Just as fast, a whip of magic ensnared his wrist again.
He hissed. “We should go,” he said gruffly.
He stepped closer, his hand seeking mine, but when I felt his mistphasing magic begin to rise, I yanked back and blurted, “Wait.”
He paused, studying me, and his magic evaporated.
“What is your duty to the Council that makes the magic flare around your wrist?”
His jaw tightened, just the slightest bit.
I remained silent and waited, hoping he would tell me. I didn’t know why I wanted to know so badly,neededto know, but something told me it was important.
And as I stood there, waiting to see if he would respond, I realized that I’d forgiven him entirely for taking the Stone from me and deceiving me.
I’d never been one to hold grudges anyway or not forgive. It wasn’t in my nature to hold onto negative things, and it struck me like a clap of thunder how duty-bound Kole truly was. In a way, the warrior was no different from me now. We were both pawns in the game of crowns, swords, and vows. Both of us were bound to ties that couldn’t be cut, no matter if we wanted to slice them in two, and both of us were held to a standard that most fae could never fathom.
The meal with my parents and sisters had completely shed that new light on me, and Kole was right. I was a princess now. Certain things were expected of me. Just as certain things were expected of him as an Imperial Warrior.
The breeze continued to blow around us, and eventually, Kole inhaled, then said in a low voice, “When an Imperial Warrior swears an oath to the Council, part of that oath is a promise to never compromise any job the Council requests of him. In order to do that, a warrior must remain detached, impersonal, and distant.”
I frowned, my eyebrows drawing together as the sea air filled my senses. “And that magic, when it flares around your wrist, is a reminder of that oath?”
“It is.”
“But why would it flare so much? Surely, you haven’t forgotten your duties, especially if you so easily voiced it just now?”
“No, I haven’t forgotten. I never forget.” He glanced away again, and a slight groove appeared between his eyes.
“Then why does it flare?”
His jaw ticked once, his aura rising more. “Because I’m wanting to break my vow when that occurs. When the Council’s magic senses that, it reminds me of what I promised.”
Heart pounding, I thought back to the times I’d sensed it. There had beenso manytimes when Kole and I had been alone together, and his Council magic had flared.
My heart began to thrum in my chest, galloping more with each breath I took. “Every time I’ve felt that magic flare, you’ve been with me.”
“Yes.”
“And you seemed to have been enjoying yourself, perhaps enjoying my company?”
A low rumble filled his chest. “Yes.”
I peered up at him, and his eyes were so vivid, so churning with unsaid words that my breath sucked in. “You’ve wanted to break your vow because you wanted to do things...with me? You didn’t want to remain distant?”
He abruptly glanced away and took a huge step back. “We should go.”
I opened my mouth to say more, to apologize for pushing him, but his hand abruptly enclosed mine, the only point of contact he allowed himself, and then I was whisked away in a flurry of mist and shadows, air and wind, and the sea and the budding conversation that had cracked the distance between the warrior and me disappeared.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
We reappeared in my chambers within the palace. Betsee was there, changing the bed sheets.
The lady’s attendant let out a flusteredOhthe second we materialized, but Kole reacted just as fast.
“I’ll be heading out. Your nighttime guard should already be here.” He kept his gaze over my head. “I’ll be back in the morning.”
He was out of the door and closing it behind him before I could blink, and then, it was just Betsee and me.
