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“I’m saying, this is your choice. You get to decide.”
He frowned at me, clearly unimpressed. “And you’d accept that, would you? You’d let me walk out of here? What would you do if I said no?”
I blew out a breath. “We’d figure something else out. We’d find a way.”
“You’d all die.” His green eyes were solemn. “You’re the hybrid queen.”
“Not yet.”
“But you will be. Why would you care about what I want?”
“You’re a person, Jamic. All of us deserve to have the right to make our own choices. If I start taking away those choices for others, I’m no better than Regner.”
He stared at me. “For what it’s worth, I think you’ll be a good queen.”
“Why? You barely know me.”
“I watch,” he said plainly. “Thank you. For the offer. It…it means more to me than I can say. But I will help you. Even if I were to die, it would be worth it if it would end his grip on this continent.”
“I hope…I hope when all this is done, and when you take your own crown, we can be friends.”
His eyes widened, and I realized it hadn’t occurred to him. That if Regner died, he would be the next in line for the throne. As far as the people of this continent were concerned, he was Renger’s son.
A slightly sick look came over his face, but his mouth firmed. “Thank you. I hope the same.”
With a nod, he turned and left the room.
Lorian stepped out of the bedroom. He’d known Jamic was here, of course, but he’d given us the illusion of privacy.
He wore black, his tunic adorned with golden thread. His green gaze slid over me, lighting with appreciation. “You look beautiful,” he said. “We’ll leave as soon as the meeting has concluded. I’ve already ensured we’ll be packed, and I’ve arranged for a ship to take us to meet Daharak.”
“No comment about Jamic?”
He gave me a slow smile. “I fell in love with a woman with a soft heart and a loyal soul.”
I blushed, turning to pace some more. I couldn’t be distracted by Lorian. I needed to run through all the potential outcomes—both negative and positive—for today…for the third time. He caught my hand as I strode past him, yanking me until I fell into his arms. “Have I mentioned how adorable you are when you’re fretting?”
I eyed him. If there was one thing Lorian was particularly adept at, it was distracting me from my thoughts. When he couldn’t use sex, his preferred method was to irritate me until I wanted to slap him.
The door opened, and Lorian cut his gaze to Rythos. “I suggest next time, you knock.”
Rythos rolled his eyes, stepping into the room with Galon and Marth.
“Everyone ready?” he asked. “After your meeting with Conreth, we need to negotiate like our lives depend on it.”
“This is the meeting Emara and I interrupted yesterday? What happened before we arrived?”
“I told Conreth I’m leaving.” Lorian’s voice was carefully neutral.
“To help me complete my blood vow with the pirate queen?”
“No, wildcat. I told him I was leaving this kingdom and choosing you. If you’ll have me.”
He grinned, but I glimpsed the barest hint of vulnerability in his eyes. The room had turned silent.
“You…” He’d given it all up. He’d formally separated from his brother. For me. The sheer weight of that decision swamped me.
His grin dropped, and he pinned me with a serious stare. “For months, you thought we were living on borrowed time. That we’d be forced to separate. I did too, at first. And then I realized I would never allow myself to be parted from you. We deserve to be happy.”
