Nor cleared her throat, looking past Valen’s shoulder, as if she didn’t care that he was here. As if the sight of him didn’t bruise her heart or make her feel a thousand conflicting emotions at once. “What are you doing here, Valen?”

“I came to try to fix things,” Valen said. He looked over at Darai, who stood with his arms crossed, a frown on his face. “Can we speak? Alone?”

Nor was about to agree, but Darai held up a hand. “I think it would be unwise to allow the two of you to be alone together. In light of...recent events.”

Nor didn’t argue. She didn’t have the energy to.

“I’m so sorry, Nor,” Valen said in a rush. “I’ve been in my mind all night, trying to find Androma. Trying to do something, anything, to please you. Do you truly think I meant harm to come to Zahn? Do you honestly believe, after everything we’ve been through together, after everything we’ve done to get to this point, that I would try to hurt you in such a way?”

There were actual tears running down his shallow cheeks, sliding across the protruding bones. “I love you, Nor. You’re the only family I have left. The only family I’ve ever needed. And it kills me inside...” He took a deep, shuddering breath. “It kills me, to know that I had a part in taking Zahn from you.”

Nor couldn’t speak. Because the anger was gone, replaced by an onslaught of emotions she didn’t want to face.

“I want you to know something, though,” Valen said, taking her silence as a chance to fill the awkward space with more words. “I wouldn’t take it back. Not for one second. It kills me, what happened to Zahn, and I will forever carry the burden of it. And someday, the Godstars will punish me for what I did, but it would be far, far worse if that bullet had found its way to you. So I will bear the pain. Because you were Zahn’s queen, and you are my queen, and Mirabel and Exonia would be nothing without you.”

Tears were in Nor’s eyes now, too.

“Valen...” she started. “I...”

She wanted to forgive him. She wanted to tell him it was okay, that everything between them could be healed. But then Darai moved behind Valen, pacing across the room. He met her gaze, his eyes hardening. He shook his head, almost imperceptibly.

Nor thought about his plan again. This time, however, she was disgusted by it. If Darai was certain Valen was to die, then she would do whatever it took to stop it. Or at least delay it, for as long as she could.