I winced. Well, of course we could marry and war. Couples did it all the time.
“There’s something you should know,” Domino said, the seriousness of his tone pinging my nerves.
“Yes?” I croaked, uncaring if the guards heard a lone, random word.
“One of the signs that the gods are rising nears its completion.”
Excuse me? Signs? What signs? I tossed the reader and gripped the edge of the bed, projecting urgency.Go on.
“There are three.” He kept his back to me, his hands fisting and opening at his sides. “The first has already come to pass. A man able to contain the full brunt of Astan’s power has been born.”
Outside, I went still. Inside, apprehension flogged me. Off to a terrible start.
“Second, Astan’s horns will straighten. When they reach maximum height, they will release a blast across both realms.”
I’dknownthose moving horns represented something nefarious. I almost shouted, “What will happen then?”
Domino heard the unasked question. “We can discuss the third sign at a later date.”
“No,” I burst out. That was his standard response, and I wasn’t okay with it. “Now.”
This time, the guards snapped to attention, gazing my way. “Lady Roosa?”
“Just thinking out loud,” I muttered, sinking into myself. When they returned their attention straight ahead, I glared at Domino, my message clear.Tell me now.
He didn’t. “The gods search for their hosts. Astan and all his council. Some have already chosen. Others will pick from those closest to Cyrus.”
A sudden clarity gripped me, and I pressed a trembling palm to my churning belly.
Me. I would be chosen.
“I tell you this not to frighten you,” Domino said, facing me, “but to prepare you. In Theirland, the selection process escalates. Be onguard. Trust only me. Avoid Cyrus. He’ll be there, and when you see him, you’ll wish to aid him. Do not.”
I must have misheard. Avoid Cyrus—not aid him? Nope, not happening. The high prince needed me now more than ever, and Iwouldhelp him, however possible. Nothing and no one would stop me, not even Domino.
“You understand that I’m privy to information you are not, yes?” he asked, tone flat.
I swiped up the reader and jabbed my fingers at the keyboard, then showed him the screen.
Cyrus told me to avoid you, but I didn’t do that, either.
Domino compressed his lips into a thin line. “I’m aware he asked you to dismiss me. He doesn’t want me to tell you what hehasread in his book.”
Type, type, type.
What did he read? You can’t mention it and not share. That’s just cruel.
“That is a question for Cyrus.”
The bell announcing curfew sounded, and my cell door slammed shut, the metal bars slipping through Domino. Amid the commotion of trainees preparing for the night, he held my stare, his grim expression hitting like a punch to the gut.
“Some things you must do because you trust the one we serve, and me, not because you understand why.” The librarian’s fathomless eyes glittered with determination. “But you can know this. I will never ask you to do something meant for your harm or the harm of others.”
Between one heartbeat and the next, Domino vanished.
I threw the reader at my pillows and slammed my fist against the mattress. Jumped up and paced. Stewed. Dissected the librarian’sappeal and Cyrus’s request, and finally stretched out on the bed, energy depleted. Yet again, I tossed and turned most of the night, dozing lightly on and off.
All my life, I’d had trouble sleeping. Then Cyrus had come along and taught me the joy of being enveloped in the safety of his arms, the only place I slept well. And now, Domino expected me to give that up in Theirland, if given the chance to enjoy it. Not happening.
