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“Possibly,” he acquiesced, “But there is truth to every tale, Liana. And if there were to be only one queen who rose above the rest, I don’t think it would be Suriel… it would beyou.”
“You don’t believe him,do you?” Kade asked, his tone filled with skepticism.
I scowled at him, “Were you eavesdropping?”
“I was standing right outside the door,” he said, and then, “Well, do you?”
“I’m not sure.”
Kade grabbed my shoulder, spinning me to face him before we could enter my chambers, “It could be the Day Court that’s responsible for the attempts on your life. You know that, right?”
I turned on him, yanking my shoulder from his grasp, “And you know he’s only one person, and does not embody all the Day Court stands for, right? And you know he hadn’t even arrived at court when my wine was poisoned. So, yes, Idobelieve him.”
Alaric, having heard us in the corridor, flew from my chambers, the door clanging against the wall beside us. He didn’t speak, but the fury in his eyes was enough to send me a few steps backward.
“Alaric—” Kade began, but Alaric silenced him with a well-aimed right hook, punching Kade in the jaw. He staggered backward, clutching his face, but made no move to retaliate. Alaric moved in to strike again, but I stood between the two, my chin raised to show I wouldn’t be moving.
How Alaric found out where we were, I wasn’t sure, but it was the only reason he could have to be so angry.
“Stop,” I ordered. “It wasn’t his fault. I made him do it.”
Hurt darkened Alaric’s features and dulled the normally bright silvery grey of his eyes. “Youaskedhim to kiss you?”
What?
“Silas saw the two of you in the courtyard. He told me Kade forced himself on you.”
Well, I didn’t know he would kiss me, but if Silas had stayed he would have seen how after I got over the initial shock, I kissed Kade back. At least he hadn’t found out about Tiernan yet.
“Well, I didn’taskhim exactly, but I guess I sort of gave him permission to. It was for… training purposes.”
Alaric narrowed his gaze at me, “Training purposes? Is that so?” He directed his question at Kade, who was now back to his usual, mischievous self, taunting Alaric with a ‘come and get me’ stare.
Kade shrugged, “Well, I mean, that was one purpose, I suppose, but I think she rather enjoyed it. Didn’t you, Liana?”
Alaric growled, his chest expanding and hands balling to white-knuckled fists.
“Enough!” I yelled, jabbing a finger into Alaric’s broad chest, “It doesn’t matter who I kiss or don’t kiss. That is at the verybottomof the list of things we should be worried about.”
“Everything alright out there?” I heard Finn call from inside my chambers, offering me an escape and some separation from the territorial males who each seemed bent on having me all to themselves.
“For the record,” I said sweetly, “You are allmine.And if you would stop trying to claim me as your own, I would allow myself to be yours too.Allof yours.”
Let that settle in their minds.
I meant it. I cared for all of them. And if I was being honest with myself, Iwantedall of them. We were a team, and teams worked together, each member offering something different, yet vital.
Together, my warriors were stronger—and I would never choose just one to share myself with. It would be all or nothing.
And I wasn’t even consideringnothingas an option.
Chapter Nineteen
The days passed in a blur of training—which yielded no results, frustrating me to the point of giving up. The worst part was not knowing whether anything wouldevercome of it. Aside from the ability tosort-ofwithstand Kade’s molten touch, I seemed to have no other talent.
Thana tried to coax the Grace of air from me, and Finn, the Grace of Ice. Alaric even tried to show me how to use the ability to control emotion in another even though he was stone-faced and sour as an underripe apple about the whole ordeal.
I had put it to him to decide how to proceed regarding our little situation. I made it clear I cared for each of the males and he wouldn’t force me to choose. If he tried to make me choose, I would have none. He told me it wasn’t thesharingthat bothered him, or at least, that wasn’t the only issue. It was how it would affect him and the others that worried him.
