Page 74 of Fated to the Wicked King

“You’ve known all this time,” I accused as soon as I was a few feet away.

He didn’t even bother to deny it. A corner of his mouth turned up with his chuckle. “The spell broke, did it? Words do indeed hold great power. Leave it to you to figure out the exact conversation to unlock the Duchess’s memories.”

The arrogance, the self-assuredness in his tone, was pushing all my buttons.

He had known all about the anomalies and the ghosts right from the start. He had known about this. What else was he hiding? What the hell else had he been lying about?

Not that I expected the most ruthless king in the land to be honest with me, but I hated the fact that I had so easily believed everything he’d said.

When did I become this gullible?

I let out a frustrated groan, grabbing his arm. “Don’t be a stubborn jerk. Let’s go. It’s time to swap our hearts back.”

He pulled back. “No. I told her I’m not doing that.”

“Why?” I threw my hands up.

“Are you kidding me? Didn’t she spell out the risks for you? A stolen heart removed twice will likely kill its vessel.”

I rolled my eyes. “Aren’t you the most powerful sorcerer on all of Wünder? You’re afraid of a little risk to your life?”

His eyes widened in disbelief. “Is that what you think?”

Dropping my hands, I squeezed my eyes shut in frustration. “Oh my god, what am I supposed to think then?”

He winced, as if the response he had in his mind offended him. Looking away, he folded his arms across his chest.

I resisted the urge to heave another sigh. Perhaps I should have known better than to think the Wicked King was going to explain himself.

Or, wait…

Narrowing my eyes, I studied the carefully tempered aura he was struggling to maintain. My racing heart slowed at the stark realization. It was so simple, I’d missed it.

If I hadn’t been holding on to so much resentment, insisting on focusing on the evil in his nature—against my better judgment—I would have already figured out that he wasn’t the least bit afraid of risking his own life.

Did you really think I would let those bastards hurt you?

You stupid idiot. You almost got Allie killed!

I let out a breath. “You don’t want to risk my life…”

Only the stillness in the air answered me. A small flock of birds squawked as they flapped across the lagoon behind us. The moon’s reflection was full and round among the lilies floating in the still water. Crickets chirped in the humid air. Fireflies dotted the darkened plant beds.

When he spoke again, his tone was low, his gaze still averted. “Last night, when you almost died, when I almost lost you—” He closed his eyes for a moment, as if freshly confronted by the very real notion. “I can defeat anything, Allie. But last night, with that maelstrom, with that flood, I couldn’t protect you. It was my worst nightmare.”

Utterly baffled, I swallowed past the lump in my throat. “You said you never loved me. You said you didn’t want me.”

He rubbed his hand across his face. “Goddammit, Allie. Of course I want you.”

“You lied to me.”

“I had to!” He blew out a breath. “Hearts are very precious. Even on Wünder, where we can displace them from one host to another. The Duchess said there was only one way to safely remove a stolen heart. She said that in most cases, stolen hearts are superfluous to their wearer. They merely serve as a container for its magic. However, once a heart has embedded itself well enough to take over its wearer’s life, its soul… then removing it—well…”

I furrowed my eyebrows, trying to follow his reasoning.

“I had to make you let go, or removing my heart would have killed you.”

“Let go?”