He kissed me, and when he drew away, he held on to my hand, leading me to the stables. It was a large stone building with a thatched roof, located on the other side of the castle grounds, a place I rarely ventured. It hummed with activity, having several grooms who ran about cleaning, feeding, and exercising horses.

Adrian had only to appear, and one of the working men ran to retrieve Shadow. The massive steed snorted when he saw us, trotting beside its handler, who passed the reins to Adrian.

“Will you ride with me?” he asked, running his hand over the horse’s shining coat. “Shadow would be very pleased.”

I arched my brow. “Are you giving me a choice?”

“You always have a choice,” he said. “Though I’d rather you ride with me.”

“For my safety?” I asked, though I was already preparing to mount, one foot in the stirrup. The corner of his mouth lifted and his eyes glinted, and it seemed like he was not so far away now.

“There is no question,” he said. Once I was settled, he followed behind me, adjusting the reins in his hands, and as he did, he spoke near my ear. “But today, selfishly, I wish to keep you close.”

“It is not selfish,” I said, and he kissed my cheek, lips lingering. Warmth seeped beneath my skin, to the very bottom of my stomach.

We rode out through the front gates of the Red Palace and into Cel Ceredi before heading east, descending into a snowy valley. Behind us, the Starless Forest loomed, a constant reminder of the horror Revekka had faced over the last two hundred years. It contrasted starkly with what lay before us—snowy valleys and misty evergreen forests. Several trails of smoke billowed in the distance, all marking villages and isolated cottages throughout the valley.

I realized I had not seen much of Adrian’s kingdom beyond the path we had taken to get here, and I was eager to see more, despite the dangers we faced.

“Gal is nearby,” he said, pointing northeast. I recognized the name from court when two women had come forward to speak about their sons’ deaths. “Cosvina is straight ahead.” He pointed to a group of smoke trails nestled below in a valley. “And farther east is Cel Cera.”

Ana’s lover, Isla, was from there, and it was where she had been when the village was attacked by the crimson mist. I wondered how the people had fared since. There had been very few survivors.

“Your noblesse are responsible for various territories across Revekka?” I asked.

“They are,” Adrian confirmed.

“What about the territories who have lost theirs?”

“The other noblesse split responsibility…until I can find suitable replacements.”

“And you only choose people who are…useful?”

He chuckled. “Do you have an opinion, Sparrow?”

“Perhaps if you did not seek use but loyalty, we would not be in the situation we are now.”