True love. To accept another soul—the good and the bad—and love them through it all.

I slid the ring off my finger and returned it to the table. “I suppose it’s what most of us want, right?”

“The legend says this symbol calls to those whose hearts are torn.” The woman winked again. “I hope you find what your heart wants soon.”

What my heart wanted? I thought it yearned to be free of these walls once. But now I yearned for more of Roark’s wicked hands on my skin, more of his sly grin, more of his soft laughter.

My insides cinched. In another breath, I recalled the icy touch of a phantom in the mirror land. The way his nearness quickened my pulse. A cruel soul, yet I didn’t pull away. A piece of me, deep within, almost anticipated the sight of him whenever the king used my craft.

Gods, I was a fool. I allowed a man to touch me, so intimately, yet I was betraying everyone by conversing and plotting with a killer.

Heat rushed to my head and turned my stomach. I needed to be free of these crowds.

While Kael was turned, speaking to another Stav standing watch, I slipped around the corner where tall tenements and arched bridges shadowed the streets from the burn of the sun.

I followed a set of narrow steps to one of the lower streets. Noise from the market faded. Only simple conversation and a few voices followed.

There were a few lingering Myrdan guards about, laughing with one another as though they were waiting for someone. Strange.

I went back the other direction, but stopped at the sound of breathless sighs from inside a small cottage with boarded windows and a roof that leaned to one side. Moans and more feminine sighs followed. One glance over my shoulder to ensure I was alone, and I peeked through a crack in one of the boards over the window.

My breath caught in my chest.

Emi was inside. She wasn’t alone. Her slender fingers were threading through the dark waves of Princess Yrsa’s hair. She claimed Yrsa’s mouth, kissing the princess like she did not know how to let go.

Yrsa dug into Emi’s waist, holding her close, her back to the crooked wall.

I blinked, one hand to my chest. My heart snapped against my ribs, and I feared it might crack in two at any moment.

Prince Thane would be devastated. I did not know how much passion lived between the prince and princess, but I knew enough that Thane genuinely cared for her. He looked forward to their vows fondly.

Anger grew more so toward Emi. She was not only a Stav, but Thane’s friend.