Together, they left the warmth of their private chamber and entered the colder corridors beyond the inner wards.
Every instinct in Sule urged him to turn her around and lock the doors behind them, but Leena was her own woman—strong-willed, resilient, and fearless.
It was one of the many reasons he loved her, even when that fearlessness led them directly toward the Charon’s door.
“You’re going to be the death of me,” he muttered.
“Not tonight,” Leena replied. “Tonight, you’re escorting me.”
Chapter 6
The hallways stretched ahead like veins of stone, dim and humming with tension. The compound felt different tonight, as though every ancient wall were holding its breath.
Leena walked with one hand resting in the crook of Sule’s arm, his pace shortened to accommodate hers. He had said little since they left their chambers. His silence carried resistance more clearly than an argument would have.
Ahead, outside the eastern guest suite, Mary waited with her hands twisted into her apron. Their usually unshakable head housekeeper looked pale beneath the low corridor lights.
Sule stopped several feet from the door.
“How is the human?”
“Restless,” Mary said. “In pain. The night medic says the fever has to run its course. Rhen came when she screamed. He has been inside ever since.”
“Has she woken?”
“No, Majesty.”
“Has the magic changed?”
Mary shook her head.
“The wards are unsettled, but they’re holding.”
Sule’s gaze moved to the closed door. The muscles in his jaw tightened.
“I’m going in with you.”
Leena turned to face him.
“No.”
His eyes cut sharply to hers.
“We discussed this.”
“We did. You escorted me here and made certain the room was secure.”
“I did not agree to leave you.”
“You did eventually.”
“I was clearly not in my right mind.”
Despite the tension, a flicker of warmth touched her expression. She placed one hand against his chest.
“Rhen will not speak freely with you standing behind me as his king.”
“He may not speak freely at all.”
