Page 2 of Queen of Serpents and Shadows

“You actually gave her an order?” Vanth asked skeptically.

“I requested nicely,” Ryvin clarified.

“I’m sure she’d rather be ordered,” Vanth mumbled.

“Do you really think she might find something from her?” I asked.

Ryvin shrugged. “I find it hard to believe that the queen cut off all communication with her best friend. She was playing the long game to get her court back. I’m guessing that’s the biggest reason Selena chose Athos.”

The ship rocked gently, and I returned my attention to the water. There was so much building, so much that had been hidden. Ryvin set his hand on mine. “We’re going to defeat him. It’s the only option. I refuse to let him win. And I will not lose you.”

We hadn’t had time to address the change in our relationship, and I wasn’t sure how to move forward with him. If I was being honest with myself, the day he’d offered to give me all of his magic had thawed something in me. He’d demonstrated that taking my magic wasn’t about power. It was an attempt to keep me safe, no matter how misguided it was.

“Why do the gods fear my magic when yours is sodeadly?” I asked.

“Because I can’t use my shadows against a god. You can do what you did to that vampire to any of them.”

I returned my attention to the water. “But now you have that power, yet they allow you to live.”

“I don’t think they’ll allow me to live long, Asteri,” he confessed.

Fear flared and I spun to face him. “What do you mean? You said taking my magic would prevent them from killing me.”

“It does. Without magic, you’re not a threat. But what I did was never about keeping myself alive.” He tucked a stray strand of hair behind my ear. “It’s always been about protecting you.”

“The assassins after you…” The group that had attacked us had survived when they shouldn’t have. They weren’t typical bounty hunters. “They weren’t sent by your father, were they?”

“Don’t worry about it.” He offered a small smile.

“Don’t shut me out. You promised no secrets.” I pressed my palm against his chest. “Don’t you dare.”

He grabbed my wrist, lifting my hand from his chest, then lowered his face, pressing a kiss to my knuckles.

“Don’t try to distract me.” I tugged my hand away. “Who were they?”

He sighed, then lowered my wrist, weaving his fingers between mine. He held my hand like he was afraid I’d float away if he let go.

“You’re right. They weren’t sent by my father. They were sent by the gods. Before you say anything—” he heldhis other hand out and I closed my open mouth, then glared at him. “It means they have upheld their end of the bargain and no longer see you as a threat.”

“I am not okay with you taking my place for this. Especially after what I did in Athos. They’re going to know I tapped into my magic.” As my anger rose, shadows swirled around us, twisting and spinning into a cyclone of darkness.

“You need to take a breath.” Ryvin looked nervously at the dark tendrils.

I closed my eyes and tried to slow my racing pulse. I was not going to watch him sacrifice himself for me. There had been far too much of that in our kingdoms’ histories. When I opened my eyes, Ryvin had taken a step back, but he was still clinging to my hand. The shadows had dissipated.

“I’m sorry. I’ll work on my emotions. But you have to promise me something. Right now.”

He lifted an eyebrow in silent question.

“If we survive this war, we figure out how to get rid of my magic for good. I don’t want to live the rest of our lives running from the gods.”

He moved closer. “I was gifted more magic than most, and now I think I know why. It’s enough for both of us. It’s enough to help us survive. We’ll both use mine and figure out a way to destroy yours.”

I stood on my toes and kissed him. His arms moved around my waist, pulling me closer. I nuzzled into the embrace, burying my face into his warm chest. If only Icould stay here like this. If only I could ignore reality and live in a place where we could just exist and enjoy each other’s company.

But that wasn’t our path. He kissed the top of my head and I breathed him in, allowing myself one more moment of safety before I stepped away from his embrace. The expression on his face hardened, taking on a seriousness that told me he was steeling himself the same way. Neither of us asked for this, but we would do all we could.

2

---