Page 125

His magic won’t hurt me, I told myself before taking a deep breath and stepping into the room. Icy power surrounded me, making me shiver. It smelled like Alaric—like earth and spice—but the chilled magic in the air made nausea rise up within me.

As I crept farther into the room, I realized the shadows were, in fact, harmless. They churned with energy, and I could sense the power they held, but nothing happened as I brushed past them.

At long last, I found Alaric sitting on the floor next to his bed, his back against the wall. He wore nothing but a loose pair of trousers. His arms were draped over his legs and his face was buried in his knees.

“Alaric,” I breathed, my chest aching at the sight of him so helpless.

“You shouldn’t be here.” His voice was empty and devoid of emotion.

I drew closer and crouched beside him, placing my hand on his arm. He jerked away from me, and I tried not to let that sting.

“Spare me your pity, Cerise,” he muttered.

But I didn’t move. If he was hurting badly enough for his tormented thoughts to echo through our bond, then he was in a severe amount of pain. Was this because of our conversation, or had something else happened?

I settled onto the floor besides him, leaning against the wall and bringing my knees to my chest.

“What the hell are you doing?” Alaric grunted.

“I’m staying here with you,” I said softly. “You shouldn’t be alone right now.”

“Go send for Reid or Stover. It doesn’t have to be you.”

“No, but it should be.”

“Why?” he bit out.

“Because you called for me.”

He was silent for a long moment. Then, his voice a bit softer, he said, “I didn’t mean to do that. I’m sorry. You can leave now.”

Gods, he was apologizing to me? My chest twisted with guilt and shame. I wanted to heal this rift between us, but I didn’t want him to think it was only out of pity. I rested my head against the wall behind me. “When you’re ready to talk, I’m here.”

Alaric heaved a sigh but said nothing, his face still resting on his knees. Silence fell between us, and I itched to fidget or pace the room.

I itched to reach out and touch him.

My eyes remained fixed on the glowing moon through the window. I couldn’t stop myself from lightly tapping my foot on the carpet.

Several minutes passed. The moon drifted further to the left, sinking lower in the sky. It occurred to me that there were no lanterns lit in the room, so when it reached the Falling, we would be plunged in total darkness.

I tried not to squirm at the thought.

“I’m losing everything,” Alaric finally whispered.

I turned to look at him. His head was raised, his red-rimmed eyes fixed on the moon.

“What happened?” I asked gently.

He huffed a dark laugh. “You mean besides the woman I love pushing me away?”

I flinched, but before I could reply, he added, “I am about to lose the crown.”

My mouth fell open. “What? Why?”

“Because of my association with you and how I’ve conducted the investigation, the people have determined I am not suitable for the throne. That my priorities lie… elsewhere.”

The bitterness in his voice made my gut twist. This was all because of me?