“That’s not a good idea,” Galo said.
“Em said we’re allowed to be on the porch. I won’t step off it. I need some fresh air.” He felt cramped and awkward in a stranger’s house, and he wanted to see at least a little of the town.
And he was hoping to see Em. He hated that he couldn’t run out and find her. He had to wait for her to come to him, and he was worried she wouldn’t. She had things to do—a kingdom to run, people to protect, wars to fight. He couldn’t even help, and it made him feel pathetic.
“I’ll be fine,” he said as Galo tried to follow him to the door. “You can stare at me creepily through the windows, if it makes you feel better.”
Galo grumbled something Cas couldn’t understand, but he ignored his friend. Cas might not be the king much longer. He should get used to protecting himself.
He pulled open the door, a cool blast of air hitting his face. He took in a deep breath as he stepped out. He’d opened his window upstairs, but it had done little to ease the claustrophobia.
He slid to the ground and leaned against the wall, stretching his legs out in front of him. The house was on the edge of town, so he couldn’t see much besides the outline of a few buildings. He could hear laughter coming from that direction.
Was Em over there? She hadn’t come to see him after Olivia left, which made him think she didn’t know her sister had visited. Or maybe she did know. Maybe she’d sent Olivia in the hopes that the two of them could actually get along. If so, that plan had failed spectacularly.
A tall figure appeared at the end of the road, moving away from the town, and hope bloomed in Cas’s chest. The figure drew closer. It was a man. Aren.
Cas leaned against the house with a sigh. “Hi, Aren,” he said.
Aren’s head snapped to him. “Cas? Should you be out here?”
“We’re allowed to be on the porch.”
Aren walked closer, stopping at the bottom of the steps. “I know, but someone could still wander by and remove your head.”
“I’ll take my chances. Besides, Olivia didn’t take my head off earlier when she was in my room, so I think I’m safe.”
“Olivia was in your room?” Aren’s tone was incredulous.
“Yes. She came and stared at me for a while. Then we talked. It was odd.”
“Huh.” Aren frowned at the dirt. “Huh.”
“Have you seen Em?”
“Yeah, she’s with some of the warriors. Hashing out a plan to—” He stopped suddenly, clearing his throat. “I’m sure she’ll come and see you when she can.”
Of course she would. Olivia was right. He did still have Em. He’d spent so much time thinking about what he’d lost that he’d forgotten about the most important person. Em stood by him, even when it didn’t make any sense.
“You’re making things harder for her, you know,” Aren said. “Olivia’s furious that you’re here. The warriors want you dead, and most of the Ruined do too.”
“I know. But where am I going to go? My kingdom is gone, my cousin is trying to take my throne, and my parents are dead. The only family I have left tried to murder me.” He closed his eyes. Em’s face appeared immediately, her lips turned up in a half smile. “Em decided not to murder me after she got to know me. That must count for something, right?”
Aren made a strange choking sound, and Cas opened his eyes to see him trying to suppress a laugh. He failed.
“I guess so,” Aren said. “That sounds like her kind of logic, actually.”
“We have a lot more in common these days.”
“I guess you do,” Aren said quietly.
“Besides, I think even if I left we’d find our way back to each other,” Cas said. He lifted his head to look at the stars. “I’ve been thinking someone else might have a hand in that.”
“What do you mean?”
“What were the odds of us finding each other in the jungle on the way to the fortress? It’s a big jungle, but we still found each other. And now, in Vallos. If that wheel hadn’t gotten stuck in the mud, Galo said we would have missed you all entirely. We’d be deep into Vallos by now.” Cas straightened his legs, letting them fall in front of him. “My parents weren’t believers, but it makes me think the ancestors really are out there, watching out for us.”
“I don’t know… .” Aren trailed off, shaking his head. “Things just happen sometimes. Coincidences.”
“Maybe ‘coincidence’ is another word for fate.” Cas smiled. “Just watch. If we get separated again, I bet we find each other.”
