I cringed away from the creature above me, for the King was like a thing of nightmares. The beast hunting in the midnight spaces, beneath bridges and in forest caves. Always watching and always waiting for the chance to strike.

He pressed a hand against my forehead. “You are in a great deal of pain, I think.” He looked at Jérôme, as if noticing him for the first time. “Do you have something you can give her? No need for her to spend her last days in agony.”

Jérôme’s face was white from fear. “Yes, Your Majesty.”

The King turned his attention back to Tristan. “You will do nothing to interfere, do you understand?”

“I hear you,” Tristan said. “But I far from understand why you are doing this.”

“All that matters is that you obey.” The King strode from the room, slamming the door shut behind him.

“I’m sorry.” My voice was quiet, even in the silence of the room.

“I won’t let you die,” Tristan said, the words almost a groan. In two strides, he was next to the bed, his forehead pressed against mine. Magic enveloped us, blocking our words from the others in the room. “I can’t lose you.” His words were muffled against my hair. “I won’t.”

“There isn’t anything you can do,” I said. “Except to let me go and promise me you’ll live.” It took every ounce of control for me to keep my voice calm and reasonable. I wasn’t even certain why I bothered, because I could see my anguish reflected in his eyes. He felt it too.

“No.”

“You aren’t making this any easier for me by saying that,” I said, my fingers clutching at his shirt. My voice cracked, and a sob racked my body with pain.

“It is the truth.” I could hear his heart thundering against my ear, feel his misery and fear. “I should have made you go when I had the chance.”

“It wasn’t your decision to make.” I kissed him hard, clinging to him with what little strength I had left. “I would never choose to leave you.”

“Isn’t that what dying means?” Bitterness echoed through me. “Leaving?”

“But not by choice.” I tried to breathe and calm myself – to bury my sorrow beneath my desire to ensure Tristan remained alive. It was the last thing I had any control over, and I clung to it like a shipwrecked sailor to the debris of his vessel.

“Does it make a difference, if the result is the same? I’m going to save you,” he muttered. “No matter what the cost.”

He gestured to Jérôme. “Give her something for the pain.” Then he motioned to Anaïs and Christophe, who both followed him across the room, their words cloaked by magic.

Jérôme stirred a mixture of herbs into some water. Lifting my head with one hand, he poured the liquid into my mouth. It tasted foul, and I struggled to swallow it back. “This will help you rest easy.”