tell me that my people are hurting, but I didn’t want to listen.
“But I see it now. I’ve seen it in the farms that have been reduced to shambles; I’ve felt the hunger in the eyes of children in the towns we stayed in.” His jaw tightens. “The market that once thrived turned into nothing more than a memory. My uncle did that—I don’t know how, but I know he did.”
I swallow. He’s so close to figuring out the truth on his own. We need his help, and he’s done nothing but prove he’s willing to give it to us since we’ve gotten to Crea. Despite locking him and Opal’s brothers away in Penyth, he’s still choosing to help us.
Adrian could’ve turned us in the moment we got to the castle. But he didn’t. He’s still here, offering to see our side of things.
“You can’t fix what you’ve chosen to be ignorant and selfish to in the past,” I finally say. “But you can change what you do in the future—how you choose to help those who need you moving forward. That’s what matters now.”
Adrian nods stiffly, blinking rapidly as tears form in his eyes. “Let’s get that thing off of you for tonight,” he croaks out, gesturing to the collar around my neck.
I jerk my chin down, eager for him to take it off. My eyes flicker over to where Soren is lying, curious to see his reaction as Adrian walks over to me, careful to keep his distance but close enough to start undoing the magic suppressor.
Soren doesn’t so much as peek open an eye, still lightly snoring from the little ball he’s curled himself into.
Adrian stops in front of me, eyes tired and mouth thin. There’s no lingering tension between us—no sparks or feelings rising to the surface—but there’s still a connection there. The type of connection between two old friends who fell out of touch but found a way to reconnect.
He may not be the one for me, but maybe one day, he could be for someone else.
Within the silence of the room, the click of the collar unlatching is deafening. The cool metal loosens around my neck, and before Adrian can grab it, I rip it off and fling it onto the bed.
I inhale deeply, my lungs filling with the first full breath of air I’ve had since the moment the shackle locked into place.
“Better?” Adrian squeaks tentatively.
My gaze finds him, and I whisper, “Better.”
He gives me a curt nod and walks stiffly over to the tapestry covering the hidden doorway. Without a second glance, he pulls it aside and pushes into the passage.
His footsteps fade as he goes to get Graylen, and the memory of the last time Adrian and I were here together rises to the surface of my thoughts.
The frantic look in his eyes. His pale and sweaty skin. Pleas pouring from his lips as he justified the things he had done.
This time, he’s helping. He thought quickly enough on his feet to bring us to the rooms connected by a hidden passage so that Graylen and I could be together without Moros knowing.
He took my collar off when he didn’t have to.
My chest tightens. This isn’t the Adrian I left behind—isn’t even the farmer’s boy I fell for.
This Adrian is a king.
And we need his help.
The scent of coming rain washes over me, and I spin toward the passage just as Graylen sweeps into the room. Alone.
His hair is damp, his skin clean, and his eyes soft, as if he had just awoken.
“I must’ve fallen asleep after my bath,” he says quietly. “Adrian woke me up and told me to switch with him.”
For a singular heartbeat, we just stare at each other.
He’s going to either be furious or think I’m insane for what I’m about to do.
“Don’t hate me,” I push into his mind, repeating the words he once said to me.
His eyes flare and drop to my neck, realizing the collar is off. “He took it off,” he murmurs aloud. Then he squints, realizing what I said. His voice is a low, hesitant rumble as he says, “Why would I hate you, Lunaria?”
I hurry over to him, my decision already made. Graylen isn’t going to like this. Not one bit.
“Do you trust me?” I ask instead, my fingers already wrapped around his wrist, dragging him into the passageway.
He grunts and mutters, “You and I both know you’ve already gotten your mind set on whatever it is you’re about to do.”
I toss a smirk at him over my shoulder and lead us into Adrian’s chambers.
When we burst into the room, we find Adrian standing by the window, gazing out at the night sky.
He whirls toward us, his hand flying to cover his heart as he breathes, “What the hell, you two?”
Graylen glances at me and gives me a look that tells me he agrees with Adrian’s sentiment.
I take a deep breath, praying to the Divine that this isn’t a mistake.
“We came to Crea to search for a dagger.” The words spill out of me. Graylen settles against the wall, leaning with his hands in his pockets, masking his surprise just as I knew he would. “Nightfall. We have to find it, Adrian.”
Adrian’s eyes widen in surprise.
“Have you heard of it?” I press, harboring a kernel of hope that he has.
“No.” He shakes his head and turns to face us. “What makes you so certain it’s here?”
I feel Graylen shift beside me, still perched against the wall. “You’re sure about this, little princess?” he sends into my mind, and I have to suppress a shudder at the way it feels to have him there again.
“Nope,” I reply.
Amusement dances through the thread that binds us as he responds, “I’ll be ready to find us a way out if everything goes to shit.”
Graylen has my back; it pushes me over the edge, urging me to tell Adrian the truth—at least some of it.
“Your uncle has it,” I answer. “And if we don’t get it back, a lot of people are going to die. Not just those in Penyth, but Creans too.”