“Ugh, gross. Could you not get that dopey look on your face, please?”
“What look?” Cas asked with a laugh.
Aren waved his hand in a circle. “This love look or whatever. I don’t need to see that.”
Cas had never said the word love to Em, but it didn’t feel wrong in this moment. He grinned at Aren. “What? I can’t be fond of my wife?”
“Come on. She is not your wife. You married the princess of Vallos, not Em.”
He’d never married the princess of Vallos. Em might have fooled them all, but she never made much of an effort to become Mary. She was always just herself.
“You weren’t seriously considering claiming your marriage is valid, were you?” Aren asked.
“Why? Would any of you listen?”
“Don’t even think about it.” Aren’s voice went hard. “You can’t hold her to—”
“Aren, relax,” Cas said. “I’m not holding her to anything. We never even consummated the marriage.”
Aren blinked, the anger fading from his face. “You what?”
“Oh. I assumed Em told you.”
“No. Sh-she never said …” Aren seemed genuinely confused. “Why not?”
He hesitated and cracked a knuckle, unsure if he’d told Aren something Em didn’t want him to know.
“It didn’t seem like she wanted to,” he said quietly.
“That was really decent of you,” Aren said.
“You don’t have to sound so surprised.”
Aren frowned at him like he didn’t like being surprised.
“Aren?” Em walked up behind Aren, her face scrunched in confusion. “What are you …” She spotted Cas. “Cas! You’re out of bed.”
“I am.” He pushed his hands against the porch floor, slowly getting to his feet. He held his arms out. “Look! I can even stand by myself.” A wave of dizziness crashed over him and he braced his hand against the wall. “Mostly.”
She hopped up the porch steps and put an arm around his waist. He leaned into her. She was so tall. He loved how tall she was. Sturdy enough to hold him up when he needed it.
“What are you doing here?” Em asked Aren, a hint of suspicion in her voice.
“We were just talking,” Cas said.
Her hair was damp, the smell of soap lingering in it, and he pressed a kiss to the side of her head.
“Ugh,” Aren said. “I’m leaving.”
“Bye, Aren!” Cas called as he walked away. “Thanks for the chat!”
Aren sort of waved his hand behind his back without turning around.
“What did you talk about?” Em asked.
“You.” He found her hand and tugged on her fingers until she turned her body into his. He brushed his thumb over her lips and her eyelids fluttered like she approved.
He leaned forward slightly, letting his hand drift down to her neck. She closed the rest of the distance, her soft mouth covering his.
His body remembered her. Every fiber of his being lit up when she kissed him. She kept one hand on his waist but let the other tangle in his hair, and suddenly every thought he’d been considering today seemed absolutely right. He needed to stay with Em. She was his home now.
The world tilted and he broke the kiss, blinking. Em tightened the arm around his waist.
“Sorry. Being upright is still a bit of a problem.” He jerked his head at the house. “Come be not upright with me?”
She glanced at the door, hesitat
ion in her expression.
“Just sleeping. I’m not asking for anything else. I’m too weak anyway.” He silently cursed that weakness. He would give anything to be able to pull Em closer and free her of some of those clothes.
“I have some things I need to tell you,” she said.
“Tell me tomorrow,” he said, leaning down to kiss her. He pressed his lips to hers gently, twice. “Tonight, I just want to do this.”
Her lips curved up against his. “Me too,” she whispered.
He took her hand, using it to keep himself steady as they walked inside and upstairs. He slid back into the bed he’d grown to hate, but it didn’t seem so bad as Em kicked off her shoes and stretched out next to him.
He pulled her close to him and she buried her head in his chest. This was where he belonged. Olivia was right. He didn’t deserve his kingdom. He didn’t want it.
All he wanted was Em.
EIGHTEEN
EM WOKE UP to Cas’s arm wrapped around her, her back against his chest. He was softly pressing his lips to the base of her neck, his breath tickling her skin.
