I tilted my head as I turned his words over in my mind. A surge of certainty washed over me as realization hit, and that daring, silver-braided thread flared to life.
My throat bobbed, and I turned back to Khato. His lips tilted as he gave my arm a soft pat before joining Isla and Drystan as they approached. My heart began a steady gallop as my gaze snapped back to the man anchored to the other end of that thread.
Kellan held his hand out to the queen.Oh gods.A hazy sort of mirage ebbed against my memories. I had been here before. The man I loved was about to give a bit of himself to the queen of Lotrennia.
The queen’s gown swished in the distance as she took a step forward, reaching a thin arm toward the pirate lord.
My pirate lord.
My heart hammered against my ribs, and my legs began to move on their own accord. Queen Antares’s hand clasped onto Kellan’s, their fingers twining. My pulse banged against my neck, and I leaned into the sensation that I’d felt multiple times now… The tug.
I pulled desperately on that daring, braided thread as the queen’s head fell back, her flowing, golden hair sparkling against the Lotrennian sunshine. Her sky-blue eyes rolled back as Kellan transferred his power, the queen’s lips parting in apparent ecstasy.
My grip on the thread wavered, and Kellan’s face snapped in my direction as my feet slowed. My breath hollowed out in a frozen panic. A quiet recognition flickered across his face, and he blinked slowly, still grasping Antares’s hand.
The queen straightened, mouth parted as she stared at Kellan, her sharp fingernails digging into the top of his hand. She said something, but the wind whipped the words away from my elven ears. A demand, by the way her eyes bore into him with wild, lusty greed.
Kellan’s lips stretched into a dangerous smile, his brows narrowing as his lips moved in response. His fingers tightened on her grip, and the queen’s brows rose. Her face morphed from a covetous craving to a furious panic.
Her lips turned down, and her blue eyes widened as she tugged on her hand. Kellan maintained his grip as he spoke to her, the words too quiet, too dangerous to be heard. Queen Antares’s chest expanded as she took a panicked breath. The color drained from her face as she snapped her gaze to where Bayne and the War Slayers stood in the distance.
The squad converged, moving quickly across the clearing, but Kellan dropped her hand. The queen staggered backward,barely catching herself as she put distance between herself and the Conduit.
Kellan’s hand dropped to his side, but he kept his eyes on the retreating queen as she backpedaled and finally turned, fleeing from the grassy field without a look at Bayne or the others.
Kellan turned toward me as I reached him. My heart hammered in my chest at the fear I’d felt, the risk of losing him to her after the sudden realization of what linked the two of us.
“The Living Library is yours.” He smirked.
“What did you give her in return?” I asked, the question leaving my lips before my throat clogged. “Did you promise her anything?”
“She wished to experience my power,” he replied, shrugging. “You said she was power hungry. You were right.”
He reached for my arm, squeezing gently, a reassuring smile gracing his lips.
“I let her experience what I can do,” he continued, his head bent over my face as he moved closer. “I let her experienceall of it. I showed her what would happen if she did not allow us to defend the realm and if she ever laid a hand on you or Tiberius again.”
I blinked.
“You pulled power fromher?” I replied, my eyes darting between his.
A dangerous smile slipped across his face as his eyes darkened.
“You began to… to drain her?” I shook my head slowly, “I hadn’t realized?—”
“I don’t do it very often,” he murmured, glancing around the valley and scanning the crowd watching us. “But Icando it.”
“You did it for me,” I realized, my brows furrowing, “when I was about to…explode on theHydralast year.”
Kellan nodded, a rumblingmm-hmmrolling up his throat. “I thought it best to keep my ship floating,” he whispered. “And I thought I’d like to feel your hand in mine.”
I blew out a breath, the relief in my chest palpable.
“But you didn’t realize we had a deeper connection until later in Aedrialis,” I wondered aloud, shaking my head.
He nodded. “No,” he confirmed. “I suppose it has something to do withgivingsome of myself, versus taking somethingformyself.”
He shrugged, and then his brows narrowed. “Why were you so worried? Did you think I’d promise her something?”
