Page 7 of A Thread of Breath and Bone

The entire bridge goes still.

“Do you know who you’re speaking to?” Ryker asks. The softness of his voice is far more terrifying than a shout. “That is your Princess.” His grip tightens. “And you will show her the respect she deserves, or you will pray the gods end you before I do.”

Oktavious claws at Ryker’s arm, his face turning a dark, furious red.

“If she says we are leaving now, you prepare the ship. If she says we leave in five days, you wait. And if you ever speak to her like that again—” Ryker leans in, eyes dark and lethal. “—you won’t speak at all.”

The captain nods frantically.

Ryker releases him with a shove, and Oktavious collapses to the floor, gasping for air.

Ryker turns slowly, his gaze sweeping the room. “Does anyone else have a problem with her plan?”

No one moves. No one breathes.

“Good.” He turns back to me. The fury in his expression fades, replaced by something softer, something only meant for me. His jaw ticks as he runs a hand through his hair, exhaling slowly.

“Raea,” he says, voice gentle now, “when would you like to leave?”

Gods, I love him.

What does it say about me that I find this darker side of him attractive? I’ve known, it’s not new, and yet⁠—

“As soon as we can. We head straight to Kyrr to check in, then straight to Baedyn. Do you need to go home for anything?” I look at Rune and Aksel who both shake their heads. “Great. Let’s get flight-ready.” With that, I push away from the table, grab my muffin, and spin on my heel.

The media team insisted on a few photos before we left. So now, Ryker and I are standing at the edge of the lake beneath a pale morning sky, pretending the world isn’t unraveling around us.

“Closer,” Maya calls.

Ryker slides his hand around my waist, tugging me against his side. The warmth of him seeps through the layers of my coat, and for a moment, I let myself lean into it.

“Look at each other,” Cassia says next.

My gaze lifts to his, and my chest tightens. Gods, I’m exhausted. Every part of me aches, but Ryker still looks at me like I’m something precious. Something worth burning kingdoms for.

His thumb brushes against my hip once. “You okay?” he asks, too low for the others to hear.

No.

Not even remotely.

But I nod anyway.

Another series of clicks echoes across the shoreline. “Perfect,” Kaes says. “This is good. People need to see you both falling in love. That everything is fine and safe.”

Ryker’s jaw tightens, but he keeps the easy princely smile in place. I’m beginning to realize just how often both of us perform for the world.

“One more,” Anneli says. “Maybe walking?”

Ryker glances down at me. “Think you can survive one more picture, Princess?”

A breath of a laugh escapes me before I can stop it. “Barely.”

His fingers intertwine with mine, and together we walk the shoreline while the cameras continue snapping. To anyone watching, we probably look happy. Untouched. In love beneath the stars. Not two people pretending we hadn’t buried ten bodies only hours before.

Ryker drops his forehead to mine, both of us taking a moment to breathe while the girls continue snapping photos around us.

I rise onto my toes, sealing my mouth over his.