Chapter Fifty-One Riela
Chapter Fifty-One
Riela
Garrick caught my wrists before I could retreat, his eyes burning bright with fury. “That was incredibly foolish.”
I lifted a shoulder. “It was my choice.” I should probably be afraid now that he could hurt me with impunity again, but the
fear didn’t rise. Foolish though it might be, I trusted him.
But what would he do now?
Even furious, Garrick’s hold on my wrists was gentle, but when I tried to pull away, I found that while his grip might be
light, it was also unbreakable. He blew out a frustrated breath and looked like he wanted to shake me until my teeth rattled.
And still I didn’t fear him.
“What am I going to do with you?” he muttered.
“Well, now you don’t have to marry me,” I quipped. I was going for light and dry, but it came out more tired and sad.
He pulled me closer, and his body pressed against mine with delicious heat. Desire flickered to life, chasing away some of
the fatigue. Garrick stared down at me, his eyes hooded. “Who said I had to marry you, Riela?”
“You didn’t even want to enter into a reversible betrothal bond with me,” I reminded him. “So consider me skeptical of your
sudden desire to enter into an irreversible marriage for any reason other than a misplaced sense of duty.”
“My refusal of the bond was for your own good,” he bit out, his expression bordering on hungry. “But since I am no longer bound to protect you, we can complete it right now.” He released my wrists and pulled me tighter
against the firm line of his body, his mouth dipping toward mine.
The temptation was nearly irresistible. My muscles went taut with yearning, but at the last moment, I turned my head aside so his lips brushed over my cheek. Sparks burst along my nerves and I wanted. I trembled with the force of my desire—and the willpower necessary to hold it back.
Entering into a betrothal bond now would just put his life in danger. It was my turn to protect him.
“If I’m Roseguard’s daughter, then I should be able to open the door. Unbind my magic.”
“I can’t!” he snarled. “Every single option I’ve found that might break the seal could also kill you.” He furiously bit out the words, as if they tasted bitter on his tongue. “If you believe nothing else, believe that
I will not harm you, vow or no.”
“We won’t know unless we try. It could be fine,” I argued quietly. I wasn’t entirely sure that was true, but I was running
out of options.
“I refuse to gamble with your life.” The words had absolutely zero give.
“No, you’re right,” I agreed sarcastically. “I should definitely go to the Blood Court without the ability to use all of my magic.”
His arms tightened. “You’re not going to the Blood Court at all. Marry me, Riela. Let me protect you.”
My heart twisted into a ball of agony as desire and frustration wove themselves into an impossible tangle. I stiffened and
stepped back, and Garrick let me go, his reluctance clear. I met his gaze solidly. “I will not ruin your life to save my own.
You are no longer required to protect me.”
His chuckle was dark and biting. “I was never required to protect you, little mage. There are a dozen ways to get around even the strictest vow. I protected you because I wanted to.” His blazing eyes met mine. “Just like I want you now.”
“You have a funny way of showing it. You’re still betrothed to another woman!”
Garrick’s teeth flashed in a hungry smile. “Are you jealous, tempest?” His hot gaze raked over me. “If you want me, you only have to say the words.”
I lifted my chin even as desire ate away at my determination. “You are still betrothed, so no, I don’t want you.” It was the
biggest lie I’d ever told, and his expression assured me he knew it. “And you wouldn’t be offering to marry me if you didn’t
feel the need to protect me. I want to marry for love, not misplaced honor.”
“There are many types of marriages,” Garrick murmured. “Ours could be a mutually beneficial partnership.”
My eyes narrowed. “I would get to avoid the Blood Court. What would you get?”
“You. But if you want to look at it like a fair trade, then I would get the heir to the Blood Court as my wife.”
Shock and pain stole my breath, and I chuckled bitterly at my naivete. Of course. When I’d been human, I hadn’t been good
enough for a betrothal bond, and now I was only worth marrying because of my blood—the same blood those in the Silver Court
had sneered at for being too human.
How ironic.
I shoved the hurt into a box and wrapped myself in icy composure. “Unbind my magic or I’ll find a way to unbind it myself.
I’ll open the door before presenting myself to King Roseguard for judgment.”
“Over my dead body,” Garrick snapped. “You’re not putting yourself in danger alone. And if you try, remember that I can declare
war faster than you can get to the Blood Court.”
His expression told me he was deadly serious, and I stared at him in dismay. “That’s unfair. Your people would suffer.”
“No, that’s my nice offer. I will happily tear the world apart to keep you safe, courts and sovereigns be damned.” His eyes glinted. “Try me.”
