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“Are you going to tell her?” Beside me, Dusk leans in and speaks low, referring to the secret I’ve been so hesitant to reveal to her. Around the fire, Dusk had begun to push the issue, fearing that if she learned the truth from someone else, it would shatter the trust we’ve been building with her. She’s walking in front with Onyx, and thank goodness, because even speaking low for Dusk isn’t nearly as soft as it should be if we want this to be private.
But she stops and turns to me. “Tell her what?”
Well, I guess her hearing is better than we thought too...
I shake my head because this isn’t how I planned to break the news. I planned to sit with her tonight, lay it all out there for her and let her know how things would unfold if she agrees to bond with us. And I would find the words now, but my mouth is dry, and her wide-eyed beauty robs me of every sensibility I have.
“I’m going to be king.” I blurt the words, shrill and high-pitched, like a teenager whose balls haven’t dropped yet.
She nods. “Really?” But the light in her eyes dies, probably because she thinks I’m either a liar or a bragger. And I’m neither. If she took a minute to get to know me, she would discover that herself and I wouldn’t have to tell her. “And what happens then?”
I consider the question. I’ve always known I would be the next king. I’m older than Dusk by thirty minutes, and Onyx is a friend, not related, but I’ve not really considered more than that.
“What happens then depends on you.” Onyx has come to stand beside her, signing the words, and I speak them aloud for him. “With you by our side, the prophecy will come true and we might be able to defeat the enemy.”
“Who is the enemy? I mean, I get that he’s this Shadow King and everything, but I don’t know anything beyond that.”
Her question is a fair one. And an important one. Dusk takes over the signing because my hands are useless now. If I can’t use them to pull her to me, I don’t want to use them at all.
“The enemy is anyone who threatens the safety of all we see, our place in the world,oursafety, anyone who threatens you.” I don’t know that I meant to add the last part, or that I meant to say it in the same tone I would use to tell her I love her, but that’s how it comes out.
She nods and her lips twist to one side. “And who exactly is this king now? And why, if you’re supposed to be the king, is he?”
I glance at Dusk then at Onyx. “He’s a man who’s lost his way. A man who isn’t interested in what’s best for the world, but what’s best for himself, what makes him powerful.”
When we start to walk again, Dusk and Onyx fall in behind us. I’ve understated the danger of this king, of his strength and the lengths those loyal to him may go to end the humans and expand their world into this one. I will make those things clear later, when I need to, sooner if I need to use them to convince her to fulfill the bond.
Because Dusk’s question right now is for a reason. We can’t keep waiting for her to accept this mate bond. Even waiting this one night scares me. She’s unbelievably vulnerable, and the fact that the king’s people will come for her makes us all vulnerable.
But, for now, I’m happy to have this time to walk with her, to hear her voice when she talks to me, to notice the way it changes--deeper, softer, sweeter--with each question. Hell, with Ann here, the forest is fuller, greener, more robust. With her beside me, I’m stronger, more determined.
These are the notions of a romantic fool, and it’s only bound to get worse the longer it takes her to bond with us.
So, we’ll discuss this all later. When she’s ready.
“So, I’m the key to saving the world?” When I nod, she scoffs, rolls her eyes, and shakes her head. There’s nothing soft or sweet about her voice now. “But no pressure, right?” She runs her hands through her hair and flips it to one side so the loose long blonde strands brush against her shoulder and the lighter curls at the ends fall forward, shielding the side of her face closest to me.
I wish she could be happy. She’s going to be a queen. Revered. Maybe even loved.
You know, if we can take down a mad king, his army, and return peace to both worlds.
I’m sure that if we could do that first, before the mate bound, she’d come around, but we don’t have that luxury. She’ll have to decide if she can accept us, if she can be with us, without the crowns. Without the luxury. She’ll have to see within three exhausted men the possibility of a good life.
Maybe I don’t blame her that it’s hard.
“It’s getting too late,” Dusk murmurs.
I look up, frowning at the sky. He’s right. The sun is setting. Normally, we can get back from the main cave to ours in no time at all. But with Ann being so much slower, we should have timed things better. If we don’t hurry, we’ll be caught out in the open when darkness hits.
And that would be stupid.
I realize that the forest is quiet. Maybetooquiet. Not like when the king’s creatures come, but still more quiet than I like.The Shadow King knows she’s here. Wants her for himself because he can use her to make the prophecy come true. Or just to hurt us. And he isn’t above it. He’s a prick who cares about his power, his minions, and having a world under his complete control.I thought we knew the extent of his powers, that we were safe until every last ray was gone from the sky, but what if I’m wrong?
I turn to Ann. “When we get to the cave, you must stay inside. We can protect you anywhere, but it’d be better to have a defensible location.” My thoughts are spinning. “And he’ll strike when he thinks we are at our weakest, our most vulnerable.” That’s anytime she’s with us, for now anyway. While she has the power to make us strong, until she agrees to bond, we’re weak. Until then, she’s the chink in our armor that can be pierced.
I shift my pack to the opposite side because without holding it, our arms brush when we walk, and even that small touch is electric to me.
Because she hasn’t answered my request, and only because, I slide the back of my hand against hers and when she looks at me, we’re still touching, my finger now curled around one of hers. “I need you to be safe.”
