Page 55 of Crown of the Dunes

Aderyn stared at me with hard eyes for a long moment, and I almost thought she was going to agree, but then her shoulders slumped infinitesimally. “No. Queen Ginevra would not have wanted that. I… I don’t want that.”

Something in her iciness regarding Erix called to the wildfire of anger that smoldered in my gut. I chewed my cheek, debating asking her about it, but the question died in my chest. If she told me the source of her rage, then she might ask me why I still yearned for him, even though he should be my enemy.

She might ask me why I had gripped his hand like a lifeline after we defeated the tricrith. Deep in my gut, something told me she already knew; she had seen the way he knelt before me in surrender. But knowing the truth and speaking it into the world were two different things, especially when games of power were afoot.

Instead, I just nodded. “I guess I should get settled in my new room. Tomorrow is likely to be a long day.”

My earlier objections to moving into the queen’s rooms near the top of the palace evaporated like moisture in the desert sun as I stood on the balcony. Situated just above the terrace where I used to meet Queen Ginevra for tea, I could see for miles across the endless dunes. The only higher points in the city were the royal library and Kelvar and Alyx’s own rooms.

As I let my focus drift, staring out over the desert to where the purpling sky met the horizon, I almost imagined I could see the ocean. The desert whispered in my mind with the sound of waves and the smell of salt, even though I struggled to picture that much water existing all in one place—in the entire world.

With a sigh, I turned away from the edge of the balcony to stare at my new quarters. The stone room was elegant, yet simple, the ubiquitous gray stone of the palace softened by embroidered hangings on every wall. There were no doors separating the room from the spacious balcony, just open arches that separated inside from outside. The bed was large and plush, topped with multicolor pillows and flanked by gauzy golden curtains. I cocked my head, assessing the furniture’s weight and debating if I might be able to drag it out onto the balcony.

I had finally managed to accept sleeping indoors while I had been injured, having no choice but to rest under the solid ceiling of the infirmary. I had still always stared out the small, high window at the stars every night as I waited for sleep to take me. Sometimes, in the stretched-out moments between consciousness and oblivion, I would remember the way that Erix had shown me the stars in his mind, clasping my hand in his as we found sleep together in a faraway encampment.

I pushed away from the railing at my back, determined to find a way to take advantage of this exquisite view. Even if I couldn’t relocate the bed, there was a plush rug tossed across the foot that would provide ample cushion. I could easily make my own nest of pillows and blankets in the open air.

As I crossed under the archway, a quiet scratching caught my attention. I froze, the hairs on the back of my neck prickling and adrenaline shocking my muscles into stillness.

I stopped, a hand coming to rest on the dirk in my belt as I listened. The sound came again from the edge of the balcony, this time accompanied by a soft grunt. I spun around, quiet as I could manage and eased the blade from my sash.

A moment later, a dark silhouette crested the carved railing around the terrace. I whipped my arm forward, letting my blade fly at the intruder as the figure hauled himself over the edge. With inhuman reflexes, he tilted his head to the side, the blade whizzing past one ear by bare millimeters.

I stared into surprised silver eyes for a long moment before the clatter of my knife on the terrace the level below broke the silence.

Looking into his eyes was like taking a long drink of water after days of thirst, and my heart tugged me forward like a willful colt on a lead rope. Still, I stood my ground, reminding myself of the reality of our situation.

I was a queen, and he was my prisoner.

“Not the greeting I was hoping for,” Erix said as his boots touched down on the stone floor of the balcony.

I let out a long breath through pursed lips. Some of the tension in my muscles abated, but the fizzling in my veins remained as I stared at him.

“I thought you were another monster or an assassin,” I admitted, tucking my hands into my sash.

He cocked his head at me. “Who says I’m not?”

“You surrendered to me just a few days ago when you could have killed me. That would make you a poor assassin,” I pointed out.

“But I could still be a monster,” he argued. He stalked a few steps closer to me, and my heart leaped into my throat.

“That is what you want people to think.” My voice was breathy as he stopped just feet away from me. I leaned forward, the wildness in my heart drawn to the lethal power that danced beneath his skin—the one person who had looked at the danger in me and found beauty. His own lethality was magnificent. My magic roared to life at his proximity, just as it had when he first touched me at my oasis so long ago. I could hardly think straight with the force of it.

I closed my eyes, desperately trying to center myself.

“What are you doing here?” I asked.

“It seems that nobody is inclined to try to lock me up again right now,” Erix admitted. His shoulders drew up. “I wasn’t ready to volunteer to go back to my cell quite yet.”

I opened my eyes, finding his metallic gaze bright in the dusk. “Good. I think you’ve earned Kelvadan’s trust today, at least for one night. Although that still doesn’t answer why you chose to scale the balcony instead of using the door.”

He hesitated, biting his lips in consideration. “I didn’t want to be seen coming here. I don’t exactly have a role here but… I wanted to see you. Needed to.”

I took one step closer to him, drawn in by his confession. “What do you want your role to be?” I raised my hand to his chest, letting it rest on his gray tunic right above where his dark leather tabards crossed.

“I’ve given up every role I’ve been given. Prince, Viper, Lord… most of them to be closer to you. Whatever place you see fit to give me, I’ll take it and be glad.” His hands drifted to my waist, his touch feather light as his fingers wrapped around my ribs.

“And if I want you at my side, even if it would destroy the delicate peace we’ve won?” I asked, tilting my face up toward his.