A giggle escaped her mouth. She ducked her head, a grin spreading across her face.
“Good morning,” he said, his lips grazing her neck. His fingers skimmed the bare skin of her waist, where her shirt had ridden up.
She closed her eyes as his touch sent sparks up her body. She was never leaving this bed again.
“I want to wake up with you every morning,” Cas said.
“That would be nice,” she breathed, imagining it for a moment. They would both be wearing less clothing and there wouldn’t be the constant threat of danger hanging over their heads.
His lips disappeared from her neck and she rolled over to look at him. The color had returned to his cheeks.
“You look better,” she said.
“I feel better.” He rolled onto his back, blinking. “Much better, actually.”
She scooted forward and lay her head on his chest. She shouldn’t stay. Light was filtering in through the curtains, and she was supposed to meet with August and a few others this morning. And she had things she needed to tell Cas. Like that she was plotting to kill his only remaining family member. That she was considering a proposal from August.
Instead, she shut her eyes and listened to the beat of his heart. His fingers ran through her hair and they stayed like that for a long time, neither of them speaking. She’d spent too much of her time with Cas talking. Talking about their families or their politics or yelling about the Ruined. Maybe she needed to spend some time not talking to Cas.
The sun peeking through the curtains shone brighter, and she reluctantly extracted herself from his arms.
“I have to go,” she said, reaching for his hand. “I’ll see you later?”
He brushed his lips across her fingers. “I will be here. Given that I’m not allowed to leave, and all.”
She looked at him apologetically as she climbed off the bed. “I’m sorry. You know it’s for your own safety.”
“I know. I wasn’t complaining.”
She laced up her boots and pulled her fingers through her hair. Cas sat up easily, without any of the unsteadiness she’d seen yesterday.
“How much better do you feel?” she asked, her voice soft.
“Um, a lot?”
“Like good enough that I should come back to your room tonight and …” She wasn’t sure how she’d intended to finish that sentence.
He drew in a slow breath. He knew what she meant. “Yes.”
Her cheeks warmed as she smiled. “Good. I’ll see you later, then.” She pulled the door open and walked out of the room, her lips still twitching as she went. Maybe she had to say good-bye to Cas soon, but she could certainly make the most of the time they had now.
She walked into town and to her apartment. Olivia was nowhere to be seen. They hadn’t spoken since the fight they’d had yesterday. It was probably best to give her space until Cas and his friends left.
Em splashed some water on her face, changed her clothes, and grabbed a rolled-up map from the table. Outside, the warriors were passing out pieces of dried deer meat. She took one before heading to August’s home. He’d taken up residence in a house at the far end of the main road. As far away from Cas as possible, she’d noted.
Aren stood on the porch with Iria, his hands stuffed in his pockets like he was nervous about something. He spotted Em and stepped away from Iria.
“Is Olivia already here?” she asked.
Aren shook his head. “No. The rest of the council is inside, but I haven’t seen Olivia since last night.”
Olivia was supposed to be in this meeting, but maybe it wasn’t a surprise that she hadn’t bothered to show up. She’d made it clear she had no interest in negotiating with warriors.
The front door was open, so Em walked into the house, followed by Aren and Iria. August sat on the couch in the front sitting room with a warrior named Lorena next to him. The whole Ruined council was present—Mariana, Ivanna, Davi, and Jacobo sat in chairs across from the prince. They all stood when Em entered.
August strode across the room, extending his hand to her. She hesitated before slipping her hand into his, unsure what he wanted. He raised it up and pressed his lips to her knuckles.
“Lovely to see you, Em,” he said. “You disappeared for a couple days there. Busy lately?”
She quickly pulled her hand away, wishing she hadn’t given it to him. The feeling of his lips lingered on her skin in an unpleasant way.
“Please, have a seat,” August said.
