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“When did you speak with my father?” The other man that Qualmer had called Olivander asked.
I blinked up at him, not expecting to learn he was King Ignatius’s son. Paling, I wondered if this meant someone was going to try to imprison me yet again.
But Indigo stroked the side of my head with a soothing hand. “This is Vander Bjorn, by the way,” he said. “Prince of High Cliff. But don’t worry. He knows everything, and he’s here to help.”
I just gaped at him, not comprehending a statement where High Cliff royalty and help could be uttered in the same sentence to a Graykey. But Indigo seemed to trust him, so I nodded and gave the two men a quick summary of what had happened, glossing over most of the details.
“So your cousin saved you from my uncle?” Indigo’s face went sheet white as he glanced toward the dead body. “Maybe I was too rash to kill him—”
“No,” I assured him, taking his hand and squeezing. “His plans for me weren’t any better than your uncle’s.”
I explained how Qualmer still had three children out there that needed to be found and protected from the curse and how he’d planned on begetting more Graykeys from me—because he never learned I couldn’t have children.
The High Cliff prince scrubbed a weary hand over his face. “Well, if this whole mess isn’t a clusterfuck and a half. Not only do I have to explain the deaths of both Teller and Gill to the king, but now there’s a new generation of Graykeys out there to deal with as well. Plus, what the fuck am I supposed to do about all these guards that were loyal to the imposter?”
“Begging you pardon, my lord,” one of the soldiers in custody spoke up, “but we had no idea he was a Graykey. We served Master Gill long before he became king.” Narrowing his eyes at Qualmer’s corpse, he spat at it and claimed, “It enrages us to learn we’ve been deceived along with everyone else. We would like to return home to Lowden with his body and tell our people what transpired here today and how he lied to everyone for years. We’d also like permission to search for the three Graykey youth.”
“As long as you don’t execute the children when you find them,” Olivander allowed with a nod. “Because there is a way to keep them from falling victim to the curse without killing them.”
The soldier nodded as he pressed a fist against his heart. “You have our word, my lord.”
“Thank you.” Turning toward me and Indigo, Olivander exhaled heavily. “I guess that just leaves you two to take care of.”
I drew in a sharp breath.
Indigo narrowed his eyes and gathered me closer. “What do you mean by that?”
Olivander glanced at the scene around us. “What do you think I mean, Indy? The king’s going to be livid enough when he learns Lowden kept a Graykey on the throne all this time, deceiving him, and that this very Graykey murdered his close friend, Everett. But when you add in another Graykey at the crux of it all—one who still breathes.” He nodded his head my way. “He’ll be more determined than ever to find and kill her. Because he’s going to need someone to punish for it all. So you’re going to have to run. And hide. And I can’t know where you flee to, in case they try to torture the information out of me.”
“But why would the king turn on Indigo?” I demanded. “He should be hailed a hero for exposing the imposter king and killing him.”
With an agreeing nod, Olivander said, “He really should. Your mate should be safe in that regard. But I can’t imagine he’d merely let you run off and disappear by yourself. I figured he’d want to share your fate with you.”
“He’s right; I do.” Indigo turned to me, his eyes swirling with pain and determination. “Unless it was better for you to go somewhere without me.”
I blinked, unable to believe what I was hearing. Did he just announce he didn’t plan on spending the rest of his life with me? I shook my head, confused, hurt, enraged. “What’re you saying?”
He smiled sadly and brushed the backs of his knuckles across my cheek before holding up the necklace he’d taken off Qualmer’s body. I gasped at the amulet, realizing what he meant.
“You can still go,” he murmured. “Melaina refused to leave without you, by the way.”
I flashed him a startled glance, and he nodded.
“She found me and was so upset about your disappearance she almost bled to death from crying so hard. We left her convalescing at an inn in Belle. She still has the other amulet. So we can take you there to her, and the two of you can go to Earth together. Like we originally planned. Because you can’t stay here. Not now when they’ll be more determined than ever to catch you.”
I was already shaking my head, hating that idea. “But we don’t have an amulet for you yet. We can’t—”
He pressed his forehead to mine, silencing me. “It doesn’t matter where you go; I’ll still love you. And I’ll be with you here.” He pressed his hand to my heart. “Always.”
Tears filled my eyes. “But I claimed you,” I rasped, gripping the front of his tunic and holding on, not about to let him go, ever. “That first night, after you fell asleep, I said the words and made you mine. You could’ve always come with me, from the moment you told me you had another amulet.”
“You did?” His eyes widened with wonder. And then a grin stole over his face. “You claimed me?”
I nodded. “Of course, I claimed you. I love you.”
He exhaled roughly. “God. I love you too. I love you so much.” Gripping my face, he kissed me hard. “Then I’ll come with you. And I’ll return to Earth again as soon as I can, once I’m sucked back to the Outer Realms. Thank you.” He nuzzled his nose against mine. “Thank you for trusting me enough with your soul to claim me.”
I didn’t feel like arguing with him at the moment, because there was no way I was going to Earth with an amulet if he wasn’t. But we could discuss that later. For now, I merely touched his face and replied, “Thank you for being the kind of man I could feel confident in giving my soul to.”
