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Inez drew lazy circles across his chest. “Are they close?”
Rylec had noticed the low buzz of engines a few minutes ago. His star-wife obviously had too. “Close enough.”
Inez let out a long huff. “What are we going to do?”
“You were right.” Rylec pressed onto one elbow, staring down at his beautiful mate. “We can’t win if we run. Empress Calanthe has Soriya. She has an army. But Sollirians follow power above all else. If we stand together against her, we’re stronger.They’ll cuff me in the empress’s presence, but they won’t cuff you. You’re nothing more than a star-maid to them. They’ll underestimate you every time.”
“Do you have any idea which archlord is on your side?”
Rylec snorted. “None of them are on our side, wife. But no, I don’t know which one has aided me the last three years.”
“I doubt it’s Kratos. He’s too blunt for espionage.”
Rylec smirked. “I’d love to see his face if he heard that.”
“I wouldn’t.” Inez shivered despite the heat of Rylec’s body and the warm spring weather. “He once killed one of his servants by growing a tree right through them.”
“I know. I was there.” As Governor of Tertia, he had witnessed the worst of the archlords’ behavior. But he hadn’t stopped it. Rylec hadn’t cared until Inez came into his life. “Let’s not talk of archlords.”
“But—”
Rylec put a finger on her lips. He didn’t want those thoughts in her mind when the Imperial Guards carted them back to the capital. The archlords were cruel, yes. All Sollirians with magic and influence were. It was why Rylec didn’t waste time considering which archlord was a potential ally. They might have helped him once, but there was no guarantee they’d do so again. Neither Eliaz, Naccius, Kratos nor Severin were one to risk their necks for others.
“It doesn’t matter. We can’t control their actions, only our own.”
Inez swallowed. “They’ll separate us.”
“Our tether can hold our connection a continent away. When you see your chance, take it. I’ll do the same.”
“Rylec—”
He pressed a kiss to her lips, swallowing her complaint. Inez moaned into his mouth, relaxing under his touch.
He only regretted having to pull away so quickly.
“You’re not a helpless damsel, Inez.” He traced a finger along her bottom lip to her chin to the line of her throat. He outlined the little star-shaped birthmark on her shoulder. If she hadn’t been born with it, a fluke of genetics, they would have never met. “You’re a star-maid. Trained in combat and conversation, deadly with both a weapon and a word. The Star Temple beat you down to keep you subservient. Given what they taught you, they couldn’t risk an uprising.”
“I know, I know.” Inez kissed his fingers. “But when I see Calanthe again, I’m so scared I’ll become that helpless girl I was before you.”
“You’re not helpless, Nez. Calanthe is a monster. She enjoys breaking people down. You got away from her scarred but alive. You survived.”
Inez’s green eyes met his. “I survived.”
Maybe if she repeated it enough, she would believe it. His wife had changed over the last three years, growing stronger and more confident. He loved her more than ever. Together, they would grow. There would be a tomorrow for them. “And we’ll survive this. You couldn’t fight Calanthe last time. You didn’t have any magic. But you have mine now. Even without it, you’ve spent the last three years besting Sollirian hunters.”
Before Inez replied, an electronic zing echoed through the trees. “Did you hear that?”
Rylec pushed to his feet and grabbed his pants. “They’re close.”
Inez was already throwing on her shirt. “We should run. If we’re just sitting here waiting, they’ll be suspicious.”
“You’re right.” Rylec didn’t want her to be. If they ran, the Imperial Guards would chase them. Knowing the empress, she wouldn’t want them dead, but Rylec doubted they needed to be captured unharmed. If there was one thing Calanthe loved, it was pain. “They’ll expect a fight too.”
Inez slipped into her shoes and pulled her curls into a messy bun. A beam of sunlight danced across her face, brightening the green of her eyes and the amber in her hair. Gods, she was beautiful. Rylec couldn’t lose her again. He stomped down the urge to throw her over his shoulder and run deep into the forest. The only way to win was to stand their ground.
Inez glanced up at him and frowned, coming forward to put her hand on his cheek. “Don’t worry about me. You’re right. I can handle myself.”
“Still…” Rylec removed a dagger from his belt. “Take this.”
