“That’s nice of you. He shouldn’t die, no one should, but this wouldn’t be the first time someone seemingly great has ascended to power just to become a disgusting, greedy ass.” I try to keep my tone light, but life back in Chicago has taught me that, given the chance, many people will take power and money over kindness and decency any day.
“I grew up with Alderic. He is like a brother to me. This is not who he is. This is the curse. This is Four.”
“I think I saw Four’s magick. It was blue, bright blue, like Alderic’s eyes. Like the fire-breathers’.”
“He wishes to instill fear, keep the nobles frightened and compliant and Alderic weak and injured so he canstrengthen his own rule.” Kane’s hand balls into a fist, his knuckles white with the force of his anger.
I grab his fist and hold it between my hands. I lower my face to his knuckles, and slowly, carefully, as if he might retreat back into himself and put up the smirking warrior mask, I feather a kiss against the back of his hand.
He lets out a sigh, his breath stirring my hair as his grip relaxes. Gold glimmers from the space between his fingers, and I turn over his hand. A thin gold line carves a path in his flesh where once there was glass and blood.
“The wine goblet,” I whisper, dragging my finger along the scar that mirrors mine.
He stiffens once more and yanks his hand away.
“I’m sorry, I—”
“It’s not your fault.” He stares down at the gold line glinting up from his palm. “It’s my magick. There are parts of it I cannot control.”
“Is that how Four made sure you were banished? He told the king about your magick?”
No amount of strength and power could hide that gleaming gold. Not forever anyway.
“Yes, I had managed to keep it hidden. I knew that if Alderic found out, it would put him in an impossible position.” Kane’s gaze meets mine, and there’s a raw honesty in his eyes that takes my breath away. “Four used that to get me out of his way. Although not forever. Not like he planned.”
“But he has magick too.” I sit up, wrapping the soft sheet around myself, my questions tumbling out. “How does no one else know he’s using his magick for evil? Why hasn’t he been banished or beheaded? And whywouldn’t the kingdom want someone with your abilities on their side?”
“Magick is passed down through the mother’s line. But not all women have magick. The Tower is fickle, selective. It gave its power not to the rulers, but to the people of Towerfall.”
“The ruling families didn’t have magick—have never had magick,” I say, realization dawning. “So they saw it as a threat, not a gift.”
“And they did what those in power do when faced with something they fear, something they can’t control. They made it punishable by death. Simply being born of a woman with magick in her blood is a crime.” He sets his jaw, the angle sharp and hard. I know there’s a story there, about his people, his mother, but that story’s for a different day.
“There aren’t many of us left,” Kane continues, “but for those of us who do have magick, we hide it, suppress it. In Four’s case, he uses distraction and fear and the fact the nobility would rather keep their bellies and coffers full and their heads cradled by silk sheets than ever challenge him. But magick can’t simply be turned off. It’s a part of each one who wields it. It is a part of my flesh, my blood, my very soul.” He stares down at the scar before closing his fingers, smothering the line of gold.
I can’t help but feel like, if given the choice, he would gladly give his gift away.
“How magick is wielded is not as simple as an issue of good versus evil. It is controlled by the core of who you are, by your heart.”
“I thought your heart wasn’t available,” I say, mysmile soft. “But don’t worry, your secret is safe with me. All of them, Lord Ashwood.”
I settle my hand against his thigh, the thick muscles bunched under the soft leather breeches, the faint smell of smoke still clinging to them.
The corner of his mouth ticks with a grin as he smooths his fingers along my braid. “And yours with me, my lady wife.”
“I do have one more question.”
Wrapping my braid around his hand, he tugs slightly and murmurs a low growl of acknowledgment that makes my nipples tighten beneath the sheet. “Yes, Little Fawn.”
“How do you plan to get rid of Four without bringing the kingdom down with him?” I ask, following his direction as he pulls me up his body, leading me by my braid.
“You don’t think I can rally supporters?” he whispers, his lips a breath away from mine.
“Should I be jealous?” My body hums, warm, wet, and aching for him. I close my eyes and lean forward, desperate for his touch, his kiss. “I’ve experienced the way you rally support.”
Kane retreats, and I fall face-first into a mound of pillows, a muffled squeak flying from my lips when I crash into the goose down.
“What exactly do you mean by that?” He stands, dragging his hands through his hair, tension etched into the hard line of his shoulders.
