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“No need to even speak it. If all you ask is his willingness to protect you the way you would protect him, then that is the bond that will hold fast.”
Again, Catriona sang over the gritty mud, and flames burned in the opposite direction around the edge of the bowl.
Jonas let out a rough breath, hand to his heart. “Strange. Felt like something pushed water through my veins.”
“It’s settled.” Catriona sat back on her knees but looked to the Lady of Witches. “Is the pressure gone?”
Narza inspected her palms, then looked to the nightmare prince. “Thank you.”
“Just be sure to make it worth it,” Jonas said. “I want to see you bring Jormungandr up from the depths or something equally incredible.”
I couldn’t recall the last time—if ever—I’d heard such a freeing, sincere laugh from my grandmother.
CHAPTER FORTY-ONE
THE SERPENT
By week’s end,laughter had slowly died in the palace. By week’s end, blades were never far from belts and sheaths.
Valen scraped a whetstone across the curve of his axe in the front hall, eyeing the setting sun the same as me. I’d stood unmoving, watching as fire bled across the sky, and night came. Days, mere days, and we’d face Larsson. I despised the silence of the seas. Not a whisper of Bonekeeper, but like a hum in my blood, I knew it would be soon.
“How do you face it?” At long last, I revealed a touch of fear in the shadow of my father’s killer.
Valen stopped sharpening his blade. “What do you mean?”
“You fought many battles where your queen could’ve died. She’s mortal—”
“Bloodsinger,” Valen interrupted, a restrained grin on his lips. “I will give you some advice, for I’ve no doubt you will stand in front of my wife again someday. Comment that her mortal blood is somehow a weakness for her, and she will make quick work of proving you wrong.” He leaned in. “Elise has a love of slicing at fingers.”
He was taunting me, and I was on edge. Like my mind, myinstincts, were simply waiting for his disdain to fall into place again and one of his axes to peel through my heart when he recalled he was meant to hate me.
Instead of bloodshed, Valen sighed and placed his axe onto the table, looking at me. “It never was simple to watch my wife step onto the battlefield. Some of those earlier wars, I wasn’t always certain we would make it out alive.”
“Did you ever try to keep her back?”
“I value my life too much,” he said. “I stopped believing my fear of losing her and began trusting in her strength. By the time we stood against your folk, I felt as if I could not face a battle without her. Even here, we speak every day through that shell. When Rorik allows it.”
“I thought you were merely passing information.”
“I am, but if you all think any input I’ve given is strictly from me, you’re wrong.” He scoffed. “Most of what I say comes from Elise. She is not here, but I cannot do this without her.” Valen paused, then went on, voice low. “However, I also share your feelings. But I am Liv’s father. It is my instinct to lock her away until danger is over.”
“You should,” I said. “Then she cannot blame me.”
Valen smirked. “If you want to truly be—gods, I hate you for this—if you want to be my girl’slover, you cannot rob her of the opportunity to be the queen and warrior she can be, eventually it will dim her light and weaken your trust in each other.”
Reluctant as it was, the moment brought another hint of acceptance from the earth bender. An admission without truly saying it, that he knew where Livia went, I followed. Instead of fighting it, Valen seemed more intent to shape me into the man he wanted for his daughter.
That night, I’d fallen asleep with less pressure crushing my lungs.
Until my skin grew too chilled, my arms too empty.
I rubbed the fatigue from my eyes, propped on one elbow, all to find a horridly empty place beside me. Moonlight sliced into theroom through the windowpane, painting Livia’s smooth, sun-kissed skin in cold ribbons of blue.
She gnawed on her thumbnail, lost in thought.
Careful not to ruffle the quilts too much, I slipped out of the bed, tugged on my discarded trousers from when we’d practically toppled into bed earlier, and curled my arms around her waist from behind.
Livia jolted at first, then sank into me with a sigh.
