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Maybe it was the way his hair looked unkempt today, or the intoxicating pull of his magic that I was starting to become familiar with, that made me want the door to remain closed, allowing him the chance to do unspeakable things to me surrounded by books and the sound of the rain pouring down from the night sky outside.

My face must have shown my desire, because he invaded my space, cradling my head in his hands, his forehead pressing against my own. His ribbons of black working their way up across my torso, pulsing in tune to my heartbeat.

He repeated himself, his voice deep and husky, “Have you thought about my offer, Bryn?”

I tilted my head slightly, so our lips were only an inch apart. “I haven’t made my decision yet,” I whispered, ready to press myself against him completely.

He groaned softly, tugging my hair gently with his fingers before taking a step back, the door opening at his silent command. “Then, go. Before I make the decision for you.”

He walked away from me toward the fire, resting his hands on the mantel. Bending his head in prayer.

Part of me wanted to stay and let him make the decision for me. Let him remove the responsibility of having to choose my destiny for myself. Fall in line with whatever he commanded for me. Make it easy for myself.

But I wasn’t that kind of woman. He knew that. And so, I left him staring into the fire, with the night sky as his only comfort.

CHAPTER NINETEEN

BRYN

Iran a brush through Holly’s coat, her soft neighing a sign I was doing a good job.

I’d been helping Sigrid daily since she’d extended the offer for me to join her at the stables, which had allowed me the chance to grow closer to Holly. Sigrid, too. The soldier was always near in case I needed her, tending to the other horses in the stalls next to Holly’s.

I’d learned over the past few days that this structure housed the inner circle’s horses, in addition to the horses used for staff transportation.

One for Leo.

One for Adrian.

One for Sigrid.

One for Cal.

One for myself, the notion of being included in the inner circle not lost on me.

And one for Simon. The largest of the horses remained. A reminder of the friend and soldier they’d lost.

War was tragic like that.

Drag, Leo’s horse, rested in the stall next to Holly’s, and if I didn’t know any better, I’d say Drag took a liking to Holly, watching over her the way Leo had been watching over me. Another thought added to the hundreds of my thoughts concentrated around the king.

He’d been all I could think about, even while distracting myself with Holly.

Our souls were connected. What was I supposed to make of that?

The thrill that ran up my spine betrayed my deepest secret thought: that I was happy to be connected to him in that way. That he would always be mine because of it.

I hadn’t seen him for almost a week, but I knew I wouldn’t be able to stay away from him for much longer.

He’d given me the space he’d promised. So much so that he’d stopped attending dinners he usually shared with his closest friends. Instead, Sigrid invited me each night to join them, so I wouldn’t be alone in my rooms.

If Sigrid knew what was going on, she didn’t say, keeping her opinions to herself, and I was grateful for her quiet company as we worked alongside each other.

She reminded me so much of Sarah that I found it easy to picture the two of them being friends here, together on One. It made me understand why the rulers from One and Two would want to unite the realms. There was freedom in unifying people, no matter which world they came from. Freedom in people knowing the truth of what existed past the stars they could see.

“Are you ready to go in for dinner?” Sigrid asked, stirring me from my thoughts.

I looked around the stables and saw that she’d already finished getting the other horses put away for the evening.