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“I wanted nothing bad to happen to you, that I swear.” His brother’s voice was raw with emotion.
They both knew jealousy was a venom that could kill, even in relationships like theirs. “If you want to be the hero, I’d start by looking into what your precious Society is doing to innocents.”
The creaking of the bedsprings made Orion pivot on his heel to meet his brother’s haunted gaze. Devon was sitting up straight, his back like an iron rod against the headboard. “Don’t bring them into our private affairs.”
“I believe the Society knew who I was when they took me as a five-year-old boy. They kept me away from my kingdom.”
“You don’t know that for sure. Just because Nava whispers sweet nothings into your ear, doesn’t mean she’s right about everything.”
Orion had neither time nor patience to get into this with Devon. He wrapped his hand around the handle and opened the door into the dark, cold hallway. “I believe they took your family from you, exactly like they did to the children in the bakery. I’ve been the villain to many, and I never truly questioned the Society. We were young and ignorant when we first met. But I don’t have that excuse anymore, and neither do you. You don’t get to blame me for the decisions you make when you continue to follow them blindly.”
And without another look back, he left the room.
12
NAVA
Nava hated being alone, but especially so in this haunted place. With all that had happened three days ago with the Vulcan, tension had been running high between Arkimedes and Devon.
She hadn’t left their room for fear of running into the spirit of Arkimedes’s mother again—or, worse yet, meeting Devon in the hall and having to pretend not to be bothered by what he’d done.
She paced across the creaking floor, pausing by the window and peering outside. Mist enveloped the front garden, so thick she couldn’t see beyond the rock wall that fenced off the manor from the wilderness outside. Her skin crawled with the need to be out of these four walls as soon as possible.
Where was Arkimedes? He’d said something earlier about catching some fresh air. She pressed her face to the glass, trying to spot him. Nava drew a fortifying breath. She had to leave this room eventually.
Venturing out into the haunted halls, she kept her eyes wide open and a shield of bees buzzing around her. The kitchen was empty, but there was hot coffee in the pot and porridge waiting for her on the stove. Wonderful.
She blew on the steam rising from her mug and closed her eyes as the bittersweet scent promised a boost of energy. If there was one thing she was grateful to the Crows for, it was the reserves of coffee beans they kept in this place. They could go to the shadow realm for everything else.
It didn’t take her long to discover Arkimedes in the solarium. His bare, muscular chest came into view through its double doors, the glass distorting some of the detail. But what she couldn’t make out, her mind filled in from memory.
Arkimedes stood in a wide stance, his charcoal pants slung low on his hips, showing off his well-defined abdominal muscles. He wiped his forehead. His skin glistened with sweat.
Nava swallowed against the sudden dryness in her mouth. Despite sharing a room, they’d been too exhausted for intimacy, except for the two kisses she had stolen from him.
She needed time to heal from the heartbreak of believing he’d chosen the kingdom over her. That wasn’t the case, of course—but words only healed part of the wounds. Time and proof of his commitment would do the rest.
But it didn’t hurt his case one bit that he looked the way he did. Heat rushed through her, coiling tight in her center. She rose up on tiptoes to catch a better view of her mate.
He bounced on his feet while rotating his shoulders. His power—rich and black—morphed into waves that swirled around him like a cyclone, shaking the wooden boards of the training deck. The shapes of his victims peered from the swirls. His aura was only visible to her when he was actively using magic, and perhaps it should have frightened her, but she loved that he was power incarnate. That he could choose to bring destruction but refrained from doing so.
He’d been coming here to train each morning at sunrise. Then he came to collect her for breakfast before they went to the archives to find the answers Devon had robbed them of. It was useless, as there were thousands of books to go through—and they didn’t even know where to start.
“Are you going to stay out there or come inside?” Arkimedes’s bright green eyes caught hers from across the solarium and past the dirty glass door. His gaze pinned her down like he was the predator and she was his prey.
“Hello.” Nava scrambled forward, her heart beating wildly in her throat, and she lifted a hand in the most awkward wave any human could possibly give their soulmate.
He smiled, the sun catching the firm muscle of his abdomen, and the visual was so distracting that her foot caught on the step up to the training deck. She screeched as she fell forward, her coffee spilling everywhere.
His hands caught her before she could hit the ground. “Watch where you’re going, Bee.”
Nava met his knowing gaze, and her face heated. How could he still have the same effect on her after all this time? “You made me spill my coffee.”
“What a catastrophe.” His hands settled on her hips, the warmth of his touch seeping through the thin layer of her trousers. “You can always go back for more. I brewed you a big pot.”
Desire rippled through her, making her shudder. “Apparently not enough if you’re going to strut around the house shirtless,” she whispered, her fingertips tingling as she pressed a hand to his chest. The touch alone sparked energy.
His laugh was breathy, music to her ears after he had spent the past few days sulking. “Are you here to train with me?”