My heart, silly organ that it was, wanted to jump directly into his hands and never leave. But he’d just told me that he only wanted to marry me for my blood, and I wasn’t so desperate that I’d settle for such a paltry offer.
Not yet, at least. With that dismal thought in mind, I retreated. “Good night, Your Highness.”
I stepped to my bedroom before the first tear fell.
The next morning, I ate stale travel biscuits in my room rather than facing Garrick at breakfast. I’d barely slept, and I
felt bruised inside and out. I put on a soft gray dress and braided my hair back from my face.
A glance in the mirror proved that I looked as bad as I felt, with deep circles under my bloodshot eyes.
I stepped out of the room and straight into the courtyard. By the time I made it to the clearing, Garrick and Vastien were
on the dais waiting for me.
Garrick also looked like he’d had a rough night. He silently held out a plate with a sticky bun when I approached.
I refused to meet his eyes. “I’ve already eaten.”
The plate vanished with a thrum of magic.
I stepped up onto the dais and reached for Garrick’s dagger. He caught my hand. “I’m sorry,” he murmured.
“You say that a lot.”
His lips twisted into a rueful smile. “Only to you.”
“That doesn’t make it better.”
His smile died. “I know.” He lifted his hand as if he would touch the circles under my eyes, but he let it drop without making
contact. “We don’t have to go to Lohka today. You can rest instead.”
“I’m going.” I needed access to the bigger library if I was going to figure out how to unbind my magic and the door.
Garrick sighed. “Very well.” His silver claws shimmered into existence, and he carefully touched the pad of my thumb. “Allow
me?”
When I nodded, he made a tiny, delicate cut, and a drop of blood welled immediately. He sucked in a breath and closed his
eyes with something like pain etched on his face.
I turned his thumb over, but found only pristine skin. His vows truly were broken. My protection was my own responsibility now.
The blood dripped onto the dais, and I wrapped my hand around Garrick’s wrist, marring his pale skin with a streak of red.
“Ready?”
His magic thrummed through me, healing the tiny wound, then he nodded.
I opened the door and pulled him and Vastien through. We stepped into the bright sun in Lohka, and I blinked at the wall of
weapons waiting for us.
Garrick reacted faster. He stepped in front of me, his magic rising. “What is the meaning of this?”
The guards parted to reveal a smirking Koru and the envoy from last night. Behind me, Vastien cursed darkly, but Garrick merely
tipped his head to the side. “Shar, I see you’ve been busy.”
“She’s here for the woman,” Koru said, cruel delight in every line of his face. “I’ve looked at Roseguard’s claims, and they
are valid. The woman is required by law to visit the Blood Court. Now. Hand her over.”
Oh, Koru was so close to clever. He’d determined that I was the one opening the door. If he took me out, then Garrick would
return to being trapped in Edea, leaving the throne conveniently empty. But he’d failed to realize I had to stay in contact
with Garrick or Vastien in order to remain on this side of the door.
“Did Shar happen to mention that she tested Riela last night, and the mage passed?” Garrick asked, his voice deceptively mild.
Koru’s tan cheeks flushed, and I had the feeling that Shar had not mentioned that fact. But he quickly rallied. “She brought a magical test from the Blood King himself.”
Garrick’s magic rose higher, and his voice was cold enough that the very air chilled. “So you let an enemy envoy bring a foreign
sovereign’s magic into the heart of the Silver Court. Is that what you’re saying?”
Half of the guards turned to face Shar while the rest trembled in place. “It’s required by law,” Koru spluttered. “Even you
are not above the law!”
Vastien’s silver magic pulsed, and his tunic was replaced with the dark armor he’d worn on our first trip. He wrapped his fingers around my elbow. “Whatever happens,” he murmured, “we will keep you safe.”
“Lady Riela has already denied knowing the person in the painting,” Garrick told Shar. “Your continued presence is perilously
close to an act of war.”
Shar’s magic flared and a bloodred rose appeared in her hand. Vastien growled from somewhere deep in his chest, and Garrick’s
magic rose.
“What’s the matter, Stoneguard?” Shar asked innocently. “Are you afraid your little pet won’t pass this test? Because withholding a firstborn is an act of war, one King Roseguard will not ignore and one the Silver Court can ill afford.”
“Lady Riela is under the protection of my court, and she’s already been tested once. You have no right to test her again.”
Koru smirked. “I gave her the right in your stead.”
“You are not the Silver King,” Garrick said. “No matter how much you might want the job.”