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He pressed his hands to his temple, massaging away an impending headache. If the Society of Crows had known who he was all along, then it stood to reason that they were now protecting their members from his father, the king. “I think they found out that I came here and learned who I was, and my disappearance suited them better than if I’d stayed to rule.”
“Well, if we focus on the positives of this mess, at least we know they won’t send any Crows while we’re hiding here,” she said.
“And that buys us time to go through the archives.”
She hummed and pointed at the bee that was crawling across the wall underneath the picture. Its brown body blended almost seamlessly into the brown shades of the wooden panels. “Even if they don’t come, we have little time. We have to go back to help Aristaeus in the forest. He can’t battle the Zorren alone.”
“I know, which is why I need to convince Devon to use the mirror to reveal the information we need.”
“Do you think he’s right? That it will call the Society if one of us uses it?”
“Probably. Do you remember how the fountain outside dripped blood over my hand until the very end?” She nodded at his words. “Well, on reflection, I believe that was because my allegiance to the Crows was already so weak. Now that I know they knew my true identity all along, whatever shred of it remained will be gone. And the mirror will see me as a traitor.”
“You agree then? That they did know?”
The hollowness in Orion’s chest deepened, and the voice of a spirit in his aura rose to his ears, as though the despair churning within him had brought it to life.
“I knew who you were, Arkimedes Valeron. Princeling of the Dark Ones. And now I am part of you.”
Orion flinched at the sound, so twisted and hollow that it was impossible to distinguish its origin. A male voice. A fragment of one of his past victims. Panic snaked its icy fingers through his blood. If only he could tell who that voice belonged to. Perhaps if he could remember the person—their face—then he might finally gain some clarity. But with the number of souls he carried and the holes in his memories, it would be a challenge.
When he’d been a young Crow, Orion hadn’t asked questions whenever the Society sent him to get rid of a problem. He’d believed everything served a greater purpose. They’d used him, molded him into a killer.
Had his mother not thought about what would become of him if she abandoned him in the Iron City, a place run by the Crows? She should have suspected it.
He swallowed the sour taste in his mouth and opened the next door after Devon’s, waving Nava in. “This is your room.”
The same dark wood panels as in the hallway wrapped around the walls, and on the opposite side of the door, a large, arched window with black trim let in the last rays of gray daylight. The floors creaked under Nava’s tentative steps. “My room? Aren’t you staying here with me?”
“I thought you might want space, after everything…” Orion hated how uncertain he sounded. The last thing he wanted was for Nava to think that he didn’t want to be with her. He cleared his throat and moved toward her. “Do you want me to?”
A wave of her mixed feelings swirled in his gut: longing, desire…and hesitation.
“Yes,” she whispered. “This place feels…wrong. Like there’s something haunting the very fabric of what makes up this house. Is it cursed?”
Orion stilled as the image of the locked door in the basement flashed through his mind. He would have to tell her about the cellar tomorrow morning when they went to the archives. But there was no need to frighten her further by mentioning it right now.
“It’s not cursed,” he said and cleared his throat. “Are you sure you want me to stay? There’s only one bed.” He pointed at the piece of furniture in question. It was still shrouded by white dust covers.
“Are you embarrassed about sharing the bed with me?” Her words took on a teasing note, but the blush in her cheeks betrayed her nerves.
“No.” A soft chuckle escaped his lips, and he grabbed the sheet, tugging it off the bed and tossing it into the corner in one movement. “I thought you were still upset with me.”
Dust bloomed from the billowing fabric and itched his nose. He strolled to the other side of the room and closed the curtains, which were made of thick fabric, a blue so dark it was almost black.
The color reminded him of the dress Nava had worn to his father’s dinner the previous afternoon. How the castle’s magic had shown the king and the entire kingdom that she was royalty—for the sentient pile of stone and bricks allowed only the royal line to wear black inside its walls.
“It seems I can’t stay mad at you for long,” she mumbled, scrunching her freckled nose. “Even if this place gives me the creeps, you don’t have to stay. I can handle it.”
“I suspect there’s nothing you can’t handle.” A warm wave of pride filled him. Pride and something more. Fuck, he’d been so lost without this woman in his life. He couldn’t believe he’d tried to push her away.
Nava challenged him in every way. Made him want to be better. She’d come to this kingdom to save him and hadn’t backed down, even when faced with a bastard as scary as his father.
Orion walked to her with long strides, stopping only when she was close enough that the warmth of her body seeped through his clothes. Her chin fit so easily between his fingers as he lifted her face to his.
“I was trying to be a gentleman and give you space. Don’t mistake that for me not wanting to take all you give me, Nava. I’m a greedy creature.” He touched her plush, parted lips and dropped his hand to her throat.
“Stay,” she said and took hold of his hand with icy fingers. Her nervous breaths washed over his arm. “But only stay if you won’t change your mind tomorrow. You asked me to marry you one night, and the next morning, you were planning on sending me away after you found out I was your soulmate.”