Em sat in the chair next to Mariana, and Aren slid into the chair on her other side. Iria sat on the other side of August. The wall above their heads was discolored in the shape of a large square, and Em glanced around the room until she found a painting leaning against the wall. Its back was to her, but it must have been of one of the ancestors. The Olso royal family didn’t worship the ancestors.
“Thank you for agreeing to meet this morning,” Em said. She looked at Ivanna. “Any news from our lookouts?”
“Still no movement as far as we can see,” Ivanna said. “If the Vallos army is organizing, we can’t see them yet.”
“Good.” Em unrolled a map on the table in front of her. It was hastily drawn, of Vallos and southern Lera. She’d indicated the fortress north of them, and she’d drawn a star on the eastern shore.
“I think we should send a group of warriors and Ruined north to check on the status of Lera,” she said. “We need to relay what’s been happening here. We have the fortress surrounded to the north and south, but no real plan of action. No idea what’s happening in the north. We need some strong people to travel between the two locations. If we send a group along the shore”—she pointed to the star—“here, they should be able to get north. Especially if we send a couple powerful Ruined with them. We can both write a letter for them to deliver, explaining what’s happened.”
“When?” August asked.
“As soon as the new batch of warriors arrive.”
“It would be safer to go back through Ruina and into Olso to get to Lera,” Iria said.
“Safer, but it would take weeks,” Ivanna said.
“And we don’t have weeks,” Em said. “We need to organize as soon as possible if we’re going to attack the fortress again and kill Jovita. She’ll be well protected, and we can’t take any risks.”
“Fine,” August said. “How many do you want to go?”
“I was thinking ten warriors and two or three Ruined,” Em said.
“Which Ruined?” August asked.
“I don’t know. I’ll ask for volunteers first. I’ll assign the duty if need be.” Em glanced to her right. The Ruined nodded in agreement.
“I want approval of who goes,” August said.
“Of course. I’ll ask the same for the warriors.”
“Fine. I’ll make choices as soon as everyone is here.” August clapped his hands together. “Now. Let’s talk ab
out the fact that you have the Lera king in a house across the street. The king my brother ordered killed.”
“An order I already refused to carry out once,” Em said. “What makes you think I’m going to let you kill him now?”
August closed one fist so tightly his knuckles turned white. “One could argue that your continued relationship with Lera leaders undermines your relationship with Olso.”
“One could argue, or you’re arguing that right now?”
“Casimir has no place here. We are at war with his country.”
“It’s in our best interest to make sure Jovita doesn’t take the Lera throne,” Em said. “We wouldn’t be in this position if Jovita hadn’t removed him from power.”
“Oh, that’s why you’re harboring him?” Jacobo asked. “Not because you were kissing him on the porch last night?”
Em flushed. Silence fell over the group.
“He’s proven he can’t control his people,” Ivanna said. “Honestly, I believed you when you said Casimir agreed not to attack us. But your agreement with him means nothing now. And we’ve chosen Olso as our allies, not Lera.”
Em stared at the floor. Ivanna wasn’t wrong. But then, neither was Em. Keeping Jovita off the Lera throne was crucial in keeping the Ruined safe.
Still, it was time for Cas to leave and make sure his claim to that throne was safe. They were right about that.
“I’ll ask them to leave,” Em said, her voice strained. “As soon as Cas is fully recovered. I’ll give them a week.”
“One day,” August said. “He leaves tomorrow.”
Em crossed her arms over her chest. “Five days.”
“Three. I won’t go any higher.”
“Fine. Three. If any harm comes to him in those days, we will have a very serious problem.”
“No one is going to touch him,” August spat. “But you need to ask yourself if your relationship with Casimir is worth risking your alliance with the warriors. What would your people think if we all suddenly left?” His words shook, like he was barely keeping himself from yelling.
Well, Olivia would jump for joy. The more sensible Ruined, like Ivanna and Mariana, would be furious. They would know Em risked their safety for the life of one boy. A boy they hated.
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