Felix and Milo were on the guards in seconds, flashes of steel in their grips.

The guards were dead by the time they each hit the ground.

Amara let out a slow, shaky breath, her wild gaze now meeting the king’s.

He regarded her without any accusation or shock. “I had a feeling you were up to something. But I had no idea it would be this extreme.”

“You call it extreme. I call it necessary.” She swallowed, hard, eyeing his deadly bodyguards with new apprehension. Felix had followed the king’s command. Would he kill her just as swiftly as he’d killed the guards if the king ordered him to?

“I was once given a prophecy that I would rule the universe with a goddess by my side,” Gaius said. “I was beginning to think it was a lie. Now I’m not so sure.” He bowed his head. “If you’ll have me, I would like to remain your husband and your servant . . . Empress Cortas.”

A violent roiling inside of her grew still as she suddenly realized that she’d succeeded.

Bloodlines ruled in Kraeshia, and she was the first infant daughter to survive an emperor’s—and all his male heirs’—death.

An infant daughter that had grown to become a woman.

And the first empress Kraeshia had ever seen.

Perhaps she and the king made a excellent match after all.

• • •

King Gaius and Amara notified the captain of the guard that rebels had infiltrated the palace and poisoned the royal family. Amara was the only Cortas to have survived this stealthy attack.

Of course she’d blame it on rebels. Who would ever believe that Princess Amara poisoned her family?

Amara went to see her grandmother after the bodies were removed from the solarium. Her smile and embrace made some of her pain fade away.

“This is all for the greater good, Dhosha,” she said. “I knew you’d be victorious.”

“Without your belief in me, I don’t know if I could have been.”

“Do you have doubts about what must come next?”

“Yes, Madhosha,” Amara admitted. “Many. But I know it has to be done.”

Neela pressed her cool palm against Amara’s flushed cheek. “Then there’s no reason to wait.”

• • •

She finally saw Felix again in the halls near her chambers and went to him immediately. He eyed her with uncertainty.

“So . . .” he began. “That was rather unexpected, wasn’t it?”

“Perhaps for you. But not for me.”

“You’re a dangerous girl.” He cocked his head. “But I think I already knew that. Perhaps that’s what I like best about you.”

“So you do like me.”

He let out a nervous laugh. “Was that ever at question, princess? Haven’t I shown you how much I like you on a nightly basis?”

“That’s not what I meant.”

“Apologies, I’m being crude. I rely on my roughness when I feel off balance. And that’s exactly how you make me feel.” He cleared his throat. “Congratulations on your marriage. Quite the match.”

“It is, isn’t it? For now, at least.”

He frowned. “What do you mean?”

“I need the king so I can acquire the remaining Kindred and learn how to access their magic.”

“So you’re telling me the king isn’t safe around you? Are you sure that’s wise, princess? To be so open with me, his bodyguard? It’s my job to protect him.”

“You don’t fool me, my pretty beast. The day he dies, you’ll be cheering right alongside everyone. You really should have agreed to work for me when I gave you the chance.”

“I suppose I do work for you, now that you’re his wife.”

Amara took his arm, making him flinch. “Apologies. You’re still hurt?”

He rubbed his forearm, which she knew was bandaged underneath the sleeve of his shirt from an injury he’d recently obtained. “I’m healing.”

“Good. Now come with me. I need you.”

He glanced nervously up and down the hallway. “I’m not sure this is a good time, princess. You were, after all, just married to the King of Blood. I don’t think he would approve of our arrangement. In fact, I’m quite sure he’d chop off certain parts of my body if he knew about it.”

“How strange. I wouldn’t have thought you to be a coward.”

His eyes sparked with passion. “I’m not.”

“So prove it.” She went up on her tiptoes and kissed him. He grabbed her by her waist, pressed her up against the wall, and kissed her back. Hard.

“Careful. I’m getting addicted to you,” he breathed. “Considering an addiction like this could lead me to my doom, I’m not sure I like that very much.”

“The feeling’s mutual. Now come with me. I have something important to show you.”

“I’d follow you anywhere, princess.”

She led him to the grand foyer before the main entrance to the Emerald Spear. They were surrounded by windows that sent sparkling green light down upon the glossy floor.

“Is this it?” he asked, eyeing their surroundings. “It’s a bit too public for my tastes. How about we go somewhere more enclosed?”

Amara’s smile faded. “Guards!” she shouted sharply. “Here he is!”

Felix went stiff as he looked around with confusion at the dozen guards who were quickly closing in on him, their weapons drawn.

“What is this?” he asked her. “What’s going on?”

She took a deep breath and raised her chin to the guards. “Felix Graebas has revealed himself to be a rebel conspirator. He poisoned my family—he killed the emperor and my brothers.”

“Princess, what are you saying?”

“Arrest him,” she said, her throat raw.

“Are you crazy? The king won’t let this happen!”

“The king already knows what you did, and he also believes you deserve to pay for it with death.”

Amara watched as clarity, then fury, slithered into Felix’s gaze. “You soulless bitch,” he growled.

He then made the error of fighting back against the guards in an attempt to escape. The scuffle lasted only a few moments before he was overcome, beaten bloody, and knocked unconscious.

The guards dragged him away, bound for the Kraeshian dungeon and a swift execution.

Amara had found that she was starting to fall in love with Felix—and love made one weak.

This necessary sacrifice would make her strong again.

CHAPTER 23

JONAS

KRAESHIA

Jonas had spent most of his life surrounded by dirt.

But for the better part of this past week, he’d been surrounded by nothing but water—miles upon miles of it. The peaceful cool of the waves and the breeze had given him a great deal of time to think. And to mourn.

Now his mind was clear again and he was ready to follow through with his promise to kill the king.

“For you, Lys,” he whispered to himself as he stared out at the coastline of the Jewel of the Empire in the distance. “Everything I do from now on, it’s all for you.”

The ship finally docked. Jonas and Nic grabbed their satchels and headed down the gangplank.