Page 125 of Fate of the Sun King

“Then what?” Nadir asks again.

“I want to make a bargain,” Cloris says. “You find me the ark, and I won’t reveal your location to either king currently hunting for your pretty little neck.”

I scoff. “I’ve already proven once that I can kill you. I’ll just end you now and be done with it.” I point a thumb at Nadir. “And I have backup. This time, I’ll make sure you’re dead for good.”

Her nostrils flare and her mouth pinches together before her expression smooths over.

“You think you’re both so clever, don’t you? That you can fool me?”

“What are you talking about?” I ask, and she looks down, picking at the fabric of her skirt and rearranging it around her ankles before she addresses me again.

“You think a High Priestess can’t detect a mate bond when she’s in the presence of one? I was the first to know your grandmother was pregnant, too. I might not have the flash and destruction you possess, but I still hold power in my own ways.”

An evil light shines in her eyes.

She doesn’t need to voice the threat or the offer now dangling at the end of a dead olive branch: I help her, and she helps us overcome whatever obstacles we need to seal the bond.

My gaze bounces to Nadir, and I’m sure I can guess what he’s thinking.

Cloris rolls her eyes. “You two couldn’t possibly be more obvious.”

A low growl gathers in my throat.

She laughs, once again reveling in the power of the upper hand.

“Do we have a bargain?”

“I’ll think about it.”

“You do that. It would be such a shame to see another love like yours go”—she springs her fingers apart—“poof.”

Once I get my magic back, maybe I can use it to force the answer out of her.

And then fry her to a crisp.

Nadir and I stand and head for the door.

“You still bear his mark, I see.”

“What?” I spin around.

She’s standing now, and she flicks her pointer finger in my direction. “On your face.”

My scar. I touch my cheek, cold dread slithering down my neck. I’ve always borne this scar proudly, because it reminded me of what I would do to protect the people I love most.

“I got this from the prison guards. I was protecting my sister.”

A wicked glee crosses her expression.

“The mind is a funny thing,” she muses. “The way it can twist a truth and bury a memory we’d rather forget, turning it into something that feels a little more manageable. A little more… noble, perhaps?”

Her meaning becomes clear a moment later. This is a mark from Rion. From what he did to me. His magic made this mark, and I’ve been wearing it around like a fucking brand to match the one on my shoulder. A reminder that no matter how far I run, I still belong to him.

Suddenly, I feel like I’ve been dipped in toxic sludge as heat spreads over my chest and back. I stare at her, my heart sinking down through my ribs and tumbling to my feet.

“I’ll await your answer, Lor,” she says, and then slams the door in my face.

CHAPTER THIRTY-EIGHT