“Forgive me, love, but I don’t understand. You’re absolutely alluring. You could easily have your pick of eligible men.”
My shoulders tense, and I pause. “Perhaps I don’t want just any eligible man.” I refuse to admit to the prince that no one wants me—no one has wanted me for years.
“Oh? Waiting for a prince to sweep you off your feet?”
Heat flushes my face. “That’s not what I meant!”
The laugh that comes out of him is so rich, I wish I could bottle it up and listen to it forever.
“Then whatdidyou mean?” he asks, taking a step closer. “Waiting for true love? A soul-bonded mate?”
My throat bobs, and I shake my head. “I don’t believe in true love . . . or mates.”
He takes another step closer, and I’m backed into the flowered hedge wall. “Who hurt you, love?” the prince asks, his head tilting at a slight angle, eyes glinting darkly in the moonlight.
He’s so close, I could pull him in for the kiss I was thinking about, but that is a dangerous road I dare not travel.
“Stop calling me love,” I say breathlessly, ignoring his question. “You haven’t earned the right. I am nothing to you.”
The prince stiffens, backing away from me, and while I feel like I can breathe again, I mourn the loss of his weighty presence. I don’t understand the reaction he elicits from me, nor his reaction to my words.
“My apologies. This was a mistake,” he says before whirling around and marching back toward the manor.
I want to call after him, apologize for my rude behavior, but something stops me. I’m a fool for allowing myself to even entertain the thought that a prince might be interested in me.Gods, if my sisters had seen, they would have never let me forget it.
Chapter Nine
KIAN
Those damn eyes haunt my every waking thought. Perhaps I’m the biggest ass for leaving so abruptly yesterday, but standing there, seeing her look at me like I’m a stranger, was too much. I had to get out of there before I said something I’d regret. It’s time to focus on what really matters—my quest.
Nothing like a little light reading from the journal I snatched out of Cary’s study to distract me.
Cyrus is back. Gods help me, I’m about to call him out for a duel. Doesn’t he know Lynette is mine? The moment her jade eyes met mine across the room, I knew who she belonged to. The papers have been drawn up, and our families agree—she is meant to be bound to me by the end of the year. Everything was going perfectly until that blond, woman-thieving man showed up at court, butI’m not truly concerned. Silenius is about to name me as advisor, and then we’ll have everything we could ever need.
I re-read the first passage of Cary Astoria’s journal, dated some thirty years ago. Cyrus? Who in the realms is Cyrus? I run through all the names of Father’s nobles, and Cyrus does not ring a bell. Unfortunately for me, Cary is terrible at journaling, and many pages and dates are missing, but I find another entry from the same year:
In the mother of all plot twists, turns out Cyrus is a god—the sun god Kyros, to be exact. Why he decided to come parade himself as a mortal here in Rakveren makes no sense to me. The gods haven’t been seen in centuries. Why now? And why her?
Lynette is completely enamored by him, begging me to let her out of the marriage contract, but why in the hells should I do that? He’s a god. She’s a fool to think he could ever actually love her. Doesn’t she know the stories? Kyros and Luna—the sun and the moon—are forever intertwined. The goddess Luna will never relinquish her hold on Kyros for a mere mortal, and I shudder to think of the wrath she will pour out on Lynette if Kyros doesn’t leave her alone. She is mine, and I must protect her.
Hells. Carywasmixed up with the sun god. Excitement hums beneath my skin. Perhaps I need to look for more information on Cyrus. Surely, if he spent time at court, others would have been aware of him. Should I ask Father? Except Father always shuts me down when I bring up the sun god. He would rather pretend everything is fine in our realm.
The next few pages are filled with more rants about Cary and Cyrus’ rivalry. He never lists Lynette’s family name, so I’m not sure which family she came from or what happened to her. Cary’s late wife had a different name. The last page of the journal has a short entry and a carefully folded piece of paper tucked in next to it.
She’s gone. My beautiful Lynette is gone, and I alone bear the weight of her secrets. All she left me was a note. I’ll never forgive myself for failing to convince her that I’m what she needed . . . She has to be wrong. I don’t for one second believe that Kyros has her best interests at heart. I must find a way to make things right, even if it costs everything.
Unfolding the aged piece of parchment, I read:
Dearest Cary,
I’m so sorry to tell you this way, but I feared you’d stop me if I were to speak with you in person. While I will always have a fondness for you, Cyrus has my heart. I know he’s a god, but our love is true. He’d burn the realmsfor me if he had to. I hope you can forgive me for breaking our contract; a priestess will bind Cyrus and me tonight. While I might care for you, I need someone who will fight for me, choose me. Can you understand that? I do believe that you think you love me, but I’m certain you love your status and position more. I deserve to be more than just a trophy. As unusual as it might be, I truly believe I will find happiness with Cyrus, away from court. He swears to protect me from Luna—there is nothing between them anymore. Please don’t come looking for me.
Affectionately,
Lynette
Cursing under my breath, I drop the journal onto my desk. I’m nowhere closer to finding outwherethe sun god might have run off to. Cary must have more information, but how do I get it? After examining the journal more closely, it appears that multiple pages have been ripped out of the back, which makes me wonder what else he’s hiding. Perhaps I need to pay House Astoria another visit, but he’s away, and the last thing I need is to torture myself with another encounter with Lady Raelyn.
