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The furrows on Solia’s brow deepened. “How many times have you been in mortal danger when I was not there to protect you?”
Cassia took a deep breath to steady her anger. Anger, when controlled, was her fuel. Words were her power.
She didn’t owe her sister an explanation. But this was an opportunity. Perhaps her last chance to find the right words to change Solia’s mind about Lio.
“I understand why the thought of my Craving horrifies you,” Cassia said, and it was the truth. “It threatens my life, and you cannot fend it off with your fists. But putting one in Lio’s face is not going to solve anything.”
“I had no intention of hitting him. I would say he is a fool for letting me…but he is no fool.”
“Would you like to sit down and let me explain?” Cassia asked, taking care to let no anger into her tone this time. “Then tell me if you understand why he let you win.”
Solia sank back onto the cushion.
“At the end of the Equinox Summit,” Cassia began, “I told Lio to leave. I asked him to go back to Orthros and let me stay in Tenebra to plot against the king.”
Surprise flashed in Solia’s gaze.
“He could have asked the Charge to come get me at any time,” Cassia went on, “but instead, he didn’t tell a soul about our bond for half a year, lest they interfere in my plans. When I finally arrived in Orthros for the Solstice Summit”—Cassia drew a breath, hating the memory—“he was on the brink of starvation.”
Solia’s eyes flicked to Lio, then back to Cassia’s face. “That was how you found out?”
“Oh, no. He didn’t breathe a word about Grace during the entire negotiations. And when I told him I intended to return to Tenebra to make myself queen, he was prepared to let me go.”
Solia sucked in a breath. “You planned to go back and take the throne?”
“I suppose you would have loved that. But I could not bear to go through with it.”
“You changed your mind because of your Craving.”
Cassia shook her head. “I didn’t even know I had the Craving. My life was not in danger. My heart was.”
“So it was him,” Solia murmured. “Love, not death. But no matter which reason, it was him.”
“No, Solia. It was me. There was a night when I thought I would lose Lio to Xandra’s affections. A very foolish misunderstanding, in hindsight. But in that moment, I knew with all my heart that I would stay in Orthros with or without Lio. I would stay for myself. ”
Solia appeared taken aback. “Why? Is it the immortality?”
“Not at all. That aspect of it all is rather overwhelming, to own the truth. It’s everything else about Orthros. I don’t have to watch my back. I can have gardens of my own. People listen when I speak, and they believe I have something valuable to say.”
“We could have made Tenebra hang on your every word.”
“I would much rather speak at the next symposium of Orthros’s Circle of Rosarians. This is the life I want. I’m happy here.”
Solia shook her head. “How can growing roses in a garden ever be enough for you, compared to changing the history of a kingdom?”
“Hesperines like Princess Konstantina change history from the rose garden all the time. So can I.”
Solia had no reply, and that gave Cassia hope that she had finally made her point.
She ran a hand through Lio’s hair. “It was not until I chose Orthros for myself that Lio finally revealed our bond to me. At last, I realized how close he had come to dying for me, without even telling me. The only choice he ever took from me was the choice to save him. I have never been so angry.”
Solia hesitated a moment longer. “I didn’t know.”
“How would you know?” Cassia replied quietly. “You didn’t even ask how we met.”
Silence fell between them.
“There is something else you should know,” Cassia said.
