“What’s that?” he said in a tight voice.
“For us,” she said.
“Us?” He stopped pacing again, and he let out a disbelieving laugh. “You cannot truly believe that.”
“Not… not perhaps here.” She touched her temple. “But inside, deep inside, wherever it is that we are moved by the forces that move us, the way you and I have always been drawn to each other, it is why.”
“You are so entirely arrogant and think so highly of yourself.” He advanced on her, eyes burning, gesturing with both of his burly hands. “Not everything is about you, Aerhril.”
“Yes,” she said. “Yes, it is. When it comes to you, it is. It is for me, too. It is all about you. And no matter how I try to stop it. No matter how ashamed it makes me—”
“Ashamed.” His voice cracked and he stopped cold in his tracks.
“You know it,” she said, her voice breaking, too. “We both know it. You diminish me, as you have said.”
“You little fucking—”
“But it doesn’t matter,” she broke in. She gestured over her head. “Because look what I have done. I have come to you to undo all of it, to betray everything, in order to bring us together.” Ah, but she was still protecting Celedin, was she not?
Well, that wasn’t out of loyalty to Celedin, it was only because Celedin was weak and Dathor was strong, andDathor would crush him, and she did not want to watch Dathor kill something weak, did not want to see Dathor’s darkness, even though… even though none of it would matter in the end. It never did.
They were written in the stars.
Even if she wanted it otherwise, it was inescapable.
“How do you wish to bring us together exactly?”
“We must… I know not exactly, but I think… we must find the elves in the Vale who are opposed to High King Findas, and I think there may be many. My father was never pleased about his economic policies. What he did to cut us off from trade, from the dwarves, all in the name of our superiority? It destroyed many elves, much of the business in the Vale. There are many who oppose him. And if we could get the orcs and those elves to work together, then perhaps we could end the suffering of your people.”
“You have thought of this?” He was stunned. He came closer to her. “This is what you are thinking?”
“I want us to have the Peak,” she said. “You and me. I want you to be the steward and me to be the stewardess. How else do we have a world where you and I can be together like that if we do not show the world that orcs and elves can be allies and friends and work together?”
He slid one thick gray-green hand up to cup her cheek. He rubbed his huge thumb over her cheekbone. “You want to be my wife, is that what you’re saying?”
“Obviously. It’s all I’ve ever wanted.”
“No, you’ve never wanted that,” he said. “You only want that now because I’ve come in here, brutal and ruthless, and forced myself into this position over others. You only want me now because I’ve become my uncle. That is what you want in a man, anyway.”
“No, it is not,” she said. “I want you because you are…” But why did she want him? She’d had the chance to be with a caring and soft sort of man, had she not? Some part of her did want ruthlessness. Some part of her wanted power. Some part of her was really hopelessly shallow in the end, she supposed.
“What?” he said. “Because I am what?”
“Kiss me,” she said instead.
He put his mouth to hers.
She groaned into his mouth, her hands on the firm swells of his muscles.
“If I’ve done it all for you,” he said, defeated, “why has it been so difficult to get here?”
“I don’t know,” she said.
“If all we really want is each other, Aerhril, why is it that we cause each other so much pain?”
She only shook her head, fresh tears coming to her eyes.
“I wish to sleep alone tonight,” he said. “Go back to your own chambers.”
