“It’s Phares,” Kallias called from the desk, exactly where I had left him. “They will support Tallon regardless of my presence. If I have to battle the north and east—where he’s been gathering forces—we would be split. I won’t let them divide us. I shall have to choose.” He leaned back, finger tapping the map without looking up. “If I know Tallon, he’ll run—and I’ll have no means of knowing where.”
I gestured at Greaves, jerking my head toward the door.
He crossed his arms, leaning on his heel, turning fully to his king.
Blasted guard. There was only one way to get him to leave without an order.
“Kallias.” I drew out his name, crossing the room to his chair. “I am tired.”
It was the truth, at least. If we wanted to sustain any mental fortitude, we had to rest. Fallione had a role as advisor, likely still awake, but my husband needed sleep.
“I need someone to take Darius’ place. If we rally Neer and Tal, and I have someone leading them, we might divide forces effectively.”
The fur slipped from my shoulders, revealing the thin silk beneath. I cupped my husband’s jaw, stubble pricking my skin as I tilted his head to look at me. Cornflower-blue irises swept across my gown; understanding softened his gaze.
“Tomorrow’s problem,” he agreed, grimacing as he rose to stretch, then he met Greaves’ steady stare. “Get a cot in here. You are not leaving my side until Reem is secure.”
My eyes drifted shut in annoyance as the latch clicked, signaling Greaves’ departure.
Kallias let out a soft chuckle. “It’s safest with him close.”
Logic said to trust one’s guards, keep them within reach—but I missed the Kallias of moments like this, where it was just us. I craved him behind closed doors. Yet I wouldn’t have it until Reem was safe.
Storming eels, Tallon ruined everything.
My husband’s gaze drifted as he reached for the chains of his mantle, but I batted his hands away, drawing his attention back to the present.
“This is my task now.” I smirked. “When the mantle comes off, you are my husband—not the King of Radaan.”
“Do you think a yoke makes me a king?” The corner of his mouth quirked, but a shadow lingered in his gaze—a doubt he did not voice.
As if a yoke could make Tallon worthy.
“Kallias Sunspear, you are chosen of the gods.” I unlatched each chain, letting them drop against his deep green vest embroidered with glittering vines. “I have seen your blessing with my own eyes. Elohios’ light shines through you. No one else could replicate that.”
I lifted the heavy yoke from his shoulders, placing it on the wooden stand, chains adjusted in order.
He was on me as I turned, lips meeting mine in a gentle kiss.
“Just as the mantle does not make you a queen,” he murmured between kisses, hand snaking to the small of my back, pressing me flush against him. “You were born to rule. A golden relic doesn’t dictate that—you do.”
Warmth coursed through me, and I opened to him with a light moan.
Fingers threaded through my hair, tugging me away slightly. His gaze glittered with hunger and fire. “When I retake Reem, I will retake you.”
Gasping in disbelief, I grabbed his vest. “You would make me wait that long?” I demanded.
“Too impatient?” He flashed a wicked smile. The man had changed—teasing, daring, setting an ultimatum. “It shall be a reward.”
“An incentive, then.” I pushed against him. “The faster you claim your capital, the sooner you can take this.” I perched on the edge of the bed as he loosened his collar, my dress slipping up over my calves, silk cool against my skin. His grin faltered, staring at the rising fabric as if it might undo him.
The door opened, and I dropped the hem, crossing my arms.
Greaves peeked inside, frown deepening as if he understood our game. With a grunt, he hauled a simple straw mat to my feet, running a hand through his silvering hair, eyes pleading at Kallias.
I smiled, settling under the blankets. Greaves was safe—loyal to my husband, and by extension, to me. If anyone outside my family could be trusted with my life, it was him.
Kallias shed his outer garments, changing into thin linen breeches, sliding into bed and pulling me close.
