“Rhen wouldn’t lie to us.”
Jake studies me for the longest time. “He’s lying to his entire country,” he finally says. “If you think he’s not above lying to us, you need to pay attention.”
I swallow. Rhen isn’t like that. “You don’t need to start something, Jake.”
“I’m not. I’m just asking you to think.” He shakes his head bitterly. “Noah said you wouldn’t come. I thought you’d at least consider it.”
I study him, my restless brother who did so many terrible things to keep me safe. At his core, there’s kindness and compassion. I know there is. “I’m sorry.”
He grits his teeth. “I wish we knew if Grey were alive or dead.”
“Me too,” I say, and sigh.
“Not for the same reasons you do.” He looks down at me. “He’s the one who trapped us here.” Jake shakes his head and rubs a hand across his jaw. There’s a tension in his body now. “If he ever turns up, I’m going to make him wish he never did.”
It’s barely a threat. Grey is likely dead—or trapped on the other side, which is equally bad. “What are you so angry about?”
Thunderclouds roll through his eyes. “I’ve spent months watching them use you, Harper.”
“No one is using me—”
“Yes. They are. Grey brought you here to help break a curse you had no part of. And then when you escaped, he brought you back again.”
“I wanted to come back.” And I did. I don’t regret the choice I made.
Until this moment, looking into Jake’s eyes, I never realized that he regrets the choice I made. It might have saved his life, but now he’s trapped here with no way to get home.
The latch at my door clicks, and I turn in surprise to find Rhen in the doorway.
The prince is still dressed in his formal clothes, a blue jacket buckled all the way to his throat and a sword in place at his hip. The firelight catches his hair and turns it gold, but his eyes are tired. He spots me and Jake by the fire and stops. The tension in the room has grown so thick that he can probably feel it.
“Forgive me,” Rhen says carefully. “The hour is late. I thought you would be alone.”
Jake sighs. “You should be alone. I’ll get out.” He leans forward to kiss me on the forehead. “Take care of yourself, Harper. I mean it.”
That softens the edge all his other words carried. “Thanks, big brother.”
Jake stops by Rhen before grabbing hold of the door handle. “I’m still leaving tomorrow,” he says.
“Today, in fact,” says Rhen, matching Jake’s even tone. “It is well after midnight.” He glances at the dark window. “Dustan will accompany you, along with a small contingent of guards. You may leave after daybreak if you wish.”
That throws Jake for a moment, but he recovers quickly. “Good.”
Rhen raises an eyebrow. “You thought I would go back on my word?”
“I thought you’d find other things more important.”
“Indeed. I do.” Rhen opens the door and holds it there. A clear dismissal.
Jake opens his mouth to argue.
Rhen can be patient when he wants to be, but I sense that now isn’t one of those times. “Jake,” I say. “You got what you wanted.”
“Nowhere near.” But it’s enough to draw the fight out of my brother, and he goes through the door.
Once he’s gone, Rhen crosses the room to where I’m standing. Every day seems to add new shadows beneath his eyes, a dark and guarded wariness that never seems to ease anymore.
“Are you all right?” I say as he approaches. He’s always so buttoned-up after he comes out of meetings with his advisers, but today feels like a new level. He’s distant. So severe that if I didn’t know him, I might back away from him. “What’s going on? It’s late. I thought—”
His hands catch my waist, and I gasp. Then his mouth is on mine.
Rhen is so strong, so capable, that he still surprises me when he’s gentle. He stalked across the room like he wanted to wage war, but he kisses me like I’m the most delicate thing in the castle. His hands are full of warmth that I can feel through my sleeping shift, soft against my waist. I put my hands against his jacket and breathe him in, letting his closeness erase some of the worry Jake stoked.
When Rhen pulls back, it’s barely far enough to speak against my lips. His eyes bore into mine. “I could feel your worry on the other side of the castle,” he says. He brushes a thumb across my cheek. “I can feel it now.”
I blush and look down. My fingers fidget with the buckles of his jacket, as if they need straightening, but of course they don’t. “I’m okay.”
“Harper,” he says softly. He puts a hand over mine, forcing it still.
I love the way he says my name, the way his accent lends weight to the Rs to make it a purr. He’s always so formal that my name feels like a secret just between us.
He puts a finger to my chin and lifts my gaze. “Tell me your fears.”
“Jake just told me he’s leaving.”
“Ah.” Rhen sighs. “Your brother is impatient and reckless, and the timing could be better—but it could also be worse. I would rather send him with my blessing than learn he’s caused havoc somewhere in the kingdom. Dustan will not allow him to get into much trouble.”
“I’m surprised you’re sending your guard commander.”
“I would rather not, but I have few guards I can trust on such an assignment. The Royal Guard still feels untested, but your brother is insistent he will leave whether I like it or not.”
Well, that definitely sounds like Jake.
Rhen studies me. “Would you rather I send Zo?”
“No.” If Jake’s leaving, I can’t bear the thought of losing my friend, too. “Did Jake tell you he wants me to go with him?”
That forces Rhen still. “No. And your decision?”
This is one of my favorite things about him. He’s commanding and decisive and never falters—but he never takes a choice away from me. “I said no.”
He lets out a breath, then kisses me again. “I spent so long waiting to find you that I worried fate might take you away.”
I press my forehead against his neck and inhale the warmth of his scent. “I’m not going anywhere.”
He holds me quietly for a moment, but I can tell his worry has not eased.
I bite at my lip, not wanting to add to his tension. “Jake said the rumors about another heir have grown.”
“They have.”
I press a hand against his chest, thinking about everything Jake said. “Talk to me, Rhen.”
He sighs, and it sounds aggravated. “The heir exists. There are royal records with my father’s seal. I wanted to accelerate the coronation, but many nobles have already made it known that they want proof that the line of succession is solid, and so I shall do my very best to provide it.”
“How will you find him?”
“It may be impossible. In truth, he may not live. We have very little to go on for our search. If his mother was a magesmith, as records indicate, he should have magic like the enchantress Lilith. She once told me that the web of magic did not end with her, that she could feel another’s existence. Magic has been banned from Emberfall for years, but if we spread word that someone has this power, it may not be so easy to hide.”