“I am here,” she said, brushing her thumbs down the sharp angles of his cheekbones. “I am with you. That is the only truth that matters right now.” His nostrils flared, but she just pulled him closer, uncaring that he was practically bent in half.

“I cannot get through today alone, Jaren,” she whispered. “I promise to piss you off later so you can rage at me, but right now I need you to be my constant.” It was the most she’d admitted out loud about how she really felt, even to him.

Are you with me?

He said nothing for a moment as his chest heaved, but his eyes spoke volumes as he placed his hands over hers and nodded once.

Always.

Exhaling in defeat, he closed his eyes, bottling up his anger and shuttering it in whatever place he went to when he had to focus. He flicked his eyes up to Dedryn, his expression mirroring his father’s. “Would revealing our bond to King Vesstan be unsafe for her?”

His fathers shared a loaded look before Dedryn answered. “I can’t say. But Queen Vaneara did not want him to know. That was enough for us.”

They stared off for several seconds before Jaren nodded minutely. “Fine,” he said, reaching over and snatching her cloak off the chair she’d tossed it on the previous night. “But you will find the time to explain that later, or my mate will not keep me from extracting the information from your lips.”

He slipped the cloak over her shoulders, running his fingertips along the curve of her neck as he fastened it.

“The things I do for you, little star.”

Chapter 15

VERA

Jaren’s fathers led them through the palace, each hallway just as massive as the next with the same eccentric torches and bright banners she’d seen the night before.

She didn’t think she’d ever consider a palace comfortable or home-like, but at least this one felt livelier and warmer than Emperor Sulian’s had.

Then again, she’d been convinced she was headed to her death when she’d walked through the Matherin palace, so there was a good chance her memory of it wasn’t entirely accurate.

The farther they walked, the more servants and guards began to appear, and she swore she felt each one’s eyes as they passed. She didn’t dare speak, knowing every Magyki ear within the palace was probably on high alert, waiting to hear even the smallest tidbit of gossip to hint at who she was.

She stepped closer to Jaren, suddenly missing the armory with a passion. She’d never wanted to be the center of attention, and she still didn’t. Knowing it would likely only get worse made her nauseated.

If the last hallway to the throne room hadn’t already been obvious with the oversized archway and the long, maroon runner going down the center of the floor, she’d have known by the number of guards alone.

There were several stationed down along the walls and two standing at the very end, blocking the open archway. Each wore the same light leather armor she’d seen the guards outside wearing last night, including the long blades they sported on each hip.