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“Today at court, my father surprised me.” I said carefully, pulling my trembling fingers away. “No, not a surprise,an ambush. Lord Gravelock. From House Belanthus…” I cleared my too-tight throat. “Was supposed to marry me during today’s audience. After which, he planned to take me to the Shadowlands, wherever that is.”
I wasn’t sure Raziel was breathing. Even Zor straightened, his dulled eyes clearer than they’d been in hours. “But Tavion…saved me, I suppose. He paid the king twenty-five million gilder…and now we’re…married.”
“No.” Raz said, his voice cracking. “That’s not…he spent twenty years in Tempeste because his neck was in a noose, he had gambling debts he couldn’t pay…” Raz’s jaw tightened, but when I reached for him, he rocked back on his heels, his face pale.
“That’s a lie. Tavion’s lying.”
“I…I don’t know what to think about this, either. But I saw the gold with my own eyes. Tavion claimed his bloodline is old…his roots run deep in Solarys soil, whatever that means.”
Zor and Raz shared a long look, then Raziel shut down, his expression shuttering until his face was a cold, blank mask, his eyes glittering and hard. He’d put his armor on, and I hated that he thought he had to protect himself from me.
“Raz.” I stroked my hand down his arm, trembling with restrained anger. “This means nothing. Tavion means nothing to me.” But he wasn’t listening, consumed by anger and whatever else was going on inside his head.
“It’s only a game, Raziel.” Zor cautioned. “Another one of Tavion’s fucking games.”
Admitting Tavion did this to punish me…would it make the situation worse or better?Worse, I decided.Much worse, because that made things personal. Zor was right. Better to keep this what it was. Part of our cat and mouse game with the kings and Torin and the Oracle.
“When I was a slave, we had a simple rule.” My voice was quieter than I would have liked, but I couldn’t afford to lose Raziel. Or Zor.
“Us against the Descendants. This is no different.” I took Raz’s hand, hesitated, then reached out and carefully took Zor’s.
“Solok planted a spy to weaken us. My pretend father sold me off to fund his war. We are a team. We can’t afford to fight amongst ourselves, not if we want to survive.”
“Anaria’s right.” Zor murmured; his eyes still closed, his hand laying loose in mine, though he hadn’t pulled away. “You’ll have plenty of time to kill the bastard once this is over. I’ll even help you.”
I knelt before Raz, slid my arms around his shaking body and held him tight. “You, Raziel.” I whispered; my lips pressed to his cheek. “I choseyou. First and forever and always. Always you.”
His throat bobbed, but he stayed quiet, head bowed, arms at his side. “I will not lose the only thing in my life that matters. I will not allow someone to steal my joy…our joy, just because they are cruel and bitter.”
“Tavion is a lord.” He said, so quietly I could barely hear him. “He’s refined…and he’s rich. He has power, I do not.” His big body quaked, a low miserable sound rumbling in his throat. “I’m nothing buta slave, Anaria.A slaveand nothing will ever change that.”
I pulled him closer, close enough the ends of the spikes bit into my skin, but I didn’t feel them. “He will never be as good as you are, Raziel. He will never know me like you do, or have my heart…like you do.”
I pressed my lips to his ear, “I love you, Raziel. With everything I have.That’swhat will never change.”
I thought he’d set me aside, but the words must have struck something inside him. Raz’s big, strong body shuddered against mine, then his arms came around me. Our hearts pounded together and I knew I’d found my refuge in this never-ending storm that threatened to sweep me away.
Tomorrow, I’d tell him everything about Ember and Lyrae and the owl shifter and my magic. But for right now, all I wanted was to know things were right between us.
“And I love you, Anaria.” He murmured against my throat and I squeezed him tighter as the tension ebbed out of his body.
“But I can’t protect you, not as long as I have the collar around my neck.”
53
ANARIA
Raz offered to help Zor to his little hut in the slave barracks, but naturally he refused, so the walk took twice as long as it should have.
Raz waved Zorander into the only chair in his room, while I perched on the end of his bed.
“I am going to kill that pompous, arrogant bastard.” Raz muttered, pacing to the fireplace. He caught Zor’s eyes and shook his head. “When this is over, like you said.”
Zor had some of his color back, but his hair was still sweat-soaked, the dark circles beneath his eyes weren’t any lighter. “If Tavion hadn’t intervened, Anaria would be in the Shadowlands. Whether by her father’s design, or someone else’s, we would have lost her.”
I was sure he meant they would have lost the Fae magic, but it was a nice sentiment.
“What else has Tavion lied about?”
