Thalen reached for my arm, attempting to brace me, but I recoiled.
My father furrowed his brow.
“Princess Aelira…” Thalen’s voice softened.
The wooden doors of my father’s study collided with the stone walls. “Your majesty, there has been a disturbance…at the divide.” Lord Joran stepped between us. “I must speak with you privately.”
My father’s eyes were wide with horror, yet he didn’t flinch.
Thalen’s eyes narrowed at Joran’s words, his head tilted, but his calm didn’t fade. He nodded to my father and Joran before he left the study.
My father yanked me back. His fingers pressed deep into my flesh until I winced. “It is your duty to uphold—so our people don’t starve.” As he released me his voice lowered. “Do not defy your future husband. Soon you will be his, and then he may do with you what he likes.”
Tears threatened to spill down my cheeks, but I blinked them back.
I would be his.
He could handle me however he chose.
“Are you all right, Your Highness?” Thalen reached for me again when I stepped outside my father’s study. His hand brushed my arm.
“You reached an agreement so quickly.”
“It is the way of these arrangements.” Thalen studied me. His composure held.
“You are not concerned over the news of the divide?” I asked.
His eyes narrowed once more. “The divide is made of fae magic. It is unpredictable, but it’s held for over twenty years. You will be safe in the Vale.”
My father wasn’t unfazed—neither was Joran.
His blue eyes settled on mine—no longer glittering in the fragmented sun that shone into the corridor.
Thalen took my hand in his, leading me sit on a corridor bench. “The thought of leaving your home weighs on you, but you may learn to love the Vale.”
I trembled in his grasp. “I appreciate the aid you bring Bailoc.”
He braced my cheek with his palm, and a shiver ran down my spine. “You do not need to play politics with me. Speak to me as you wish.” Thalen slid closer to me on the bench until I could feel the heat of his body next to mine.
Tomorrow I would be his wife.
A slow, steady smile spread across his face, almost as if he could hear how fast my heart was racing.
“Thalen...” My voice cracked. He leaned in toward me, his lips hovered over mine for only a heartbeat, before he kissed me. His warmth greeted me, but it felt wrong.
I pulled back, wanting to be free of him. His lips clamped down on mine as he pulled me closer, locking me into place.
The fabric of my gown caught on my fingernails as I dug them into my thighs.
I couldn’t move.
I couldn’t breathe.
He lifted his lips from mine. “Who you ally yourself with will be extremely important.” A tilted smirk spread across his face. “We will be everything together, Aelira.”
I knew once he kissed me—when he wouldn’t let me go.
The only thing I’d be with him was broken.
