“It’s complicated,” I said with a smirk.
“Complicated? You’re tied to the woman for life. Though, you skipped the messy part where she decides whether she likes you or not. Seems simple to me.”
I barked a laugh, the familiarity of his wit welcome amid the dark shadows of the alley. “You’re welcome to try it if you think it’s so easy.”
“Pass. I’d rather keep my freedom … and my sanity.”
I wrinkled my nose. “Considering the way you smell—and look—you’d be lucky if a woman got within twenty feet of you.”
Thorne tossed back the hood of his ill-fitting cloak. “You know, I didn’t crawl through sewers just to be insulted.”
“No, you crawled through sewers because you’re an idiot. I told you to stay away.”
Thorne shrugged. “Fair point. But I expected a little gratitude. Maybe a drink. Definitely not the side-eye from your Viori ‘friends.’”
“Ciaran is safe enough. He’s in love with my wife—he won’t risk her by turning either of us in.” I turned back to Thorne. “But he’s right. You can’t stay in Emberstone. If you’re found, it might put extra scrutiny on me. Now, what in the hell did you risk so much for and crawl through shit to tell me?”
Thorne’s expression darkened. “They’re calling for a coronation—within days. Maybe sooner. There’s chaos in Suomelin, with the king’s council arguing about the line of succession. If your nephew Ivar takes the crown, they’ll use him as a puppet to cement their power. By the time you get back, it’ll be too late to stop them.”
The words drove the air from my lungs. I couldn’t let that happen. Not after everything we’d lost.
I wanted—needed—to ask about my sisters-in-law, their children, Malin, but I couldn’t. It hurt to breathe.
“You need to get back now, Rykr. As it is, it will take days just to reach Cairn Hold.”
I closed my eyes, letting Thorne’s words sink in.
“There’s another claim,” I said, my voice low. “And he’s not just some petty usurper. He’s here, in Emberstone. Magnus’s younger brother—Haldron Warrick. Or just Haldron, as they call him now.”
Thorne’s thick brows furrowed.
“He orchestrated the massacre of my family,” I continued. “And now he’s planning something far worse. If he takes Lirien’s throne, it won’t just be our people who’ll suffer. It’ll be war.”
“Godsdamn motherswiver.”
I grimaced. “Exactly.”
“Then you have to get the hell out of here. We’ll find a way. I can shift into my bear form and drag you through the border if necessary—even the Viori aren’t likely to get between a hungry bear and his dinner.”
The thought of leaving Seren burned like a brand against my chest. If I left her now, I wouldn’t just be betraying her. I’d be proving every doubt she had about me true. But if I stayed … the throne would slip farther out of reach. And Lirien would fall to Haldron’s schemes.
“I can’t. I can’t abandon Seren. Not yet. First, we have to go through a trial that might kill us both. If I leave beforehand, they won’t hesitate to execute her.”
He gave me a skeptical look. “Don’t tell me a fine piece of ass is?—”
“She’s my wife,” I said gruffly, a strange, protective feeling curling around me like a spell.
Stunned, Thorne bowed his head.
Where had that come from?
The bond wasn’t just a chain, it was a mirror. Through it, I felt her strength, her doubts, her quiet pain. And she felt mine. Soon there was no hiding from her, no pretense. Maybe that’s what terrified me most. She’d see the truth of me, stripped bare, and realize I wasn’t the man she thought she’d saved.
Who knew what she’d do then? What her honor would demand of her?
Focusing on Thorne, I gritted out, “I already told you; our lives are tied together. I can’t leave a liability like that behind. If they kill her, I’ll die too.” Better to let him think that I was being strategic rather than sentimental.
“Yeah, that makes sense.”
